Bickford Park

One of my favourite dog parks in the city. It’s CLEAN, no dog poop anywhere. The owners are nice normal people. There’s a huge space for the pups to run around. The other dogs tend to be well socialized and polite.
What some people may consider cons:
–park is not completely fenced. but honestly, it’s so big that there’s minimal hazard of your dog running onto the street unless they have zero recall abilities
–kinda tricky to work the water fountain for the dogs. you have to push the pump really hard and try a few angles — it’s temperamental
Apart from that, come here with your dogs! They can play in the sunshine while you relax/​sunbathe/​read a book!

I do enjoy this park for my Vizsla and also love watching kids storm down the hills in the winter. Some great pictures can be taken here from above the bowl, on a nice winter morning. If you are trying to get your dog NOT to eat sticks, do not go here. This place is great for any sort of dog socialization and to get to know people in the neighbourhood. A very friendly and welcoming dog park no matter what time of day.

This is a perfect park for sledding the the winter. I’ve always found a parking spot nearby and it has a cool alleyway that runs along the west side right off Harbord St. You can walk down the alleyway and get a view of the hill looking east. The area is quieter than around Trinity Bellwoods although some may prefer the amenities on Queen St. Bickford Park gives you more a feeling of being in a smaller city. One thing to keep in mind if you let your eyes wander over the snowy bowl in front of you is Garrison creek running below the surface. Similar to Trinity Bellwoods, Bickford is part of the same topology that caused planners to curve Montrose St. up to Crawford Ave. Something to think about…

Bickford Park is not only a park that people and dogs enjoy during the warmer months. Even when it is freezing cold with tons of snow on the ground, it is a place for a day of family fun.
On my way to Linuxcaffe, I could hear screaming even before I turned the corner… The scream of JOY! Kids sliding down the slope in their toboggans. The slope is just perfect, not too steep but enough for a little thrill ride. since Wonderland is still closed for winter and taking your kids to Bickford Park cost nothing! (maybe a hot chocolate and cookies at LinuxCaffe)
And of course some dogs loves running in the snow, chasing after kids in togoggans… but that’s a different story…

I don’t really like using words like «breathtaking» and «serene» and «dewy morning breeze» so I’ll just summarize my feelings with an Englyn unodl:
Haven of games and play thou Bickford Park!
Stone’s throw from LinuxCaffe,
Dogs in thy fallen leaves play,
With ease thou showeth the way.
There’s not much else to say. Feel free to scatter my ashes here (when I’m dead).
Obligatory Title Pun: BICK of the litter.
Menu Readability: Just the breeze, yo.
Need to mention: This park is probably a mad wicked place to toboggan come winter.
What this place teaches me about myself: Is there anything Welsh shortform poetry can’t do?

I wish I could live near this park forever and I’m sure my dogs are in agreement with that. I’ve never met a bunch of friendlier people with their dogs. Trinity Bellwoods is great for the fact that there are plenty of dogs at any time, but one thing that it doesn’t have is the friendships made among owners. For the first 6 months or so that I attended this park, I never knew a single person’s name, but I knew everything about their dog and they knew everything about mine. Everyone is friendly and all the dogs are well socialized.
When I first adopted Zeus, I was scared to take him to the park with me as he was terrified of other dogs. He’s blind and was always snapping at any other dog that would approach him out of fear, so when we first arrived, I had to take him with a muzzle on. But even with that, everyone was asking me about him and giving him so much affection. For the next few months, while Zeus adjusted to the idea of other dogs, everyone was very respectful and would keep their dogs from running up to him unexpectedly. And now? Zeus is running around and playing with every dog that tries to plays with him and hasn’t snapped at anyone in months. I can’t imagine having that same experience at any of the larger parks in the city.
Anyway, I digress. This park is perfect for any dog owners, I definitely recommend it to anyone in the area.

This park mirrors Christie Pitts, south of Bloor, but most people don’t know about it because it’s hidden behind the Bickford Centre (a Toronto District School Board school). It’s (relatively) hidden location makes it a bit more of a private spot, and even though it’s often filled with dogs and their owners (other way around?) it’s a great spot to toss a Frisbee or lean against a tree and read a book.
On warm summer nights, I’ve occasionally seen a person or two sitting at benches, reading by the light of the lamp post, but it seems as though the lamps turn off at around 11pm. Annoying? Yes. Also at night, Bickford Park, like most parks at some point in the summer, is also home to groups of teenagers doing what teenagers do. They’re usually polite and stay out of your way.

On any given day you will find the following at Bickford Park; kids and adults alike playing soccer or baseball, people running, picnicking, dogs and their owners using the off leash area for play and, me, observing it all! I love Bickford for many reasons; one of which being the hordes of pooches I can watch, which are my only outlet for pet-​ownerism as my landlord doesn’t allow animals… sigh…moving on…
The park itself, the way it is actually laid out is a great testament to its’ use. It’s basically like a large bowl; the street and walk-​about path are situated above, allowing for great views of the entire park and the CN tower on a good day.
Having the park itself on the bottom allows for the dogs to run around off-​leash without running off and gives the kiddies a safe place to get out their wiggles. A fun multi-​use park in the warmer months, and an awesome, safe tobaggon hill in the winter!