Cherry blossoms come and go in the blink of an eye, sending those who love the flowers into a frenzy every year in mid-spring. Peak blooms usually occur anywhere between late April to mid-May depending on the weather conditions in a given year. Brampton has a small dusting of cherry blossoms at Joyce Archdekin Park on Main Street, but if you’re looking to explore further here are a few places near the city where you can catch the beautiful blooms before they’re gone for another year.
High Park
30 minutes away
High Park is the most popular place to catch cherry blossoms in the GTA. With the largest collection of sakura in Toronto, this comes as no surprise. Prepare to throw elbows: the area is always busy during prime cherry blossom time, whether it’s from regular park goers or wedding parties and couples taking engagement photos.
Kariya Park
20 minutes away
Kariya Park is a little oasis in the middle of a bustling city. It’s no surprise this Japanese-style park, which sits alongside Mississauga’s main hub, has cherry blossoms—it would be a travesty if it didn’t. During peak cherry blossom season it can get busy, so if you want to avoid accidentally photobombing unsuspecting bridal parties, it may be best to visit on a weekday.
Centennial Park
20 minutes away
The gardens at Centennial Park have the second-largest collection of cherry blossoms next to High Park. Over 200 trees are scattered across the park. You can find the best crop near the conservatory and at sections along Rathburn Rd. and Centennial Park Blvd.
Spencer Smith Park
40 minutes away
Burlington’s Spencer Smith Park has twin rows of Japanese cherry trees donated to the city by the Nakazawa family of Itabashi in 1997. Toronto’s cherry blossoms tend to get the most traffic, so blooms outside of the city offer a quiet reprieve to soak it all in.
Niagara-on-the-Lake
1 hour and 20 minutes away
The Niagara peninsula is littered with cherry blossoms and prime for springtime exploration. Take yourself on a cherry blossom scavenger hunt by following these instructions provided by The Niagara Local.
Royal Botanical Gardens
40 minutes away
Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Burlington has cherry blossoms located at various locations across the gardens, but the main area is in the Rock Garden. You’ll also want to check out the small section at the flowering circle in the Arboretum.
Broadacres Park
25 minutes away
At Broadacres Park in Etobicoke there are about 100 cherry trees planted at the southwest corner of the park close to Elderfield Crescent. It’s not as happening a spot as High Park and some of the other places mentioned above, so you can probably catch a glimpse of sakura in peace.
