On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America. This will be the last total solar eclipse in Canada until 2044.
Join Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) in celebrating this rare celestial event!
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, blocking the Sun from view.
The “path of totality” is the 115-mile-wide path in which you will be able to view a total solar eclipse, which is what happens when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s face. Outside of this path, you will only be able to view a partial eclipse.
To view a map of the path of totality in Ontario, visit timeanddate.com.
TRCA SOLAR ECLIPSE CELEBRATION PURCHASE SOLAR ECLIPSE GLASSES
TRCA Solar Eclipse Celebration
at Tommy Thompson Park
Celebrate the solar eclipse on April 8 with your friends and family at Tommy Thompson Park (TTP)! While outside of the path of totality, viewers at TTP will experience a deep partial eclipse, with a magnitude of 99.56%.
Book a guided hiking tour through Toronto’s Urban Wilderness and view the eclipse from one of TTP’s unique natural viewpoints. Read through the event details below and select your preferred viewpoint to register!
PLEASE NOTE: Guided tours are now sold out.
EVENT DETAILS
Date:
Monday, April 8, 2024
Time:
The eclipse will begin at 2:05 p.m., reach maximum coverage at about 3:20 p.m., and end at 4:41 p.m. View a simulation of the eclipse in Toronto.
Guided tour start times are staggered throughout the day, to ensure that groups can reach their destination in time for the eclipse. All guided tours will end at 4:00 p.m. when Tommy Thompson Park officially opens, at which point participants are welcome to either walk back to the entrance with their leader or extend their visit in the park.
Price:
$15 + HST per ticket.
Each ticket includes a guided interpretive tour and a pair of ISO 12312-2 compliant solar eclipse glasses, which ticketholders will receive upon arrival.
Discounts:
- Conservation Parks Members receive a 10% membership discount
- Orders of 4+ tickets receive a 10% family discount
To receive your membership discount, please contact TRCA Visitor Services. If cost presents a financial barrier to your purchase, please contact colin.love@trca.ca.
Meeting Location:
We’ll meet at the Tommy Thompson Park Pavilion, located at the entrance to Tommy Thompson Park. Free parking and public flush toilets are available at the entrance to Tommy Thompson Park. We expect a high volume of visitors and parking is very limited; participants are strongly encouraged to travel to TTP via public transit, walking, or cycling.
Be Prepared:
- Make the most of your experience at TTP! Check out TTP’s Visitor Information for details on how to get to the park, trail maps, amenities, and park guidelines.
- We love your pets, but please leave them at home! To protect wildlife in the park, TTP has a strict No Pets Policy.
- Don’t forget to wear comfortable close-toed shoes, and dress for the weather. The Toronto Islands daily forecast is the most accurate for TTP.
- Bring a reusable water bottle! There is a water bottle refill station at the entrance of TTP.
Select Your Preferred Viewpoint to Register
Location 1 – TTP Entrance Pavilion – SOLD OUT
- Meeting Time: Anytime between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
- Distance from Main Entrance: 0 km (0-minute walk)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trail Surface Type: Pavement
- VIEW MAP
Location 2 – TTP Nature Centre – SOLD OUT
- Meeting Time: 1:30 p.m.
- Distance from Main Entrance: 700 m (10-minute walk)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trail Surface Type: Pavement
- VIEW MAP
Location 3 – TTP Outdoor Classroom – SOLD OUT
- Meeting Time: 1:00 p.m.
- Distance from Main Entrance: 2 km (25-minute walk)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trail Surface Type: Pavement and crushed stone
- VIEW MAP
Location 4 – TTP Embayment D Wetland – SOLD OUT
- Meeting Time: 12:30 p.m.
- Distance from Main Entrance: 2.5 km (30-minute walk)
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
- Trail Surface Type: Pavement and crushed stone, some incline
- VIEW MAP
Location 5 – TTP Pedestrian Bridge – SOLD OUT
- Meeting Time: 12:00 p.m.
- Distance from Main Entrance: 3 km (40-minute walk)
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
- Trail Surface Type: Pavement and crushed stone, some incline
- VIEW MAP
Purchase Solar Eclipse Glasses
Get a pair of solar eclipse glasses today from TRCA and make the most of your eclipse experience!
Solar eclipse viewers must be used to view the partial phases of the solar eclipse. If viewing the eclipse from outside of the path of totality, glasses must be worn for the entire duration of the eclipse.
PLEASE NOTE: Solar eclipse glasses are now sold out.
Get Your ISO 12312-2 Compliant Solar Eclipse Glasses
Price:
$10 + HST per pair.
Each purchase of glasses grants access to a curated package of digital resources related to the solar eclipse via a password protected website.
Discounts:
- Conservation Parks Members receive a 10% membership discount*
- Orders of 4+ glasses receive a 10% family discount*
*To receive your membership discount, please contact TRCA Visitor Services. If cost presents a financial barrier to your purchase, please contact colin.love@trca.ca.
Receiving Your Glasses:
PLEASE NOTE: TRCA will not mail out orders placed after March 28. All orders placed on or following March 29 will be available for pick-up only at Tommy Thompson Park on the following dates:
- Tuesday, April 2 – 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Thursday, April 4 – 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Sunday, April 7 – 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
More information about picking up your glasses will be sent following your purchase.
The curated digital resource package will be sent out via email to everyone who has purchased a pair of glasses by mid-March.
Your purchase supports TRCA education and outreach programs. Quantities are limited – if you would like to purchase more than 10 solar eclipse glasses, please email colin.love@trca.ca.
Solar eclipse viewers should always be inspected before use, and discarded if torn, scratched, or damaged. Children should always be supervised when using solar viewers. Looking at the Sun through a camera lens, telescope, or binoculars – even when wearing solar viewers – will cause serious eye injury.
How to Properly Dispose of Solar Eclipse Glasses
We encourage you to keep your glasses for the next solar eclipse!
If you do choose to dispose of them, the cardboard frames can go in your paper recycling bin. However, the solar filter lenses should be removed and disposed of separately:
- Separate the Frames from the Lenses: Use scissors to cut the solar filter lenses from the cardboard or plastic frames.
- Recycle the Frames: Put the frames in your paper recycling bin.
- Dispose of the Lenses: The lenses are usually not recyclable through regular municipal recycling programs as they are silver black polymer, which is not a material routinely included in recycling programs. They can be disposed of in the garbage.