Philosopher's Walk is a scenic

footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as Motor vehicle, motorized vehicles, bicycles and horseback, horses. They ...

located along the St. George campus of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. It runs in the north–south direction along the ravine

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created by Taddle Creek, once a natural waterway that was buried during the Industrial Age and is now flowing underground. The path is bounded by several Toronto landmarks, including the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

, the Royal Conservatory of Music, Trinity College, the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, and the

University of Toronto Faculty of Law The University of Toronto Faculty of Law (U of T Law, UToronto Law) is the law school of the University of Toronto, located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Downtown Toronto. It is the top ranked common law facu ...

. Philosopher's Walk links the heart of the university campus to the northern edge bounding The Annex, an academic neighborhood where many of the university's faculty and student body reside. Philosopher Ted Honderich described the walk from his experience as a student

he University of Torontowas in the middle of the city and had good Victorian buildings, and also such necessary pieces of tradition as a Philosopher's Walk, which led out towards an old village enclosed by the growth of Toronto. The village had not yet been smartened up, and only those academics so supremely rational as to want to walk to work lived in it.

The Alexandra Gates at the northern entrance to the path were constructed at the corner of Bloor Street and Avenue Road in 1901, at the instigation of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire, and to commemorate the visit of Prince George, Duke of Cornwall (later King George V), and Mary, Duchess of Cornwall (later Queen Mary), that year. The letters on each post — ''E'' and ''A'' — stand for

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

and Alexandra, the reigning King and Queen at the time. When Avenue Road was widened in 1960, the gates were moved to the head of Philosopher's Walk.Toronto: Toronto History FAQs
/ref> In recognition of the royal visit, a plaque at the site reads "To commemorate the visit of T.R.H The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York Oct. 10th 1901". The small amphitheater on the walk was built around 2010.

References

External links

Green Tourism Association: The Annex and the University of Toronto
{{University of Toronto Hiking trails in Ontario Parks in Toronto University of Toronto