Have you been trying to take cover during this extended July heat wave at Toronto public swimming pools? We’ve already highlighted the enormous Sunnyside-Gus Ryder Outdoor Swimming Pool on Lake Shore Blvd. West, as well as High Park Outdoor Swimming Pool, but you may want to check out this little known swimming pool in King West Village. Stanley Park Outdoor Swimming Pool is tucked away on Walnut Avenue, just around the corner from the Foggy Dew Irish Pub at King Street West and Niagara Street and may be one of the neighbourhood’s best kept secrets.
Stanley Park pool is not much larger than a backyard swimming pool, but that is part of its charm. You’ll be surrounded by large pine and maple trees and the sprawling Stanley Park to the west, as you glide through the cool water and you’ll definitely feel like the pool is your own private sanctuary. Attracting local families and condo dwellers, the swimming pool is rarely occupied by more than 15 people at a time, with many adults happy to sunbathe on deck. Kiddies usually splash about in the shallow end of the pool. You won’t be able to do laps or dive into this pool since it is just shy of five feet in the deep end, but it’s splendid for just cooling off.
This pool is open every day in the summer from 12 noon to 7:45 p.m. and unlike other City of Toronto outdoor pools, it doesn’t close from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. so you don’t have to worry about packing up your things in the mid-afternoon. Admission is free with the exception of a non-refundable 25 cent fee for the locker (quarters required) and you can usually find free street parking along Wellington Street West or Walnut Avenue. The last day the pool is open is the Sunday of Labour Day Weekend.
Stanley Park Outdoor Swimming Pool, 76 Walnut Avenue, 416-392-0703
