Industrial heritage meets natural valley view — Evergreen Brick Works' elevated lookout above the old quarry pit offers a unique perspective: the exposed stratigraphy (glacial deposits from 12,000 years ago) below, the Don Valley forest surrounding, and the city skyline visible above the ravine trees. Geology and city view in one frame.
Neighbourhood: Don Valley · Address: 550 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON (Brick Works upper lookout) · Hours: Always open | Brick Works: daily
Why Visit
You get a front-row seat to Toronto’s geological story and a killer view of the skyline—without leaving the Don Valley forest. It's the rare spot where geology nerds, photographers, and urban explorers can all get what they came for.
What Makes It Unique
Unlike most Toronto viewpoints, here you’re peering over a real, exposed glacial deposit from 12,000 years ago, not just manicured parkland. The mix of industrial ruins, wild regrowth, and direct line-of-sight to downtown skyscrapers makes this lookout feel like three places in one.
Evergreen Brick Works Valley Lookout is one of those Toronto spots that makes the city feel stranger and more interesting than people expect. You’re standing in the Don Valley, a few minutes from downtown traffic, but looking out over an old industrial quarry pit cut into land that exposes glacial deposits from roughly 12,000 years ago. Then you lift your eyes and there’s the skyline, floating above the trees. It’s geology, ravine, and city all stacked in the same view, and that contrast is exactly why it sticks with you.
What I like about this lookout is that it doesn’t feel staged. You don’t arrive at some polished scenic platform with a big dramatic reveal and a lineup of selfie takers. It feels more like you’ve wandered into a place where Toronto’s deep past and present happen to be visible at once. Below you, the old quarry walls show distinct layers in the earth, and the interpretive signs help you actually understand what you’re looking at instead of just thinking, nice dirt cliff. Once you know those bands of sediment were laid down by retreating glaciers, the whole pit becomes much more than an industrial scar. It’s like the valley opens up as a timeline.
The view itself changes with the season, which is part of why it’s worth coming back. In summer, the Don Valley forest is thick and green, and the skyline peeks through above the ravine canopy in this slightly surreal way. In fall, the colours make the quarry and forest edges look sharper, and your photos come out better because there’s more contrast in the trees. In winter, when the leaves are gone, you get a clearer sense of the landform and the shape of the valley. It can feel stark, but in a good way.
If you’re into photography, this place delivers without needing much effort. Wide shots work well because you can frame the exposed layers below, the forest around, and the towers in the distance all together. It’s also a good place for people who like photographing weird urban-natural edges rather than postcard skyline views. Come earlier or later in the day if you want softer light; midday can flatten the quarry walls a bit.
The atmosphere around Brick Works is half park, half reuse project, half community hangout, which somehow adds up. You’ll see hikers, cyclists, families, architecture nerds, birders, and people who came for coffee and accidentally ended up reading about glacial till. If you go on a Saturday, pair the lookout with the farmers market, which gives the visit a nice rhythm: wander the trails, check out the pit from above, then get something to eat. It’s especially good if you want a Toronto outing that doesn’t feel overly programmed.
A practical tip: wear decent shoes, especially if you’re planning to explore more of the site or connect into the ravine trails. The address is 550 Bayview Ave, but once you’re there, head for the upper lookout above the quarry pit. Give yourself time to linger. This isn’t a quick snap-and-leave place. The whole point is standing there long enough for the layers—earth, forest, city—to register.