When fall hits the city, there is a natural urging deep within our bones to get outside. It’s like we instinctively try to soak up every last bit of nature before the frost comes to lay the world in slumber and cover it all with a blanket of snow. The air is crisp in the fall. It feels good to breathe in deeply. The sound of crunching leaves beneath your feet makes walking so much more enjoyable. Adorable furry critters can be spied frolicking around a little more, getting their food stores ready for the winter. The trees change colours right before our very eyes. With green leaves turning yellow, orange or red a little more with each day. In the fall, every time we go out into nature it looks a little different than the last time we were there, making every single day in fall the perfect day to take to the plentiful parks, trails, and farms that we have here in London.
We’re all looking to get outside, grab a delicious hot beverage to sip on (we love our pumpkin spiced lattes and we’re not ashamed of it) and go for a walk to take in the beauty of the season. But if you’re going to pull on your sweaters and get out there, you’re going to want to make the most of it and find somewhere that really showcases the changes of the season. So where are the best places in the city to get your fill of the visual beauty that is autumn? Check out our favourite spots to enjoy the gorgeous views of Fall.
Nature Trails
Who doesn’t love going for a hike in the fall? There is nothing better than pulling on a warm, cable-knit sweater, lacing up your hiking boots and walking a trail that is completely surrounded by nature. You get to breathe in the smells of fall while looking at all of the vibrant colours surrounding you. London is filled with a ton of amazing nature trails that you can take advantage of the season no matter what area of the city you live in, but these trails are especially beautiful when the colder weather starts rolling in and autumn shows off its beautiful colours. Check them out!
Euston Park Hill
Euston Park connects with The Coves and is located off of Emery Street, west of Wharncliffe. This walking trail is a great place to grab some fresh air and exercise at any time of the year, but Fall brings about an especially beautiful view when you get to the top of the hill. The large hill at Euston Park has multiple pathways that lead to the top. Once you get up there, there are three large, flat rocks that make perfect benches. If you stand and scan around, you can see high rises in the distance with brightly-coloured, bushy tree tops filling in all around, like puffs of colour. Starking oranges, fiery reds, and vibrant yellow hues fill the skyline as you stand on the peak and take in the beautiful city. You’ll also get to spot the Green-Mind Monkey Mural, which has oranges, reds, and yellows in the vibrant artwork and blends in perfectly with the autumn colours.
The Coves
The Coves was once part of the Thames River but now is made up of oxbow ponds and nature trails that are located in a small, quiet neighbourhood just southwest of the downtown core. The Coves has multiple small trails throughout the neighbourhood with sweeping ravines, a stunning array of vegetation varieties, and plenty of wildlife. During the fall, the high slopes and deep valleys are ablaze with the spectrum of colours of autumn. Because the ESA has such a unique ecosystem that allows plenty of different types of plants and trees to grow, you get to take in the full spectrum of colours as the leaves change with the colder weather. Make sure to visit each spot of The Coves, as they’re not connected (although they’re totally within walking distance of each other), but each one has a unique and beautiful view to take in.
Kains Woods
If you have not been to Kains Woods yet, you need to go. Kains Woods is a stunning 5.8 km hiking trail that follows alongside the
Thames River. It’s an Environmentally Significant Area in the city with incredible views. Walking the trail in the fall is a feast for the eyes. You’re surrounded by autumn colours as you walk along. As you climb to the peak of the hills, you get these stunning lookout points where you can take in sweeping views of coloured trees. Make sure you stop at the little rock beaches along the way where you look up at the towering, brightly colours trees all around you as the Thames River gurgles and flows by.
As you’re taking your autumn hike through Kains Woods you’ll get to see and hear a wide variety of songbirds! It’s also known for the Great Blue Heron and Killdeer that are frequently spotted around the water’s edge. Here you’ll get to view the trees from in the belly of deep valleys as well as from the tops of high hills.
Medway Valley Heritage Forest
Medway Valley Heritage Forest is almost always a happening place on the Thanksgiving weekend. Why is that? Because everyone knows that it is THE spot to watch Fall show off. The season is truly showcased here with vibrant coloured trees and heights that let you see exactly why London is called the Forest City. The trail is 10.9kms with multiple paths. There is a beautiful bridge and unique trail features like stone steps and wooden planks. Much of the trail takes you alongside the Thames River and there are plenty of different kinds of trees to provide variety in autumn colouring as you walk along. Prepare yourself for the incredible crunching of leaves beneath your feet as you walk the trail. Make sure that you head over to the lookout point where you can drink in so much forest, all blazing with the vibrant hues of the season.
Make sure to take some of the off-shoot paths that take you to the water’s edge. You’ll see gargling river banks and rock-lined walls. Plenty of different species of birds are known to be spotted along the river here, so keep your eyes open.
This large Environmentally Significant Area spreads over a large chunk of the city, spanning from Sunningdale Road all the way down to
Brescia University College.
Warbler Woods
While Warbler Woods isn’t located on any water source like a river or pond, you can be absolutely sure that this is a beautiful place to take in the colours of fall. These 5.4kms of trails have 12 different access points, making it easily accessible. There are multiple trails and paths to take, making it a great spot to spend an afternoon. These trails span over 40 hectares and have lots of large hills and steep ravines. Because it has so many hills, not only is this a great place to grab some outdoor exercise, but it also has plenty of beautiful vantage points to take in your fill of fall colours. Trees exploding with vibrant oranges, electric yellows, and fiery reds fill the scene as you get to the tops of the hills. There is also something incredible about getting to the low valleys and looking up, being surrounded by the colours of Autumn way up high.
Fanshawe Conservation Area
If you’re looking for a spot to do a full day of hiking, then
the place you absolutely must go to is Fanshawe Conservation Area. Fanshawe Conservation Area has 20kms of incredible hiking and biking trails. They also have 3.4kms hiking-only trails. The 20km trail does a loop around
Fanshawe Lake, providing absolutely stunning views of the lake and vibrant fall-coloured trees. The trail takes you through mature forested areas, open meadows, and have hills that provide breath-taking lookout points where lake and brightly coloured trees meld together in a beautiful way. The forest floor is covered in browns, reds, oranges, and yellows from the dropped leaves and they crunch under your feet as you hike the trails. You can stop for lunch at a picnic table or head to the open picnicking areas of Fanshawe Conservation Area to enjoy lunch by the lake with spectacularly coloured views.
If you’re a mountain biker, you’ll enjoy bundling up and taking your bike along the stunning trails of Fanshawe Conservation Area during the fall where you can soak up the colours of the changing leaves as you ride across the moderately difficult terrain.
With such an expansive amount of trails to take at Fanshawe Conservation Area, you’re bound to see all of the hues of the season with trees in every stage of change. You’ll spy green leaves with red tips, some trees with just one spot that has changed while the rest remains green, you’ll see trees that have lost their leaves and others that are in the middle of their most vibrant colours. Spending a beautiful fall day at Fanshawe may just become an autumn tradition for you year after year.
(Note: Fanshawe Conservation Area closes in late fall for the winter season. While there is still access to it, there are no washrooms or garbage cans during the off-season.)
Meadowlily Woods
Meadowlily Woods is another beautiful trail system in London that goes along the
Thames River. With hills, valleys, and riverbeds, the colours of fall pop and fill your senses as you breathe in the scents of the changing season, hear the crunching of leaves beneath your feet as you walk, and see the ranges of browns, yellows, oranges, and reds among the greenery of the woods. There are 4.6kms of trails for you to enjoy. With diverse plants and trees, you’re also likely to see plenty of different species of birds as well as spotting different furry creatures running around getting ready for the winter on these trails.
Farms For Fall Activities
Is there anything better than an afternoon picking apples or visiting a pumpkin patch while the air is crisp, your sweater, warm, and the trees around you brightly coloured? Well, actually there is something better than that. It’s doing all of that while ripping on a delicious hot apple cider. I mean, come on. Nothing makes for a more quintessential fall day than that. Enjoy the colours of fall with bright orange pumpkin patches, the ruby red apples in an orchard, and the yellow, green, and orange squash patches of fall at a nearby farm!
Kustermans
This family farm is a great place to enjoy the fall season. Take in the bright, orange pumpkin patch and spend an hour or so picking your own pumpkins to take home and carve! Climb up the Blueberry Hill Slide & Lookout to take in the stunning fall colours from a heightened vantage point. (Then, of course, slide down for fun!) You can sake in the browns and green of their corn maze when you enjoy their adventure farm. Don’t forget to check out their farm market where you can get farm-picked frozen berries, baked goods, and so much more! You can find stunning fall colours in their garden chrysanthemums, which you can purchase to take home and colour up your own front porch!
Millar Berry Farm
Spend a beautiful fall afternoon at this beautiful farm! Enjoy the bright reds of their apple orchard (which you can pick your own). Or head to the bright oranges of their pumpkin and squash patches as you find the best goodies to pick and take home with you! Don’t forget to check out their market where their freshly picked produce like berries, corn, potatoes and more can be found fresh and waiting for you to take home!
Appleland
When fall hits and the itch to get outside starts crawling, head to Appleland where you can spend an afternoon outdoors drinking in the fall colours while participating in the quintessential autumn activities. Pick your own pumpkins and squash in their vibrant and expansive patches. Or, head to the rows of ruby red apples hanging from the trees in their orchard. Climb up the giant hill for a breathtaking view of fall colours!