Earl Bales Park

Earl Bales Park is a large park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The West Don River runs through it. It was named after Robert Earl Bales, a former reeve of the North York township. The park contains a ski centre, community centre, dog park, amphitheatre and holocaust memorial.[1] There are many forested trails going through the park, as well as a 3.2 hectares (7.9 acres) stormwater management pond.[2]

Earl Bales Park
Location4169 Bathurst Street
Coordinates43.75336°N 79.43368°W / 43.75336; -79.43368
Area127 acres (51 ha)
Created1969-1975
Operated byToronto Parks
Open1975
WebsiteEarl Bales Park

History

The 51 hectares (130 acres) park was built on farm land owned by John Bales, which later became York Downs Golf and Country Club in 1922.[3] The land was saved from development after the sale of the club which relocated in 1969 to Unionville, Ontario and was turned into an urban park[4] in 1975.[5] Don Valley Golf Course is located to the east and south of the park.

John Bales House, which dates back to 1824, was used as the greenskeeper's home from 1922 to 1969.[6]

The park is named for former Reeve of North York Township (1934-1940) Robert Earl Bales (and great-grandson of John Bales).[7]

Services

Besides being a city park, it is also home to:

  • North York Ski Centre
  • Barry Zukerman Amphitheatre
  • Earl Bales Community Centre
  • Spirit of Bravery Statue

North York Ski Centre
North York Ski Centre
LocationToronto, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates43°45′14″N 79°25′47.20″W
Night skiingyes
WebsiteEarl Bales Ski & Snowboard Centre

North York Ski Centre (also known as the Earl Bales Ski & Snowboard Centre) is a small alpine skiing hill located in Earl Bales Park, close to the intersection of Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue in Toronto. It features one quad chair and a rope tow, serving three intermediate slopes and one beginner slope. It is now the only alpine skiing centre located within the boundaries of Toronto, after the closure of Centennial Park in 2022.[8] The hills are a natural formation from the edge of the Don River.

In 2011 and 2012, repeated failures of the now-retired double chair brought up talks of closing the centre. Instead, the city decided to revitalize the club by adding a quad chair. The double chair is still in place but is unused.[9]

Roads

The park has one named road, Raoul Wallenberg Road which is named after Raoul Wallenberg. The road connects Bathurst Street (Toronto) with the parking lot at the Earl Bales Community Centre.[10] The park also has one unnamed road connecting Raoul Wallenberg road with the ski hill parking lots as well as many trails running in the forest.

See also

References
  1. Recreation, Toronto Parks, Forestry and. "Earl Bales Park". City of Toronto. Retrieved 2023-04-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "Earl Bales Stormwater Management Pond". City of Toronto. 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  3. "York Downs members vote to sell golf course for $412M".
  4. "Parks, Forestry and Recreation : Earl Bales Park". Archived from the original on 2017-04-22. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  5. "York Downs members vote to sell golf course for $412M".
  6. "Plaque celebrates history of John Bales House". 8 April 2015.
  7. "Parks, Forestry and Recreation : Earl Bales Park". Archived from the original on 2017-04-22. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  8. "City of Toronto advances Centennial Park Master Plan, delivering new toboggan space, programs and events this winter". City of Toronto. 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  9. "Earl Bales Park, ON". Lift Blog. 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  10. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 2017-12-14.


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