From May to October, Evergreen's Saturday Farmers Market runs outdoors under the pavilions at the Brick Works, and dogs are welcome there. From November to April it moves indoors to the TD Future Cities Centre, and Evergreen's rule is that dogs stay outside every indoor space on the site. Its Winter Market page says the same thing more firmly: for health and safety reasons, only service animals are allowed indoors at Evergreen Brick Works.
The market keeps its hours, Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Local Food Court stays open until 2 p.m. So on Saturday, November 7, the hours are the same as they were in October, but the market is in a different room. That changes how the trip works. In winter, every way of getting from Rosedale or Moore Park to the Brick Works either suits a dog or suits the shopping. None of them does both well, and that is the choice the season now asks you to make each week.
The walk down still works
The ravine routes from the neighbourhood are as good as ever, and they're the reason the Brick Works feels like part of Rosedale and not a trip across town.
Evergreen publishes two walking routes. From South Rosedale, Milkman's Lane starts on South Drive, just past the entrance to Craigleigh Gardens. You can reach it from Castle Frank Station by heading north on Castle Frank Road past Hawthorne Gardens, then west on Elm Avenue. The trail drops to the Beltline Trail, and from there you follow the signs for Moore Park Ravine east to the Brick Works. Evergreen puts the whole walk at 25 to 30 minutes on a fairly gradual descent. The City of Toronto's trail listing describes Milkman's Lane as a 300-metre gravel trail used by hikers, dog walkers, cyclists and joggers. It places the eastern end of the Kay Gardner Beltline Trail at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, which is how the path links back up to Moore Park. Evergreen also warns walkers to skip the small informal paths down the slope and wait for the maintained trail with a sign at the top.
From North Rosedale, the route starts at Chorley Park on Douglas Drive. Walk east across the park to where the black fence ends, take the paved trail to the right and go down the stairs. At the fork, take the lower branch, and near the end of the pavement a side path joins the main trail. Then follow the Beltline Trail south to the Brick Works entrance. If you're coming by transit, the 82 Rosedale bus from Rosedale Station stops at the park.
The one seasonal change on these routes is for bikes. Evergreen says the Beltline approach from the Castle Frank side is generally impassable by bike in winter. Through the cold months, the ravine is a route for walkers.
Where the dog has to wait
The trouble starts at the bottom. From May to October, a walk down Milkman's Lane ended at a market where the dog could come along. Now it ends at the doors of the TD Future Cities Centre, and the dog can't go in.
For anyone shopping alone with a dog, that changes the trip. The Saturday market is the one Evergreen calls Toronto's biggest year-round farmers market. It started in 2007 with 25 farmers and producers, and all of its vendors are now within 205 kilometres of the Brick Works. A market that size, held indoors, isn't a quick stop with someone waiting on the leash outside.
So the walk and the shopping come apart. From November, the ravine walk with the dog is one outing and the market run is another, or two people split the morning between the trail and the stalls.
Every other way in, sorted by the dog
Once you leave the ravine trails, the dog question gets sharper. Evergreen and the TTC have different rules about pets, and parking costs more on Saturdays, which is the only day the farmers market runs.
| Way in from Rosedale or Moore Park | Pets on the way there | What else to know |
|---|---|---|
| Milkman's Lane on foot | City lists dog walkers among trail users | About 25 to 30 minutes from Castle Frank; gravel trail; no bikes in winter |
| Chorley Park stairs on foot | No pet rule posted by Evergreen | Paved trail and stairs down to the Beltline; 82 Rosedale bus reaches the park |
| TTC 28 Bayview South | Leashed or in a carrier | Runs from Davisville Station; wheelchair accessible |
| Evergreen shuttle from Broadview Station | Service animals only | Free; every 30 to 45 minutes; 20 seated and 6 standing |
| Driving and parking on site | Your own car | Weekend rates of $7 an hour, $14 for two hours, $17 for the day |
The 28 Bayview South is the one transit option that takes the dog. It runs from Davisville Station, and pets are allowed if they're leashed or in a carrier. Moore Park sits just south of Davisville, so the 28 is the closest bus for that side of the neighbourhood. Check current service times on the TTC website before a Sunday trip in particular.
The free Evergreen Shuttle runs seven days a week, all year. It leaves every 30 to 45 minutes from the Erindale Avenue parkette next to Broadview Station and doesn't run on December 25 or January 1. Pets aren't allowed on board, though service animals are. It holds 20 people seated and 6 standing, and Brick Works staff and tenants get priority boarding. The extra Saturday stops Evergreen added from July 25 to October 17 have ended for the season. For live departures, download the MSL Shuttle Tracker app and enter the code EBW1.
Driving is the easiest way to haul a winter's worth of groceries, and on a Saturday it's also the most expensive. Indigo runs the three lots on site. Weekday rates are $5 an hour, $10 for two hours and $15 for the day. Weekend rates rise to $7, $14 and $17. Evergreen says parking is limited and fills quickly on Saturdays and Sundays, and you can call 416-596-7670 to ask about space on a given day. Evergreen's Getting Here page notes that Bayview Avenue is signed "No Parking" and that City staff ticket cars there. Evergreen notes that all parking revenue goes to running the site and paying for free programs like Weekend Nature Play and Public Skating.
The 28 takes a leashed dog to an indoor market the dog can't enter. The free shuttle takes you straight to the stalls but won't take the dog. Driving gets you and the groceries home, at weekend rates.
The Sunday market adds a second winter routine
Starting November 29, the Brick Works adds a Sunday on top of the Saturday market. The Evergreen Winter Market runs every Sunday from November 29 to December 20. Entry is pay-what-you-can, with a suggested $5 per person or $20 per family.
Here's the calendar as Evergreen has posted it:
- Every Sunday, November 29 to December 20, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: the Ontario Vintage & Artisan Market and the food court.
- November 29 and December 6, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: the Winter Garden, with fire pits, s'mores and hot drinks.
- December 20, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: a public skate in Koerner Gardens if the weather allows, with skate rentals on site.
- Every Sunday: a Winter Lounge with live local performances, plus the free Art Hive community studio, which works with recycled, thrifted, natural and donated materials.
The page also lists festive workshops from partners including Rooks to Cooks and Let's Make It, and you need to register for those ahead of time.
The same dog rule applies. Only service animals are allowed indoors. The Sunday market also runs from late morning to 5 p.m., while the Saturday market is done at 1 p.m. In December, a Rosedale or Moore Park household gets two different Brick Works days: an early Saturday market and a longer Sunday afternoon. Each one needs its own plan for getting there and for the dog.
Planning a winter Saturday
- Dog walk only: Milkman's Lane down to the Beltline, with the market left for another day.
- Market only, on foot: Milkman's Lane or the Chorley Park stairs without the dog. The walk back up from the valley floor comes with bags.
- Market with the dog in the household: two people split the morning, one on the trail and one inside.
- Market by transit: the 28 Bayview South from Davisville, which allows a leashed dog that still can't come indoors, or the free shuttle from Broadview, which doesn't allow pets at all.
Evergreen updates its market map every week and warns that some vendors cancel at the last minute without notice. Its Saturday Farmers Market page is worth checking before you head down to the valley.
A five-minute walk to Chorley Park or the top of Milkman's Lane matters more in January than it looks on a listing sheet. If being that close to the Brick Works trails is on your list for your next home, Selin Yasar can show you which Rosedale and Moore Park streets put the ravine right at your door. Start your tailored home search.
