
Step into Nature
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Client
Parks Canada
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Location
Toronto, Ontario
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Sector
Civic
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Discipline
Wayfinding, Placemaking
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Architect
Brook McIlroy Architects
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Photography
Lisa Logan and Entro

The 79-square-kilometer Rouge National Urban Park is the first national park in Canada directly connected to a large urban centre; it will set a precedent for new visitor experiences as a “learn-to” park – an urban gateway to outdoor discovery. As such, we wanted to welcome novice hikers with signs that make trails easier to find, and with information and designs that tell visitors a story that is unique to each site.
The Rouge offers natural, cultural, and agricultural landscapes, and protects a rare Carolinian forest that is home to over 1,700 species of plants and animals. The Rouge River is central to the park’s significance: it has been supportive of human communities for over 10,000 years, functioning as part of an Indigenous trail system connecting Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe.

Design Input and Inspiration
The overall design concept was informed by consultation conducted by Parks Canada and Brook McIlroy Architects and their Indigenous Design Studio. The process included research, community surveys, meetings with RNUP’s First Nations Advisory Circle (FNAC), and through park visits and experiences.
In creating the program, we wanted to expand on standard Parks Canada signs to distinguish the Rouge as a national urban park by introducing vibrant colours, interesting forms, and sustainable materials to generate excitement and a sense of fun for visitors from the very beginning of their journey. We also wanted to connect with the place – to reflect the area’s Indigenous and cultural heritage and the park’s ecological integrity.
Form and Colour
We chose natural materials for the program, including wood and Corten steel. These integrate well with the landscape, alongside unique design forms and eye-catching colours that inspire a sense of place.
Large identification signs, visible to approaching vehicles, have customized cut-out forms that reflect features of each site. The 19th Avenue Day Use Area sign, for example, is topped with corn stalks, a crop that was significant to Indigenous communities and is still grown in the surrounding fields today.


Trailhead shade structures greet visitors at the beginning of trails, providing maps and information useful for hiking. The Twyn Rivers Trailhead is the first to be installed. Its cut-out forms honour the salmon that make their way up the river each Fall to spawn.
Bright plum-coloured signposts mark the beginning and end of trails. Perforated patterns in the wood posts evoke seed beads, an Indigenous way of recording stories of the land, animals, and water.


“[Entro’s] iterative and collaborative approach to design with the Parks Canada team resulted in a beautiful design that reflects the unique essence of the park and will help to create a special sense of arrival for generations of visitors to come.”
Cheryl Redman, Capital Projects Manager

Enjoy stepping into nature and keep on the look-out for new structures and signs, including interpretive signage, in the coming months!
Find out more about Rouge National Urban Park and read about recently announced plans to explore potential expansion to the park.