High Park Zoo now with baby Highland cows

Free admission gets you into the High Park Animal Display where the cutest new additions to join the zoo are a couple of West Highland Calves; MacDuff and Molly McMoo. The breed originally came from Scotland and has a double fur coat to help protect them from cold and insects. This is Canada's oldest animal display and one of the smaller ones, it's like a small street long, but it is also near the playground area so you can combine the visits if you have children.

One of the new babies gets some grooming

Toronto's website says, "The animals are out engaging with visitors regardless of the weather. Spring is a particularly exciting time at the animal display as many baby animals are born. Come and see our keepers interact with and feed the babies. Meet the newborns and watch them grow up!"

Free admission Open every day 9:00 am - 7:00 pm
Animals: Barbary Sheep, Bison, Capybaras, Emus, Llamas, Mouflon Sheep, Peacocks, Reindeer, West Highlands Cattle and Yaks.

See more of the animals after the jump.

High Park Zoo Boo

Several different animals and birds are kept in the tiny zoo that leads down from the top of High Park near Grenadier Cafe along Deer Pen Road to the east. Admission to the High Park Zoo is free and it is open every day from 9am to 7pm.

The West Highland Cattle liked the soccer ball full of food

While there is not a lot of animals it is always fun to make a quick trip by the zoo to learn about the animals that are there and High Park is such a nice place to visit anyways. My current faves are the bison and the West Highland Cattle.

Some Barbary Sheep were enjoying the sun

On Sunday, October 20 there will be a Halloween-themed day of fun at the zoo called the High Park Zoo Boo. Come in a costume and you play games, make masks, enjoy a bouncy castle and the Llama Pen will be open for part of the day. The event runs from noon to 3pm - rain or shine.

Cherry Blossoms in Toronto 2024

Update Saturday, April 20, 2024: Peak blossoms are getting close in High Park and in Exhibition Place.

Liberty Grand at Exhibition Place

High Park Cherry Blossom Festival

Queen's Park blossoms

U of T Robarts Library

University of Toronto's Robarts Library, Queen's Park and Trinity Bellwoods Park are all in peak bloom as of April 20. University Avenue trees are still not in bloom. 

The Weather Network on April 20th forecasts that temperatures could prove troublesome for the blossoms that still have to develop. "With overnight lows expected to dip below the freezing mark and little to no wind, a potential frost could put the cherry blossoms in jeopardy."

See more photos of the 2024 blossoms at the bottom of this post.

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Update April 16: High Park blossoms have already started popping out and the Sakura cherry trees are on track for full bloom soon - unless bad weather and winds blow off the blooms, so it looks like Saturday the 27th will be peak weekend blossoms in 2024 but Saturday, April 20 will have a lot of blossoms on display. Remember the park will be closed for vehicles beginning April 22  for 2024, this will begin on April 20

Also the University of Toronto Robarts Library cherry trees are currently now at peak blossom. The Harbord Street library began peak blossom April 15 so try to get out to see them before Saturday, April 20.

From the City of Toronto April 16, 2024 media release:

"The City of Toronto is expecting cherry blossom (Sakura) trees across the city to reach peak bloom over the next couple of weeks. This annual rite of spring is a popular natural phenomenon Torontonians and visitors will soon be able to enjoy at several locations across the city. There are more than a dozen locations across Toronto where cherry blossoms can be enjoyed, many of which are easily accessible by public transit:

• Broadacres Park
• Cedar Ridge Park
• Cedarvale Park
• Edwards Garden
• Exhibition Place
• High Park
• Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
• John P. Robarts Research Library
• Trinity Bellwoods Park
• University of Toronto Scarborough Campus
• Woodbine Park
• York University"

You can find out more about theses locations on the City's Cherry Blossom website.

Back to the original post.-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Cooler temperatures have slowed the growth of the cherry blossom buds in High Park. Sakura Watch is predicting buds will open April 18 to 24 with peak blossoms to follow by a few days, so that puts weekend peak either Saturday, April 20 or 27.

The giant Maple Leaf garden in Hillside Park

Right now (April 7) the cherry blossoms are in Stage 1 - round green buds which means that the park is not busy. However in another week or two this place will be booming for the Cherry Blossom Festival. The blossoms can last 4 to 10 days so you have a narrow range to see the beautiful flowers in the trees.

See more blossoms of 2024 following the jump.

Toronto High Park Cherry Blossoms 2022

May 2: This is the week that peak blossoms will happen. On site May 4: south section near maple leaf garden is still mostly florets, the north section along Grenadier Pond are almost at peak and need a few more days. Crowds are building!

May 4, 2022 photos

May 4, 2022 photo

Some of the Niagara area blossoms are already peeking out

The good news is that the City of Toronto will allow the in-person viewing of the 2022 Cherry Blossom Festival in High Park, now all we need is for the blossoms to pop. On April 9 the Sakura cherry buds were starting to show green and it will be a bit before the buds become round and green.

Bud development as of April 9, 2022

When the florets, or beginning of the flowers, start to show (florets visible) and I think that we should have peak bloom in late April, early May lasting 4 to 10 days. In late April the crowds will start descending on the park to get an up close look as the florets come out and early blossoms start to appear. This will be the first time that the fruit trees will not be fenced off since 2019 as part of Covid-19 precautions. If you don't like crowds you can find 15 other cherry blossom locations throughout the city, many of those will have few visitors. you can find these locations along with virtual tours on the City's website: https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/cherry-blossoms/.

Mayor John Tory says "Thanks to the progress we have made confronting COVID-19, everyone will be able to come out and enjoy the cherry blossoms when they bloom this spring. When the peak bloom begins, I encourage you to rediscover the cherry blossoms in High Park and in cherry blossom locations across the city.”

High Park will restrict vehicles from entering the park during peak bloom and also throughout weekends and holidays. The City will have a Bloom Cam for 2022 which has become a popular way for people to keep on eye on the blossoms without having to go to site. The blossoms are concentrated along the paths near Grenadier Pond although their are separate groups of Sakura trees at various locations in the park.

The City's map of High Park

There is a lot of activities and services in the park - including bathrooms, port-a-potties, a restaurant and the High Park Zoo. There is also a trackless train that takes passengers on a 25 minute round trip tour of the park operating at various times - from May to Sept running 7 days a week, other times running only weekends from April to October. Check with the city to see when the train runs and the cost ($5 per adult).

The maple leaf flower bed

The metal staircase from Colborne Lodge Drive down to the path along Grenadier Pond

Beavers have been eating the trees along the edges of the pond

Grenadier Pond has plenty of ducks, geese and swans (pictured at top) to watch and many people fish the small body of water. Entry to the park is free and accessible all day, every day.

See my pictures of the 2019 blossoms, 2020 blossoms and Toronto blossoms in 2021.

Toronto Cherry Blossoms 2021

Queen's Park blossoms are in peak bloom right now (April 17)

Liberty Grande in Exhibition Place has blossoms which are starting to bloom (April 17)

Update April 23: The blossoms around Liberty Grand, the walkway along Bandshell Park and around the Princess Margaret Fountain are at peak bloom this week.

Liberty Grande (April 23)

Bandshell Park walkway (April 23)

Princess Margaret Fountain (April 23)

Niagara-on-the-Lake area blossoms May 8, 2021

We took a drive into the St Catherines / Niagara on the Lake area on Saturday, April 24 and the blossoms seem to be a week or two behind Toronto. Peak bloom is probably the first or second week of May, 2021. Update: May 8, 2021 the Niagara-on-the-Lake area is in peak bloom right now. You can check out the photos of the blossoms on my post here.

Update: April 27 the Sakura Cherry Trees are in Peak Bloom in Brampton's Joyce Archdekin Park.

 And back to the original post

Peak bloom is just weeks away in Toronto! I just walked by a tree that had no leaves but was already blossoming, I think it might have been a magnolia tree, they always seem to bloom early. With Spring comes rain and the return of beautiful cherry blossoms in and around Toronto. Until they bloom, here are some photos from previous flowering fruit trees.

UPDATE April 14, 2021: City confirms virtual High Park Cherry Blossom Festival. The Toronto News Release follows.

See more after the jump.

It feels like Spring is back in Toronto

The dog days of winter have passed us by and the sun has kissed our faces and even though winter still has a couple weeks left, it seems like Spring has returned - don't forget that Wiarton Willie predicted an early Spring this year! Well Spring officially hits town on Saturday, March 20, 2021 and afterwards one of the best things about Spring will happen - cherry and other fruit trees will blossom in an explosion of colour. Here are some pictures of blossoms from previous years to remind you of the beauty of Spring.

Usually the blossoms peak in late April or early May so it will be awhile still. Until then enjoy the lengthening days and the warmer temperatures and the thought that the covid vaccines will someday be protecting all the people around the world.

Covid won't stop the blossoms but it might stop us from visiting some of the locations, like High Park, that have an abundance of the flowering trees. The City of Toronto has cancelled major events until Canada Day (at the minimum) and for thousands of visitors to the Cherry Blossom Festivals this means that we will be admiring the flowers virtually once again this year.

High Park full of blossoms and people

It's a good thing Toronto's High Park is so big because when the cherry blossom festival comes into peak bloom, most of the city moves into the park to witness and document the occasion. On Saturday, May 11 the Sakura cherry trees were indeed in peak bloom and anticipated to remain that way for a few days more - unless the unmerciful weather decides to intervene, but nothing beats a sunny weekend of blossoms!

Adjacent parking lots and streets were full of park visitors as more poured in through the vehicle free roads. Public transit pumped the arteries of people, ebbing and flowing as each new streetcar dropped off its load and continued its journey. Popular spots to park were the lots along Lake Shore Boulevard, currently without the parking machines (so enjoy the free parking until they get installed), and walked north until they hit an entrance to High Park.

See the massive crowds at various spots in the park

Some of the trees did go to leaves, skipping the blossom stage and it looks like most of the trees weren't as full as other years, however the forest of white and pink was still very impressive.