A gorgeous day out there! We are at about 5% bloom today. Still no reason to rush over to the park – Sunday or Monday recommended for a visit if you are coming out this weekend! Mid-week should bring the best display!
Happy long weekend all! Stay tuned, we’ll keep you posted 
A few more beautiful blossoms today, but still only at about 1-2% bloom! Warmer temperatures and sun in the next few days will help – we think things should be looking pretty good for Sunday or Monday this weekend, with peak bloom at mid-week. Please remember that the roads in High Park are closed to cars this Saturday from 5am – 1pm due to the Harry Rosen Spring Run-off Event in the park, so plan to park your vehicles outside of the park OR walk/run/bike/TTC instead! Stay tuned – we’ll post updates throughout the long weekend!
High Park Blossoms April 5
Sakura Hanami (roughly translated to “cherry blossom flower viewing”) is an exciting time in High Park, but also a very busy one. If you are going to visit the park to view the cherry blossoms we recommend planning ahead to maximize your blossom-viewing time and to limit your environmental impact on the park.
Timing
Weekend afternoons during peak blossom are the busiest times for tourists and cherry-blossom admirers. If you can plan your trip on a weekday you will not only avoid the weekend crowds, but also have less impact on the environment.
Parking
With thousands of people coming to view the cherry blossoms in peak bloom every year, High Park can be very crowded. Parking within the park is very limited; rather than driving around the park looking for parking, we recommend parking on a side street outside of the park, or better yet walking or taking the TTC. High Park is easily accessible by the Bloor-Danforth subway line, the 80 Queensway bus, and the 506 College and 501 Queen Streetcars.
Waste
Also think about your impact on the waste inside the park, as thousands of people can create quite a bit of garbage! If you are planning to bring in food with you, consider planning a litter-less picnic, or bring a bag to take your garbage home with you. Not only is excessive trash harmful to the environment, but it is also quite an eyesore for those coming to see the beauty of the cherry blossoms.
Impact on Plant Species
Please remember that the cherry blossom trees are living within a sensitive ecosystem, and excessive human impact can be very detrimental to the growth of many plant species. Stay on the paths, and avoid compacting the soil or trampling on plants. Also please refrain from picking any plants or flowers, including the cherry blossoms!
Where to View the Cherry Blossoms
The cherry blossoms planted in High Park are located on the east side of Grenadier Pond, and the west side of the Jamie Bell Adventure playground. Check out these great walks outlined by highpark.org:
Walk #1
This walk offers beautiful views of High Park’s largest collection of Sakura trees as well as Grenadier Pond and Hillside Gardens. Watch for Baltimore Orioles that have just migrated back to the park feeding on nectar from the Sakura blossoms while you wander under the trees.
This walk is approximately 30-45 minutes along paved trails that can be quite steep in some places – but the cherry blossoms are worth the extra effort!
Walk #2
This walk features the grove of Sakura trees donated by the Iwasaki family in 1984 as well as the Children’s Adventure Playground and the Lower Duck Pond.
There are fewer Sakura trees on this 20 minute walk, but side trips to the Adventure Playground and High Park Zoo are great fun for younger visitors.
For updates on how the blossoms are doing, check out our cherry blossom page.
Enjoy the blossoms!
Great news for our cherry blossom update today! The first blossom is almost open…but it is also literally the ONLY blossom we could find open! Depending on where the trees are, the blossoms are in different stages of development. So, don’t rush to the park yet with your cameras as there is not too much to see yet – still 4-6 warm days or so until the real show. We will keep you posted daily from now on, so you can plan your visit to High Park. Fingers crossed for an Easter weekend bloom! Stay tuned!!
Cherry Blossoms April 4 2012
Interested in becoming a birder? Check out our Birding 101 Workshop with Zak, where you will develop important birding skills using your eyes, ears and binoculars! Learn more about the event and how to register on the Birding 101 event page.
The cool weather this week has slowed the blossoms down, but they are still progressing nicely. If the weather warms up this week and stays warm, we might get an Easter weekend bloom… but no promises! Mother Nature is in charge… Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted (more regularly this week, we promise!).
High Park Cherry Blossoms March 31 2012
WOW! The cherry blossom buds are progressing fast this year – faster than ever! We’re going to go out on a limb and predict an Easter Weekend bloom (maybe before?!?!)! Stay tuned, we’ll keep you posted!
Cherry Tree Buds - Photo by Andrew Yee