Toronto Lake & Wildlife Area
| Toronto Lake & Wildlife Area Toronto, KS Map This! |
| (620) 637-2213 |
| Admission: some fees may apply |
| Hours: 24/7 |
Toronto Wildlife Area, located along the Verdigris River, Walnut Creek, and the north end of the lake, provides year-round viewing for white-tailed deer, red fox, raccoon, and turkey, particularly in the twilight hours. In summer, check the shallow waters for great blue herons. During spring and fall migrations many species of waterfowl can be seen on the lake. Plovers and sandpipers can be viewed on the northern and western mudflats. American white pelicans are common visitors to the open waters. Bald eagles perch and scavenge near the park office in winter. During summer, purple martins are seen around their houses at Toronto Point and Holiday Hill. Look to the sky and you will likely see circling turkey vultures. At Toronto Point is the Chautauqua Hills Trail, which passes around a small cove and through woodlands and sandy glades. Along the trail, at dawn or dusk any time of year, watch for deer, turkey, quail, coyotes, hawks, rabbits, and squirrels. From late spring to early fall, search for ornate box turtles, painted turtles, common garter snakes, and six-lined racerunners. Copperheads live here too, so exercise caution in your searching
Toronto Lake is in the scenic valley of the Verdigris River, just south of the town of Toronto. It lies at the northern end of the Cross Timbers area, which extends through east-central Oklahoma into northern Texas. It was so named because the first explorers found it so brushy as to make it difficult to travel through.
| Source and for information, see: |
| www.naturalkansas.org/toronto.htm |