The Scarborough Bluffs, also known as The Bluffs, is an escarpment in the district of Toronto Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. There are nine parks along the bluffs, with Bluffers Park being the only one with a beach. Forming much of the eastern portion of Toronto’s waterfront, the Scarborough Bluff stands above the shoreline of Lake Ontario. At its highest point, the escarpment rises 90 meters (300 ft) above the coastline and spans a length of 15 kilometers (9.3 mi).
The French gave the name “Les Grands Ecores,” or tall points on the shore, to the cliffs. Alexander Aitken’s 1788 Plan of Toronto, the bluffs were known as the High Lands. They became known as the Scarborough Highlands in 1793, named after Scarborough, North Yorkshire. This name was chosen by Elizabeth Simcoe, the wife of the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe. The escarpment along Lake Ontario reminded Elizabeth Simcoe of the limestone cliffs in her hometown. In her diary, she wrote, “The shore is extremely bold and has the appearance of chalk cliffs, but I believe they are only white sand. They appeared so well that we talked of building a summer residence there and calling it Scarborough. The name was later given to the entire township in 1796. In time, the cliffs became known as the Bluffs. A stylized version of The Bluffs was incorporated into the design of the flag of the former city of Scarborough.
The Scarborough Bluffs formerly extended further west along the coastline of Lake Ontario towards the Toronto Harbour. Still, extensive areas along the western fringe were leveled by the use of explosives to implement primarily industrial and some residential urban development. Even the existing formation has and continues to shrink considerably decade after decade due to consistent and dramatic erosion.
Parks
Several city parks are located along the bluffs from Victoria Park Avenue to Rouge River. Most are located on the top of the bluffs, but some are located at the base along the shoreline with Lake Ontario. A1 Bed Bug Exterminagor Scarborough
Most parks do not have direct access to Lake Ontario, such Scarboro Crescent Park. Located on Cecil Crescent and west of Bluffer’s Park, the park is located on top of bluffs with no access to the water. It was formerly known as Scarborough Bluffs Park before the municipal government renamed it, Scarboro Crescent Park to discourage users from attempting to climb down from the location.
Nearby Restaurants
- Bluffers Restaurant is located at 7 Brimley Rd S, Scarborough, ON
- MEXITACO by the Bluffs is located at 2496 Kingston Rd, Scarborough, ON
- Jatijak is located at 2386 Kingston Rd, Scarborough, ON
Check out other attractions like Scarborough Museum
