rope swing don valley toronto

Toronto just got a secret rope swing hanging from a bridge

Toronto's ravine network is a beloved natural asset, with urban river valleys and forest trails hidden below the street grid by dense brush.

But it's this same lack of visibility that makes our ravines the perfect place to hide everything, from graffiti all the way to unsanctioned play equipment.

Author and U of T professor Shawn Micallef hosted students on a recent ravine walk through the Vale of Avoca and Rosehill Reservoir in the Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue East area, but discovered a little something unexpected along the way.

Dangling from the Vale of Avoca Bridge (also known as the St. Clair Viaduct), Micallef and his students came across a completely random rope swing affixed to the underside of the bridge's steel truss arch structure.

Micallef shared a video of the guerilla play equipment, which appears to hang almost the full 27 metres of the bridge's clearance, offering ravine-goers a unique way to take in the natural beauty of Yellow Creek, a tributary of the Don River.

Micallef tells blogTO that he assumes someone either "climbed or threw a ball with string over then pulled the rope."

He says he was hesitant to post the video, saying that sharing it with the public "makes it more likely to be removed."

And it turns out that he was correct. A City of Toronto representative tells blogTO that the City "will be removing the rope swings that have been attached to the bridge as they are a safety hazard."

"The public are requested not to use them. Attaching items of this nature to public infrastructure is not allowed."

Typical, Toronto. Typical.

Lead photo by

Shawn Micallef


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Toronto just got a new waterfront park that's been years in the making

Here's why swarms of giant birds are being seen in Ontario skies right now

A parasitic fungus is turning Ontario creepy crawlies into suicidal zombies

Three different Ontario LRT lines are now in major trouble

Shocking hit-and-run video shows Ontario driver try to flee in totalled truck

Canada now has universal pharmacare here's how it will affect you

Alleged drunk driver crashes then tries to flee through Ontario police station

Northern Lights took over Ontario skies in rare show and the photos are out of this world