Have you ever seen a fully grown, 50 pound salmon jump out of a river, dive into a waterfall and then swim towards the sky with all its might?

You can do that if you're in Toronto right now – and I really think you should.

Afternoon walk by the river. #flyingfishies #thesalmonrun2017

A post shared by Kate Amaolo (@kkkkatieama) on Oct 18, 2017 at 2:26pm PDT

If you can't, however, make it out to Etienne Brule Park over the next few weeks, it's all good. You can still enjoy the salmon jump!

It'll just have to be vicariously, through hundreds of people who've gathered along the Humber river this fall to watch (and take photos) of fish attempting to get up and over the Old Mill dam.

At some point in life, the world's beauty becomes enough ~ Toni Morrison #etiennebrulepark #torontoparks #humberriver #salmonrun #salmon #torontonature #torontolife #torontophoto #torontolove #lovetoronto #torontoinsta #torontoigers #naturephotography #naturegram #naturelove #canada 🇨🇦

A post shared by michiewilliamson (@michiewilliamson) on Oct 16, 2017 at 6:55am PDT

It may seem hard to believe unless you've seen it yourself, but Toronto's rivers play host every autumn to one of nature's most powerful and mysterious phenomena: the salmon run.

You can find evidence of the annual migration at a number of sites around Toronto as hundreds of large fish work their way up from Lake Ontario to the spawning grounds in which they were born.

The run usually begins in September or October, when the weather (and thus water temperature) starts to cool. It lasts about a month.

Most of Toronto's salmon are chinook salmon, which can grow to be 50 (!) pounds. They're from the Pacific but were introduced after our local Atlantic salmon were killed off here by the end of the 1800s. #autumnramblesTO

A post shared by todreamsproject (@todreamsproject) on Oct 17, 2017 at 6:35pm PDT

Migrating Chinook, Coho and Atlantic salmon (as well as various special of trout) can usually be seen in The Don River from the Lower Don Trail, in The Rouge River from Glen Rouge Campground, and in The Credit River from Erindale Park.

SWIPE LEFT ⬅️ I would have never believed that salmon run though Toronto unless I saw it with my own eyes! The Humber River, which flows through Toronto, provides an excellent location for these chinook salmon to spawn and lay eggs. These fish come from Lake Ontario and can grow to be as big as 3 feet long and weigh between 10 and 50 pounds! Have you ever seen salmon run in Toronto?

A post shared by Ryan Tidman (@ryantidman) on Oct 15, 2017 at 11:10am PDT

Etienne Brule Park near Old Mill Inn remains one of the most popular spots for watching salmon however, likely because the fish need to take a big jump where the park runs alongside Humber River.

Run, Salmon Run When it comes to salmon, most people think of the coasts. But to many people’s surprise, you can also find them right here in Toronto, leaping over rapids and jumping over man-made barriers. During early fall, Lake Ontario’s Brown Trout, Coho and Chinook Salmon power their way up the Humber & Don river so they can breed. It’s a sight to see these brawny fish fly (some can weigh up to 50lbs!). One of the best places to watch the salmon run is at Etienne Brule Park, so if you didn’t get a chance to watch the spectacle, remember for next year!

A post shared by David Coulson (@_davecoulson) on Oct 23, 2017 at 1:34pm PDT

It's as easy to fall in love with the spectacle as it is hard to walk away from – especially when some fish can't seem to clear the dam. You want to watch them make it over. You want to cheer them on.

Many bystanders do, in fact, root and cheer for these salmon from the banks of The Humber River.

salmon dance. (the one on left is dead. one on right is mid-jump.) in an hour and a half we didn’t see a single salmon make it up the dam. damn.

A post shared by Steve (@stinsonsteven) on Oct 23, 2017 at 11:59am PDT

The run is starting to wind down for this year, as evidenced by the number of dead fish floating near the Old Mill (salmon die after spawning. I hope I'm not the first person to tell you that.)

There's still time to catch straggling jumpers, though – and there seem to be a lot this year thanks to a warmer-than-usual fall.