This is not really a hike, but rather a walk. Except for the farthest portion
near the lighthouse you will be spending your time walking on a paved road.
I've included this here because it is one of the few places in the city where
you can walk for a reasonable distance in some semblance of nature.
On warm weekends Tommy Thompson Park (or Leslie Street Spit as it used to be
known) is popular with joggers, inline skaters, and bicyclists. On the other
hand, in the winter there has been more than one early Sunday morning where
I've had the place to myself.
Aside from the distance this walk is not physically difficult. However, the
flat paved road that sometimes goes as far as you can see combined with the
windswept landscape and exposed construction debris (the Spit is man-made, operating
as a landfill site for brick, cement, asphalt, and other clean fill that comes
from torn-down buildings and other construction) can offer a mental challenge.
If you want some exercise but don't want to be worried about placing your next
step you take this is a good place to go. I like doing this walk when I need
to get away to do something thinking about a tough problem.
Be prepared to be in the open for the entire walk. On hot summer days this
means no refuge from the sun. In the winter it means bundling up appropriately
as bone-chilling winds off the lake are common.
The attached track log is for an in-and-out on the same path for the longest
walk possible at this location. If you are not up to the full 11K there are
a couple of points where you can circle back. These road junctions are marked
in the track log
Trailmaps
There is a parking lot at the foot of Leslie St. There is also parking in front
of the park along Leslie St. and Unwin Ave.
This is not really a hike, but rather a walk. Except for the farthest portion near the lighthouse you will be spending your time walking on a paved road. I've included this here because it is one of the few places in the city where you can walk for a reasonable distance in some semblance of nature.
On warm weekends Tommy Thompson Park (or Leslie Street Spit as it used to be known) is popular with joggers, inline skaters, and bicyclists. On the other hand, in the winter there has been more than one early Sunday morning where I've had the place to myself.
Aside from the distance this walk is not physically difficult. However, the flat paved road that sometimes goes as far as you can see combined with the windswept landscape and exposed construction debris (the Spit is man-made, operating as a landfill site for brick, cement, asphalt, and other clean fill that comes from torn-down buildings and other construction) can offer a mental challenge. If you want some exercise but don't want to be worried about placing your next step you take this is a good place to go. I like doing this walk when I need to get away to do something thinking about a tough problem.
Be prepared to be in the open for the entire walk. On hot summer days this means no refuge from the sun. In the winter it means bundling up appropriately as bone-chilling winds off the lake are common.
The attached track log is for an in-and-out on the same path for the longest walk possible at this location. If you are not up to the full 11K there are a couple of points where you can circle back. These road junctions are marked in the track log
Trailmaps
There is a parking lot at the foot of Leslie St. There is also parking in front of the park along Leslie St. and Unwin Ave.