The Burke Brook trail east of Bayview closed two years before any crew is scheduled to work on it, because the ground under it is already failing.
The City of Toronto's Burke Brook Restoration Project page says the area between Bayview Avenue and Sunnybrook Park is closed from 2026 to 2032. It also lists the project status as "Planning & Design Phase (No active construction yet)." That gap matters for anyone who walks east from Lawrence Park. The closure isn't a construction zone you can wait out. It's there because the ground has already given way.
So for the next several years, the ravine chain that starts at Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens has a firm eastern edge at Bayview. The good news is that most of the chain is still open, and Sunnybrook Park is still reachable by another route.
The closure came first because the land moved first
The City's FAQ answers the obvious question directly. Asked why the trail and boardwalk are closed now when construction starts in 2028, it says the creek banks "are unstable and dangerous due to severe erosion," and that erosion has "undermined the safety and stability of the boardwalk."
The project starts with the creek, not the boardwalk. In the City's words, the project exists "to stop severe creek erosion that is threatening the City's underground sanitary sewer system." The new boardwalk and trail come only after the creek is stabilized. That order explains the long timeline. Two City departments handle the work in sequence, and the trail can't reopen until the second one finishes.
| Period | Who is responsible | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 to 2028 | No active construction | Area closed for safety while planning and design continue |
| 2028 to 2031 | Toronto Water / Engineering & Construction Services | Creek bed adjusted and banks reinforced with armourstone and deep-rooted plants to protect sewer infrastructure |
| 2031 to 2032 | Urban Forestry | Old boardwalk removed and replaced, plus a new trail connection to Bayview |
| After construction | City | Native trees and shrubs planted to restore the forest |
| 2032 | City | Expected reopening |
The finished route should be an improvement over the old one. Phase 2 replaces the failing boardwalk north of the creek, from the Sunnybrook Park Trail to the Sunnybrook Outfall, then carries the trail over the outfall to Bayview Avenue at ground level. The result is a continuous path along the north side of Burke Brook. The City is also looking at whether the temporary construction road from Bayview, built during Phase 1, could become a permanent path for maintenance and trail use.
Where the closed section actually is
Burke Brook runs on both sides of Bayview. The City describes the closed area as the connection between Bayview and Sunnybrook Park, meaning the stretch east of Bayview that runs down into the park.
You may have an older route in your head or in a saved PDF. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority's walking guide, Walk the Don: Burke Brook, describes the walk from the Sherwood Park side: stairs down to a boardwalk, then a gravel roadway up to Bayview Avenue, where the brook passes under the road through a culvert and comes out in the ravine on the east side. That guide says it was current as of July 2018, years before this closure. Treat it as history, and follow the posted signs on the ground.
What is still open from Alexander Muir to Sherwood
The western end of the chain has no alerts on the City's listings. The City's Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens page showed no alerts or closures and says the walking trails are open year-round. Blythwood Ravine Park also showed no alerts, and the City describes its trail as the link between Alexander Muir Gardens and Sherwood Park.
For this fall and winter, the open sequence is:
- Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens, the formal western anchor, with trails open year-round.
- Blythwood Ravine, the connecting trail between the gardens and Sherwood Park.
- Sherwood Park, where the City lists walking and running trails, a large playground, a fenced off-leash area and a wading pool.
The wading pool is done for the year. The City's 2026 regular wading-pool season ran from June 26 to September 6. Sherwood's City listing did show one alert when checked, so look at the park page before a long outing.
Sherwood's off-leash area is on a separate list
If the closure means you'll spend more time at Sherwood's dog area, the City has its own plans for that space. Sherwood Park is on the City's current and upcoming list under the Off-Leash Area Enhancement Program. Council's 2025 budget amendment added $450,000 to Parks, Forestry and Recreation for several items, including rehabilitation of Sherwood Park's Dogs Off-Leash Area.
What the City hasn't published is a schedule. The program page says projects usually take two years: site analysis, design and community engagement in year one, then hiring a contractor and building in year two. It gives no Sherwood-specific dates or scope. Watch for a design consultation notice, since that usually comes before any fencing goes up.
The City's general off-leash rules still apply in the meantime: keep your dog in sight, never leave it unattended, and pick up after it.
Who looks after Sherwood on Thursday mornings
Much of Sherwood's care is done by volunteers. Toronto Nature Stewards' 2026 schedule lists Sherwood Park sessions on Thursdays from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., and the group notes that schedules can change. Its Sherwood Park page says the team works on the west side of the park and north of the paved park roadway, and that the site has been approved to expand its stewardship areas and take part in native-plant planting. It's a good fit for neighbours who would rather spend a closed-trail morning on the open part of the ravine.
Getting to Sunnybrook Park without Burke Brook
The Burke Brook closure covers only the link from Bayview, and the rest of Sunnybrook Park is still there to reach. The City's park page lists 12 parking lots and 25 bike trails in the West Don River valley. The TTC lists the park's address as 1132 Leslie Street.
From the Bayview side, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre at 2075 Bayview Avenue, on its outdoor spaces page, describes a "Road to Sunnybrook Park" on its campus, running between U-Wing and V-Wing. The hospital calls it "a low-impact walk for staff, patients and visitors looking for a short walk while on campus." The hospital's Bayview campus map marks a route labelled "To Sunnybrook Park." This is a hospital campus road. It isn't a City trail or an official detour, so walk it the way you would any working hospital site: stay on marked paths and give way to patients and vehicles.
The same Sunnybrook page lists a Ravine Parkette on the south side of the hospital, outside G-Wing, described as "a quiet space nestled in the trees overlooking the Burke Brook Ravine." Until 2032, that's one of the few places where you can still see the ravine you can't walk through.
Questions go to different inboxes
Because two departments split the project, the City sends questions to different contacts depending on the topic:
- Erosion, sewer pipes or construction timing: Engineering & Construction Services at [email protected]
- The new boardwalk, trail design or forest restoration: Urban Forestry's Natural Environment Infrastructure team at [email protected]
- A safety hazard you spot along the edge of the closure: a 311 service request
The 2032 date is an expectation, not a promise. The City's FAQ says the area "is expected to reopen to the public in 2032" and must stay closed until the project is complete. The City's Burke Brook project page is the place to check when the status changes from planning to construction.
Being close to Sherwood Park and the Blythwood Ravine is part of what a home on these streets is worth, and that's true with or without the Burke Brook link. If you'd like to know how your home's location along the ravine chain factors into its value today, the Jamie Dempster Team can walk you through it. Request a Free Home Evaluation.
