The interconnected parks that wind around the Nordheimer Ravine are where we’re headed today. From Roycroft Park to Sir Winston Churchill Park, the area which lies just just south of St. Clair between Avenue Road and Bathurst Street becomes a woodsy forest that one can get lost in.

As part of the original grounds associated with Casa Loma, these areas haven’t had the exposure of the great castle, but were a key part of my personal Friday bike rides home from work.

The great history of the area can be found on the wonderful Lost Rivers series, and some things to note about our travels today, include:

•  The emergency exit to the subway which played an important part in rescue operations after the August 1995 subway catastrophe.
•  The Nordheimer Skunk Cabbage Patch
• Two noted early houses on the ridge to the south above the Roycroft Wet Forest Restoration, including Russell Hill (1818 to 1872) built by Admiral Augustus Warren Baldwin; and Glen Edyth (1872-1929) built by Samuel and Edyth Nordheimer.
•  The High Level Pumping Station
  built in 1906