Leslie Street Spit

The Friends of the Spit website has this to say about the Leslie St. Spit:
"The Leslie Street Spit is North America's most remarkable public urban wilderness. It is a 5-kilometre long peninsula, built by lakefilling, that juts into Lake Ontario close to downtown Toronto. Started 40 years ago, it was intended to be a breakwater for harbour expansion, which was not needed due to a decrease in lake shipping."
The website goes on to list the variety of wildlife (plants, birds, butterflies, etc.) that can be found on the Spit.


It's all very nice, but what makes it artful to me is the beach at the end of the spit. I rode my bike out there one day years ago, and was mesmerized by all the bent and tangled rebar in amoungst the weathered bricks and tiles. All the trash and junk that have been accumulating over decades is slowly transformed into these intriguing and beautiful shapes. I couldn't help but fill my pockets with the once-debris.

The site is still used for dumping building materials, so is only open to the public during certain times. It's a bit of a hike to the end of the spit--I recommend taking a bicycle if possible.

Location: the bottom of Leslie St. at Unwin Ave., Toronto, ON, Canada.
Details: open weekends (except Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year's day) from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. April - October, and from 9:00 - 4:30 p.m. November to March. For more information on parking, and public transit access, see the Friends of the Spit directions page.
Submitted by: Anonymous