Finding Cherry Blossoms In High Park Toronto
We were so glad we found cherry blossoms in High Park Toronto while the trees were still full. Most years we were away at this time of year and missed them. It was yet one more way we enjoyed this great park so close to us at home.
We Loved To Catch Cherry Blossom Season
Travelling for cherry blossoms was always on our travel wish list. Experiencing cherry blossom season in Japan was high on that list. But when we visited Japan, we went in the fall and only saw Japan with fall colours.
Cherry blossom season in Washington DC was another high on our wish list. And we timed it right one year for a visit for Easter. We found spring in the city. And cherry blossoms wherever we went.
We have a whole list of places to visit for cherry blossom season. But this list caused us to add other flower events to that list. We definitely wanted to return to Amsterdam when the tulips run riot in the fields. We wanted to visit France for lavender season. But we also discovered there were local Ontario spots for Lavender fields. And what could be more fun than finding fields of sunflowers nodding in the sun?
We were happy to start our Spring with with cherry blossoms in High Park!
High Park In Toronto
High Park is a large park (~400 acres) in the west end of Toronto just north of Lake Ontario. The park is hilly with two deep ravines and Grenadier Pond on the western side. Over the years of living in Toronto, we found lots to do in High Park. Hiking and bike paths run through the park. There are playgrounds, a labrynth and even a zoo for family entertainment.
The High Park Zoo has both domestic and exotic animals including bison, llamas, peacocks, deer, highland cattle and sheep. But even on a walk through the park we had lots of small animal and bird sightings.
It was an easy bike ride from our condo to High Park. So it was a regular spot for us to visit when we were home in the fall and wanted to enjoy the fall colours.
We were happy we added cherry blossoms in High Park to the list of reasons to visit again and again.
Accessing Cherry Blossoms In The Park
Ontario in Canada was still in the midst of public heath measures to deal with Covid-19. And even outdoor venues were controlled to ensure social distancing. In 2020, High Park was shut during cherry blossom season and everyone watched the “Bloom Cam” only. In 2021, the park remained open. But the areas around the cherry blossom trees were barricaded and only views from a distance allowed.
The weather was up and down in the spring of 2021. And when a April freak snow storm hit, we were not sure how the cherry blossoms in High Park faired. Just before rain and high winds were forecasted, we checked the High Park status on the web cam and found that there were still cherry blossoms in bloom. And at the end of the peak blooming period, the barricades might be down!
When we got to the park, cars were allowed in and there was lots of open parking. We parked at the south end of the park off of Colborne Lodge Road and wandered from there. We saw signs that said “No Access To Cherry Blossoms”. But we figured we would see what we could from the road.
Our First Views From Afar
We kept walking up Colborne Lodge Road. We saw steep stairs that led down to Grenadier Pond. When we looked down, we saw no cherry blossoms. But we thought there might be people on the lower path.
When we almost reached the peak of the hills, the sight of pink blossoms caught our eye. But when we got close, we found just a few small magnolia bushes in bloom. A colourful treat. But not what we wanted.
As we walked, we looked down the hill over the hillside gardens. And at the bottom of the gardens we saw the large flower Maple Leaf that may be the best known landmark in the park. Apparently this was even visible from space! Below the gardens we got our first glimpse of a string of cherry trees.
At this point, we started to see gaps in the barricades. And there were definitely people down by the cherry trees. We were excited that we might get close to cherry blossoms in High Park.
Heading Down The Hill
We kept walking along the road at the top until we got to the steep path that went down to Grenadier Pond. The barricades were indeed moved over and we saw how blocked off the paths had been. But we were so glad that a mid-week visit got us open paths and few people.
As we walked down the hill, we discovered that great vista of cherry trees all in bloom. People stopped for pictures but we were happy to find they did not climb all over the trees. We moved close to get a detailed look at the blossoms.
We slowly walked down the hill. Every now and then, the smell of the cherry blossoms wafted in the air.
Wandering Along Grenadier Park For Cherry Blossoms In High Park
As we reached the bottom, we got a view of Grenadier Pond. The path turned back along the water.
We stopped and looked back up the hillside gardens. From this point, we saw the cherry trees and the grass littered with cherry blossom petals. Even with the grey and cloudy skies, it was a lovely sight.
But the cherry blossom trees were not the only thing flowering in the park. We smiled when we found several patches of daffodils with their heads raised to the sky. The Canada geese enjoyed their stroll through this Spring scene!
The path along the water gave us other interesting views. We were intrigued with the view of the cherry blossoms over the bull rushes.
The path we walked was down at pond level far below the road and our car. We wondered if we needed to find the stairs to get back up. But we spotted the steep path back up and headed that way. On the hill, we looked back for our last view of cherry blossoms in High Park.
A Great Day To See Cherry Blossoms In High Park Toronto
We were happy we were home and saw cherry blossoms in High Park in Toronto. It was late in the season but we visited before the rain and wind bared the trees. We got a beautiful display of spring blossoms. It was great to visit mid-week at the end of the cherry blossom season since we got so close to the cherry trees.
If you want a few moments of tranquil cherry blossoms views, CLICK on the photo below for the video. And enjoy!
There were many reasons to visit High Park. But Spring in the park was quite beautiful. Just another of the great things to do in Toronto!
Did you see cherry blossoms in High Park Toronto? Did you get to see them up close?
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High Park is beautiful this time of year! I’m glad you got to go.
We were glad we did not let the weather deter us. We loved the sight of so many trees all in bloom!
This place is unbelievably beautiful with all the blossoms. The music you’ve add to it fits perfectly I don’t know how you did that but it’s so calming.
Thanks! We were so glad we got to see the Cherry Blossoms in High Park. And wanted to share that peace with others.
These cherry blossoms looks wonderful and transfort every place in a fairy land. However, High Park looks very beautiful and like a great place for a relaxed outing even apart from this romantic beauty. I bet it’s a great place to spend a relaxed Sunday.
We are so lucky to have so many great spots like High Park close to home in Toronto. A great outing any time of year.
Oh this is so lovely. We are moving over the NB in a couple of years (covid pushed our plans back) but planning to visit Ontario and do a road trip. Will definitely be checking these out.
I hope you do head west and visit Ontario. Spring for a lovely time for cherry blossoms in High Park. But any time of year this park is lovely.
I have never seen cherry blossoms in person but they looks so dreamy and beautiful! I think DC would be easiest for me to get to, but maybe I’ll find myself in Toronto during the right time one day. Such beautiful photos!
I hope you do get to see cherry blossoms in bloom one day. It was a pretty treat.
I’m so pleased you were able to see the cherry blossoms in the end & this park just looks beautiful. Great to have somewhere so close to home & glad it was finally open so you could make the most of the blooms this year.
We were indeed so happy we got to see the cherry blossoms in High Park this year. A great way to bring in Spring.
Wow never knew Canada has so many places with gorgeous Cherry blossom blooms. Such a wonderful theme to have for travel. I have seen them in Germany. Lovely detailed captures of the flowers.
Thanks. We were definitely we got so see the cherry blossoms in High Park before the season was over.
Amazing! It looks equally as nice as Japan in this season. The only thing that is slightly a downer is the huge metal barricades. I guess it’s to deter people from getting close to the trees but honestly, why? However, I will say the animals make up for it! You don’t see those guys in Japan.
We were glad we visited once the barricades were moved and we could get closer. Part of the reason for the barricades was for social distancing this year. But part was people who climbed all over the trees. We were happy it was a quiet day when we visited and we had great access to them.
Beautiful pictures and places you shared. Loved this.
Thank you so very much 🙏
Beautiful pictures! I absolutely love cherry blossom season! We get them all over the city in Vancouver. They are so lovely.
I have been watching all my friends and family posting cherry blossoms from Vancouver. So was happy we finally got some spring colour here in Toronto!
Oh my God! High Park looks stunning during cherry blossoms festival. I would love to visit Toronto during this time. I have been to Toronto only once and during the summer season and unfortunately I did not go to the High Park. I also love those animals, especially the lambs, they are so cute.
We are lucky to be able to enjoy High Park all year round. But it was a treat this year to see the cherry blossoms for the first time. Hope you get back to visit Toronto.
It’s always a pleasure to see flower- fields full of blooms be it lavender, cherry blossom or tulips. We visited Japan in June-July and just made it to the lavender fields in Hokkaido. We caught up with tulips in Tasmania in October! I would love to see Cherry blossoms in Toronto and in Washington DC someday. 🙂
We are definitely going to plan more trips to chase flowers in bloom!
Ah! Ashamedly, I’ve never traveled anywhere to see cherry blossoms, but these look so lovely in Toronto. I didn’t even realize they had them there. Lol on the Canada Geese – they seem to be everywhere this year! I’m glad you got to see these in full bloom. So gorgeous!
We were sure happy to find some spring colour at home this year. And being a bit late, we got to see them without all the barricades up. A real treat.
Seeing the cherry blossoms in Washington DC is high on my list too, I always forget about it until I start seeing the gorgeous photos posted around Instagram. It looks as if High Park is an amazing place to view them too. So lucky to have found an entrance in the gate to taka a walk near them, the photos are great
We were indeed happy to find such a great spot for cherry blossoms so close to home. But Washington DC was surely a treat with so many areas to find them.
One of my favourite parks, but will you believe it I’ve never been during spring time to see the cherry blossoms! I’ve always gone in the fall. It’s on my list to go, but the crowds have always deterred me. Looks like now is the perfect time.
We were glad to visit after the peak bloom when they took the barriers down and the crowds were gone. But we still got an amazing cherry blossom show. Worth a Spring trip.
This park looks beautiful and what better time to visit than during cherry blossom season. Lucky no one has to rely on the Bloom Cam this spring.
We loved visiting just after the peak bloom when they had removed the barriers. So exciting to get so close.
Toronto is still on my bucket list. But from now, I know that I want to go there in spring during cherry blossoms. The scenery looks much more photogenic and gives more life to pictures. I add Cherry Blossoms in High Park to my must-see list.
I hope you do get to visit Toronto one day for cherry blossom season.
High Park Toronto seems like a cool park to explore for beautiful cherry blossoms and the zoo. Didn’t knew that llamas can be found in North America. I thought they can only be seen in South America.
We love the variety of things found in the zoo at High Park.
Wow! The Cherry Blossoms are beautiful. I can just imagine how happy you were enjoying them as I was happy myself reading your post. Thank you for sharing this. It is a blessing in disguise at you are at home at this time of the year.
It was indeed good that we were finally at home to see cherry blossoms in High Park. It was on our list for awhile.
I can’t believe they put those stupid signs up and denied access. This is the most beautiful time of year and people feel joy and get new energy from nature.
We were glad we visited when things quieted down and we got close to the cherry blossoms.
Wow! That’s a beautiful spring sights! Cherry blossoms are everywhere with daffodils and geese on the ground. I hope to experience cherry blossoms like this.
Seeing the cherry blossoms at home in High Park was certainly a great way to bring in Spring to Toronto. Glad to not miss it this year.
This looks like such a pretty place to hike/bike through–I’ve only seen the cherry blossoms in NY so far but definitely want to explore other cities/countries soon for em’! Love that there’s a zoo here too–the animals are so cute!
We were so glad we were at home in Toronto for cherry blossom season this year. Great to find this treat in our backyard!