City of Toronto and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is revitalizing the wetland and creating a new trailhead feature at Cudmore Creek, located at the intersection of Pottery Road and Bayview Avenue.

This project has been funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), with additional funds provided by the Hydro One Biodiversity Initiative.

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  • Fall 2023: Construction starts
  • Spring 2025: Anticipated project completion

The timeline is subject to change.

December 2024

Wetland construction is nearing completion. Trail connections, site furnishings and lookouts are being installed. The project completion timeline has been adjusted to Spring 2025 to accommodate the weather requirements for paving and outstanding tree planting. Please continue to respect all trail detours.

November 2023

Trail Closures and Detour

During construction, the trailhead at Pottery Road will be closed and access to/from the Crothers Woods trail network from Pottery Road will not be available. Users will be redirected around the site and to alternative access points. Project and detour signage will be provided at main trailheads and decision points throughout construction.

Respect all fencing, trail closures, detours, and construction staff.

Map of the southern area of the Crothers Woods trail network and the project site. Map shows that there is a temporary trail detour around the project site, but no access to or from Pottery Road. Alternative trail access points are shown on Bayview Avenue and from the Lower Don Trail.
Showing trail closure, detour around project site, and nearby alternate trail access points.

Access points to/from the trail network are available at the following trailheads:

  • Bayview Avenue.
  • Sun Valley/ Cottonwood Flats via Lower Don Trail.
  • Thomas Hauser Memorial Trailhead (located at the Loblaws at 11 Redway Rd.).
  • North Toronto Sewage Treatment Plant Trailhead, Redway Road.

A temporary detour around the project site will be provided throughout construction in order to retain a southern trail loop for bikers or hikers.

This loop does not exit to Pottery Road.

Parking

Parking for nearby trail amenities is available at the following locations:

  • Thomas Hauser Memorial Trailhead (located at the Loblaws at 11 Redway Rd.
  • North Toronto Sewage Treatment Plant Trailhead at Redway Road.
  • Todmorden Mills at 67 Pottery Rd.
  • Don Valley Brick Works Park at 550 Bayview Ave.

Design Objectives:

  • Restore and enhance wet meadow and wetland habitat on the site by removing all fill material from past emergency works and informal parking area.
  • Improve habitat and species diversity, connecting with the Crothers Woods Environmentally Significant Area (ESA).
  • Provide a safe and welcoming trailhead to the Crothers Woods natural-surface trail network.
  • Improve connectivity/visibility to nearby Bayview Multi-Use Trail and Lower Don Trail.
  • Enhance user experience with lookouts areas, a bridge over Cudmore creek, seating, wayfinding and interpretive signage.
  • Improve public safety by reducing conflict around major Metrolinx rail crossing, and maintain Metrolinx access to their infrastructure.
  • Improve maintenance and emergency access to existing HydroOne infrastructure.

Aerial landscape plan drawing of the new Cudmore Creek Wetland and Trailhead design. This plan shows the new layout and location of various elements, including trail connections, lookouts, wetland areas, signage, and utilities access.

Background

Cudmore Creek is an urbanized tributary of the Don River. This project site is located at the north-east corner of Bayview Avenue and Pottery Road, at the the bottom of Crothers Woods, an Environmentally Significant Area (ESA). The location is the southern-most access point to the Crothers Woods natural-surface trail network, and a close connection point to both the Bayview Multi-Use Trail and the Lower Don Trail.

In the early 1990s, the site was filled in for emergency works after a sewer line break, however following that work, the gravel fill was not removed and the site began being used as an informal parking lot. This restricted the natural regeneration of the site back to wet meadow and wetland habitat. The location of this informal parking area also resulted in an unsafe intersection in conflict with a major Metrolinx railroad crossing, and was often a site of illegal dumping activity, further impacting natural regeneration.

In 2019, the City of Toronto and Metrolinx worked together to successfully close the site to vehicle parking and illegal dumping, while still maintaining user access to the Crothers Woods trail network and nearby parking sites. Additional works are now required to fully restore and enhance natural function and connectivity on the site, utilizing a new wetland and trailhead design developed through extensive coordination between Parks Forestry and Recreation, Toronto Water, Transportation Services, TRCA, Hydro One and Metrolinx.

The new wetland and trailhead design will remove the old gravel parking area, regrade the site, and plant a variety of native trees and shrubs in order to restore and enhance the wetland/wet meadow habitat area. It will also improve trail access by functioning as a formal trailhead for the Crothers Woods trail network, improving connectivity to the Lower Don Trail, and Bayview Multi-use trail nearby. Lookout features will provide an enjoyable user experience, allowing visitors to step off of main trails and view the new wetland. The new design will also improve the safety of traffic, pedestrians and cyclists around the Bayview Intersection and Metrolinx crossing, while maintaining critical maintenance access for HydroOne to their tower.

Photo of the Cudmore Creek Wetland and Trailhead project site, prior to construction, showing the area used as informal parking and the proximity of the site to the Metrolinx crossing. The Hydro tower is also visible in the photo.
Before: Cudmore Creek Project Site (2019), showing gravel-filled informal vehicle parking area and impeded regeneration of the wetland. This photo also shows the proximity to the Metrolinx rail crossing, and poor emergency access to the hydro tower.