Toronto area fall colours 2025

It's early September and the salmon have started their swim upstream and the cool nights have heralded the start of Autumn colours in Ontario. At this point there is about 0 to 10 percent leaf colour change throughout the province and it is estimated that colours will be changing early due to the warm, dry summer we just had, combined with the lowering temperatures experienced since mid-August when summer seemed to suddenly end. The photo at top shows colours from a previous fall in the GTA.

Officially summer continues until September 22, 2025 (at 2:19pm) when the fall equinox ushers in Autumn. The colours typically peak from the end of September into mid-October and you can track the southward migration of peak fall foliage on this Ontario Parks website or this ToDo Ontario Fall Colour Report website.

At this time (September 11) the GTA is starting to experience the occasional tree experiencing colour change as the rest of the overall forest average change is very low, but as we approach the end of September that will change very rapidly.

You can find some of your own locations with great views along hills, parks, near bodies of water and sometimes along winding roads. Some of the best places to see fall colours in the GTA include the following locations.

CN Tower gives a great overhead view

High Park

Scarborough Bluffs

Riverdale Park

Don Valley Trail

Rouge National Urban Park

Cheltenham Badlands

Spencer Gorge and Dundas Peak

Spirit Garden and Toronto City Hall in the Fall

Toronto is adding a Spirit Garden onto the west side of Nathan Phillips Square and it is shaping up nicely, especially as Fall colours are taking over the city hall property. The new park is dedicated to stepping closer to the Indigenous communities in a Call to Action with a highly visible space featuring and sharing the traditions of the Original Peoples.

From the City of Toronto, "The Spirit Garden also incorporates diverse elements that represent First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures, such as a Teaching Lodge, an amphitheatre, a Three Sisters seasonal garden, a Two Row Wampum walkway and more. The 20,650-square-foot garden serves as a space for contemplation, gatherings and spiritual ceremonies, open to all people seeking connection and understanding."

Featured art works and artists include a giant turtle sculpture in a reflecting pool, a wall with the names of 18 former residential schools in Ontario, a shiny 36-fool, stainless steel canoe, an Inuksuk symbol of guidance, etched Three Sisters artwork and a Teaching Lodge.

See more of city hall in autumn after the jump.

Pretty badlands in Caledon

The hills that were wild and free, then fenced and barred from visitation, now the exposed soil can be visited, if you have the money. Known as the Caledon or Cheltenham Badlands, the site is along Olde Base Line Road (1739) northwest of Toronto and the cost of entry is per car. A 90 minute visit during the week (dusk to dawn) is $10 while a weekend or holiday visit is $20 and reservations are required.

What makes the hill special is that livestock stripped the hills cover and left the dirt exposed. The dirt was then eroded by the rain and left a spiderweb of small gullies and rounded mounds, or hummocks, of reddish brown clay, streaked with grey shale - all of it is Queenston Shale.

It's beautiful on the Bruce Trail heading towards the badlands

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I bought a ticket for a weekday because weekends in Autumn are way too busy. And this was the first time I kept off the road (250m) and took the Bruce Trail route (320m) in through the forest and up to the viewing stand. The trail is a bit up and a bit down and in rain will become a little slippery, so be careful.

Algonquin Park in peak fall colours

Ontario's massive park is bursting out in fall colours right now which adds so much to the natural beauty of Algonquin Park. Created in 1893 to help preserve some of the wilderness and headwaters of quite a few important rivers you can find so much to see and do  with a lot of the park accessible along Highway 60, just 3 hours north of Toronto. You don't have to go far into the park to see spectacular fall foliage - it's gorgeous enough along Highway 60 as the hills and valleys are full of colour (Colour Change : 100 - Leaf Fall : 10). They have electronic signs out warning people not to stop in live lanes on the road - this would be a very dangerous situation as so many are heading up to see the colours.

Some of the views along Highway 60

From the park's website; "The essence of Algonquin is in its vast interior of maple hills, rocky ridges, and thousands of lakes – 7,635 square kilometres of forests, bogs, lakes and rivers. The only way to explore the interior of this park is by paddle or on foot. There is also a second Algonquin - along the 56 kilometre stretch of Highway 60. Here you can enjoy camping at one of eight campgrounds, hike one of 14 interpretive trails, take part in the extensive educational Discovery Program, and visit Algonquin’s exceptional Visitor Centre, Logging Museum and Art Centre."

There are several Algonquin Outfitter locations in and around the park. They can drop off kayaks and canoes to your campsite or to the beach or docks where you depart for your voyage

We biked the amazing old rail trails, kayaked in rivers and lakes, camped in a forest of pine trees at Pog Lake campground and explored some of the museums, information centres and the nature walks. The only things we didn't do were portage between lakes and fish! Sadly the only moose or bear that we saw were in the visitor centre - stuffed.

On the multi-use rail trails in the park

Remnants of an old railway bridge

Past rail lines run along and through forests. This one is where an old sawmill was located

 On Rock Lake. We traveled between Rock Lake and Whitefish Lake

See more photos of the fall colours and the park after the jump.

Fall 2023 is coming fast

It's coming to the end of August 2023 and already we are seeing fall colours around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Officially September 23, 2023 is the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. The Ontario Parks fall colour report shows 0% colour change for now but my eyes do not deceive me, it is starting! 

The change starts when daylight is reduced and the weather gets colder. From the Algonquin Provincial Park website on fall colours; "As the daylight length shortens, and temperatures grow cooler in autumn, trees slow and eventually halt their sugar making process of photosynthesis and begin to prepare for the dormant winter period. During this preparation for winter, trees extract the valued chemical components within their leaves, including the green chlorophyll, for re-use again next growing season (the following spring/summer). As these valued chemical components break down and get extracted from the leaf, underlying pigments get revealed. These now visible pigments (that were in the leaves all along, but hidden by the green chlorophyll) include the orange and yellow colours of pigments such as carotenes and xanthophylls. Red pigments, or anthocyanins, are believed to be specially formed late in the summer and protect sensitive leaves from bright sunlight during the chemical extraction process." We go from a peak of 15 hours, 27 minutes of summer sunlight to 12 hours, 11 minutes at the Autumn Equinox.

On August 18, 2023 the night time temperatures started to hit 14 degrees Celsius and below in Toronto. It seems to rain every second day in the Toronto area this year and while a large part of the world is suffering drought conditions we seem to be producing a record amount of rainfall in 2023. Normal peak fall colours in Ontario stretch from mid-September into October, moving from the north into southern Ontario as autumn progresses.

Big Bend lookout in Arrowhead Provincial Park

North of Toronto in the Muskoka area one of the best places to see the colour change is at Arrowhead Provincial Park and the Big Bend Lookout - which is also great to see year round!

Algonquin Park in Central Ontario is in peak fall colour at the end of September, early October.

Autumn Equinox in Toronto is fast approaching

Typical Fall activities are fast passing including the Canadian National Exhibition, the return to school and small town fall fairs have already started. Next up is the actual Autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere which is on Thursday, September 23, 2022.

Splashes of colour have already started in the forests, parks and trees around the GTA. You can track the changing leaves by going to the Ontario Parks Fall Colours report website. In Toronto the strand of birch trees along the west side of Nathan Phillips Square at Toronto City Hall are already showing yellow.

Mini Train and Carousel in Guelph

The 80 acre park in north Guelph along Woolwich and Woodlawn Streets is a lovely park bisected by the Speed River, full of special features including the miniature train and carousel. The amusement rides are open daily from Victoria Day weekend to mid-September and during weekends only until early October (10:30am till 6pm).

Standing on the tiny railway track

Carousel building

The park hosts seasonal events including outdoor concert series at the amphitheater and in winter time the annual Rotary Sparkle in the Park returns December 16 to 31, 2021 (5:30pm to late).

You can also find rock gardens, children's playground, horseshoe pits, a windmill, a 9-hole disk golf course, a floral clock and walking trails. 

In autumn the park is full of vibrant colours. You can see more photos after the jump.

Fall Colours on the escarpment 2021

Fall colours look the best with beautiful clouds, splashes of sun and some vibrant green to really make the season pop. It is a small window of the year to try to catch the gorgeous views of nature before the trees become bare and winter comes blasting back - usually around Halloween!

On top of the Niagara escarpment the colours have peaked but there is still beauty in the forest, especially when the sun comes out to play. These photos are from Halton Hills and around Frog Pond.

Collingwood keeps getting more expensive to visit

We took our annual trip to the Collingwood area to check out the fall colours, which are nice on the escarpment by the way, but still muted around the city and one of our stops is at the top of Blue Mountain. We usually walk along the trails at the top of the ski resort, then take the ski lift ride down, enjoy the village and grab a bite to eat in one of their restaurants.

Water trikes rent for $17

This time we found out that they have added a ticket booth up top and are charging $25 to use the trails, $34 if you want to use the gondola to get down to the village. It used to be free to take the gondola down, then you paid for the trip back up (or you could climb the mountain), then they added the cost to go down as well. So we bailed and drove back down to park in the village and skipped the trails and the gondola. Not much was going on Saturday so we decided not to stay for dinner either.

Some of the fall colours on the escarpment above Blue Mountain

The view from the water's edge at Sunset Point Park

Our next stop was the park at the edge of Georgian Bay called Sunset Point. Parking was $10 per hour but they gave you a break and the maximum fee that they would charge per day was $50! We strolled the park for an hour and got out of town fast before they charged us for driving the streets. We ended up going for dinner in nearby Stayner.

2021 Toronto Fall colours

Update October 31: Toronto is finally feeling the love as Fall colours are taking over the City's trees and forests.

HTO Park is full of bright colours

Update October 10: Peak fall colours are happening in northern and eastern Ontario. In Collingwood the escarpment is getting close to peak. While in the GTA the colour change is around 10%. Mild weather is probably holding back the changes. You are probably looking at another week or maybe two before the peak hits Toronto. 

See photos from Oct 17, 2021 on the escarpment on my post here.

Oct 9 the escarpment at Blue Mountain

Oct 10 along the west branch of the Credit River in Georgetown shows some colour

Check out the Salmon Run currently underway as Salmon head for their spawning grounds

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