Highbush, Pickering Neighbourhood Guide: A Close Commute

The Highbush neighbourhood in Pickering is situated on the Toronto-Pickering border, and is bordered by the hydro corridor to the north, Highway 401 and the CN rail line to the south, and Altona Forest to the east.

Highbush is an excellent neighbourhood for homebuyers who work in the city given that it is the closest Pickering neighbourhood to the downtown core. Nature lovers will appreciate the mass of green space located here, with the Altona Forest and the Rouge-Duffins Wildlife Corridor within walking distance. 

Highbush is an area with longstanding natural surroundings, including a protected forest, conservation land, and creeks surrounding the perimeter of the neighbourhood. In fact, Highbush was likely named after the primitive dense forest that once covered this neighbourhood. The street names in Highbush also reflect the surrounding nature, including streets such as Pine Grove Avenue.

One of the oldest neighbourhoods in Pickering, Highbush was originally developed with cottage-like homes between 1900 and 1940. Newer subdivisions were built in the 1980s and 1990s. Highbush offers a good selection of detached and semi-detached homes, and on Pine Grove Avenue and Sparrow Circle, you’ll find some newer townhome developments. Families enjoy the spacious lots and the properties are well-maintained in this neighbourhood.

The Highbush neighbourhood is located nearby a unique art gallery that promotes artistic talent from across the country. L’Artist Gallery and Boutique, owned by Paul Lafrance (an HGTV celebrity) and his wife, is constructed with artistic decor and floor-to-ceiling displays of colourful and one-of-a-kind artwork decorate the walls.

You can buy a local artist’s painting to support the local artisans in the community or browse through the collection of framed art and photographs. soaps, jewelry, glassworks, and creams that are for sale. The gallery is situated close to the wharf and nearby the boardwalk, where you can enjoy a casual dinner after browsing the gallery.

Shopping is a stone’s throw away at Brookdale Center, a conveniently located neighbourhood plaza on Kingston Road. The mall contains 27 stores, restaurants, and services, including Home Depot, Dairy Queen, Metro grocery store, Perkins restaurant, Shoppers Drug Mart, Food Basics grocery store, in addition to an optometrist and a medical lab, among others. There is also Pickering Town Centre that is just a couple blocks down.

If you’re seeking spicy, flavourful Thai food, you won’t be disappointed with Thai One On, located on nearby Kingston Road. This chain restaurant serves up popular Thai dishes, including beef samosa, Thai spring rolls, and there is even an assorted vegetarian platter on the menu. With a wide selection of menu items, such as seafood, chicken, beef, and curry dishes,Thai One On offers original dishes that will appeal to all tastes.

The Knight Corner Pub on Kingston Road is a hub for locals to enjoy karaoke nights or gather on the patio on hot summer nights. This traditional pub serves up beer, burgers, pasta, and steak, with such tantalizing dishes as Chicken Marsala, Curry Shrimp Bowl, and Maple Bacon Poutine.

Highbush has an abundance of parks, including Ridge Park, Valley View Park, Pine Grove Park, Woodview Tot Lot, and Chickadee Park. Valley View Park is a gathering hub for families situated in the middle of the Highbush neighbourhood.

The park is popular with kids because of the tire swing and the unique log roller! Sports lovers will enjoy the baseball diamond and soccer field. The park also rolls out two basketball courts, one of which is located on nearby West Creek Public School grounds; Highbush Public School is another local school. This scenic park is interwoven with paved walking paths for relaxing evening strolls. A seasonal outdoor synthetic ice rink at the park is a popular gathering place for residents. 

The Altona Forest is a nature lover’s dream, and is situated just east of this neighbourhood. The forest, which is approximately 102 acres, is home to a variety of wildlife, including songbirds, foxes, coyotes, hawks, and rare amphibians.

The forest is designated as part of the protected Rouge-Duffins Wildlife Corridor, and has a myriad of walking and hiking trails, scenic lookouts, marshland, and boardwalks. Enjoy a free guided hike through the forest, and explore the vast forested habitat. Guided hikes are held on Saturday mornings and run for two hours. The hike is done at a slow, leisurely pace on flat trails, which makes it a welcoming pastime for all members of the family to attend.

The nearby Rouge National Urban Park is a sprawling vast green space, which is part of the Rouge-Duffins watershed. Established in 1995 by the Province of Ontario, the park consists of approximately 40 square kilometres of parkland, stretching from Scarborough northwards into Pickering.

The park is home to endangered species, such as the Blanding’s turtle, and you’ll also find such rare wildlife as the bobolink and milk snake. If you’re lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a white-tailed deer, coyote, or even a wild turkey. In total, the park is home to a massive 1,700 species of plants, animals, and fungi, and is truly a magnificent inspiration for viewing nature in its natural form.

Nearby George Ashe Library and Community Center offer residents community rooms, which they can book out for birthday parties, baby showers, and other community events. The rooms offer a scenic view with a glass wall, opening out onto the garden and patio area. There is also a playground outdoors, and the centre also houses the Pickering Senior’s Center and a library.

The George Ashe Library offers various community events, such as the Tea & Books discussion group – you’re invited to enjoy tea, snacks, and literary discussions with other local book lovers.

On your way out, you’ll be given a copy of one of the featured books in the discussion, along with some tea, which you can enjoy while reading your new book.

Highbush is situated on the Toronto-Pickering border, making the city an easy 25-minute commute from Highbush. The city can be accessed via Highway 401 and the Don Valley Parkway South.

Highbush offers a convenient neighbourhood for commuters seeking a family-friendly neighbourhood close to the city with an abundance of natural reserves, affordable homes, and parks and playgrounds. The Rouge Valley Park and Altona Forest offer an abundance of walking and hiking trails, scenic lookouts, and a wide range of protected wildlife make their home in the parks.

If you’re looking for an affordable home located nearby the city, but with the abundance of natural reserves found only in the outlying communities, Highbush may well be a place for you to call home.