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The Best Hiking Trails Near Toronto (2026)

Ravine walks you can reach by TTC, escarpment lookouts an hour away, a national park inside city limits, and the waterfall day trips worth the permit. Updated for 2026 with current reservation rules, closures, and a geographic mix from the Port Lands to Mono.

Updated for 2026•17 Destinations

No.1

Vista Trail along a ridge in Rouge National Urban Park

Recreation• Scarborough

Rouge National Urban Park

“A legitimate national-park hike on a city bus. Skip the posted beach/Zoo Road closures and start at Glen Eagles Vista — the 20,000-year-old bluff still feels like a glitch in Scarborough.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Rouge is still the only national park you can reach on a TTC bus: 79-plus square kilometres of forest, farms, marsh, and lake beach from Scarborough into Markham and Pickering. Parks Canada keeps it free, 365 days a year. Parking lots run 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and can close in bad weather; the Rouge River floods after heavy rain — check TRCA flood messages. As of 29 August 2026 the park homepage is still flagging closures at Zoo Road Day Use (visitor-centre construction, expected 2027) and Rouge Beach and Marsh; Glen Rouge Campground is also on the bulletins page. Skip those trailheads. Start at Glen Eagles Vista / the Vista and Orchard trails off Meadowvale, and confirm parks.canada.ca/pn-np/on/rouge before you leave. Twyn Rivers Drive stays closed to cars at Stott’s Bridge until replacement work (pedestrians and bikes can still cross). Pack water; cell service drops in the valley. 416-264-2020.

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No.2

Tew Falls dropping into Spencer Gorge near Dundas Peak

Recreation• Hamilton (1 hr drive)

Dundas Peak & Tew's Falls

“Five minutes to Tew Falls, then the Peak. Reservations are off right now and come back for fall colour — check HCA the week you drive.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Spencer Gorge is the best effort-to-payoff hike in the GTA: a short walk from the Tew Falls lot at 581 Harvest Road to a 41-metre ribbon fall, then along the rim to Dundas Peak looking over the town and the escarpment. Hamilton Conservation Authority’s own page currently says reservations are not required and the gorge is first-come, first-served — the reservation window has been rolled back to fall colour season in recent years, so treat autumn weekends as the time you must book. Paid HCA admission still applies (members included when reservations are on). Two-hour blocks for Dundas Peak/Tew Falls, or a four-hour Spencer Gorge ticket if you also want Webster Falls. Do not walk the closed gorge bottom. Check conservationhamilton.ca/spencer-gorge-reservations the week you go; the rule changes with demand.

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No.3

Credit River valley inside Forks of the Credit Provincial Park

Recreation• Caledon (1 hr drive)

Forks of the Credit Provincial Park

“Most beautiful fall day hike within an hour — and the one you will be turned away from if you skip the permit. Book five days out at 7 a.m.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Forks of the Credit is the 282-hectare Niagara Escarpment day-use park that still feels like a real gorge hike an hour north of the city. Ontario Parks requires an advance daily vehicle permit — book at reservations.ontarioparks.ca from 7:00 a.m. Eastern, five days out (four-hour slots or a full day). No permit, no entry; when the green slots are gone the park is full. Seasonal-permit holders still have to reserve a spot (no extra fee). The 10 km loop is the standard first visit: Credit River, kettle lake, talus slope, and the old mill/powerhouse ruins. Pack water and food — there is no store in the park. October Saturdays fill first. Winter and weekday shoulder seasons are the sane play. Phone the Ontario Parks line at 1-888-668-7275 if the site is being stubborn.

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No.4

Lookout over the Niagara Escarpment at Rattlesnake Point, Milton

Recreation• Milton (45 min drive)

Rattlesnake Point — Nassagaweya Trail

“The cedars on the brow are older than the city. Do the lookouts even if you skip the full walk to Crawford Lake.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Rattlesnake Point is Conservation Halton’s cliff-edge park on Appleby Line in Milton: limestone lookouts, ancient cliff-face cedars, and the Nassagaweya Canyon Trail that links through to Crawford Lake if you want the full 14-ish kilometre round trip. Park hours on the official page are 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. Reservations are not required but are recommended — book at parkvisit.ca to guarantee a stall and save on the gate. One vehicle per reservation, one park per reservation. This is a real escarpment hike (roots, exposure, wind on the brow), not a ravine stroll. Stay behind the fences; the lookouts are the point, not a scramble. Phone 905-878-5011.

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No.5

Leslie Street Spit and lighthouse at Tommy Thompson Park

Recreation• Port Lands

Tommy Thompson Park (Leslie Street Spit)

“Walk to the lighthouse and look back at the whole skyline. No dogs, weekday mornings are still a working port, and the Cell 3 bridge is weekday-closed through 18 Dec 2026.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Tommy Thompson Park is Toronto’s urban wilderness on the Leslie Street Spit: about 18 km of trails, a lighthouse, and 300-plus bird species on a working peninsula. Admission and parking are free. Official hours (tommythompsonpark.ca): weekdays 4–9 p.m.; weekends and holidays 5:30 a.m.–9 p.m.; closed Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. Weekday mornings stay closed because PortsToronto still works the spit. Nature Centre weekends and holidays 11 a.m.–4 p.m. April–October, 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. November–March. No pets — TRCA and the City turn people with dogs away. No swimming. From 1 June to 18 December 2026 the pedestrian bridge to Cell 3 is closed Monday 7 a.m. through Friday 3 p.m. for dredging; weekends stay open. It is a 2.5-hour walk to the lighthouse and back if you do not stop. End of Leslie Street.

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No.6

Hilton Falls and mill ruins in Milton, Ontario

Recreation• Milton (45 min drive)

Hilton Falls Conservation Area

“The mill-ruin waterfall you can do in an hour, or turn into a full woods day on Beaver Dam. Book parkvisit.ca on weekends.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Hilton Falls is Conservation Halton’s waterfall-and-woods park on Campbellville Road in Milton: a 3 km return on the yellow Hilton Falls Trail to the 10-metre fall and the 19th-century mill ruins, plus the Red Oak (4 km) and Beaver Dam (8 km) loops and a quieter reservoir if you want a longer day. Official hours 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. Reservations are not required and are recommended at parkvisit.ca (cheaper than the gate, and you keep a stall). No swimming in the falls or the reservoir — Kelso is the swim park. Red Oak is the only stroller-rated trail; use the signed shortcut to the right of the trailhead. Horseback riding is allowed on red, purple, and yellow, not on the single-track bike trails or the Bruce Trail. 4985 Campbellville Road. 905-878-5011.

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No.7

Scarborough Bluffs rising above Bluffer’s Park on Lake Ontario

Recreation• Scarborough

Scarborough Bluffs Trail

“White clay cliffs inside the city — stay on the park path. The Instagram scramble down the face is how people get rescued.”

— Very Toronto Editors

The Bluffs are Toronto’s 90-metre glacial cliffs, and the honest hike is the flat waterfront path through Bluffer’s Park — marina, meadow, Blue Flag beach — not a scramble on the face. The City’s Scarborough Bluffs page is the official source: stay on marked paths, never climb the clay, and treat a weekend in July as a parking problem, not a nature problem. Lots fill before 8 a.m. in summer; paid parking is enforced. The seasonal 175 bus runs roughly May–October; otherwise it is a steep walk down Brimley. Pack water. The lookouts up top (Cathedral Bluffs, Midland) are a different outing from the beach-level trail — pick one, do not invent a cliff descent between them.

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No.8

Evergreen Brick Works kiln buildings in Toronto’s Don Valley

Recreation• Don Valley

Don Valley — Crothers Woods & Evergreen Brick Works

“Twenty minutes from downtown and you cannot see a building — then Brick Works. Start behind the Loblaws on Redway if you want the woods first.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Crothers Woods is the 52-hectare Don Valley forest with dirt single-track, a 194-step staircase near Cottonwood Flats, and a trailhead behind the Redway Road Loblaws that still feels like a prank. Loop 5 km, pop out at Evergreen Brick Works (550 Bayview) for coffee and the weekend market, or keep going on the Lower Don. City park / urban forest, shared with mountain bikes — keep your ears open on blind corners. Mud after rain. Brick Works is the civilized end; the woods are the hike. TTC: 88 South Leaside to Redway, or the Bayview bus / Don Valley Brick Works shuttle patterns on market days. Free parking behind Loblaws; Brick Works lots are paid.

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No.9

Escarpment-edge forest at Mount Nemo Conservation Area, Burlington

Recreation• Burlington (45 min drive)

Mount Nemo Conservation Area

“The lookout that can see the CN Tower, without Rattlesnake’s Saturday circus. Same Halton pass.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Mount Nemo is the quieter Conservation Halton cliff park: escarpment-edge forest, Brock Harris Lookout (CN Tower on a clear day), turkey vultures, and licensed rock climbing if that is your sport. Official hours 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily at 5317 Guelph Line, Burlington. Reservations not required, recommended at parkvisit.ca. This is a lookout-and-loop park, not a waterfall park — come for the brow, the caves, and the fact that it is less slammed than Rattlesnake on a Saturday. Stay on marked trails; the cliff edge is the attraction and the hazard. 905-878-5011.

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No.10

Wooded nature trail inside High Park, Toronto

Recreation• High Park

High Park Trails

“The after-work hike. Skip blossom Saturdays; a Tuesday morning around Grenadier Pond is the actual park.”

— Very Toronto Editors

High Park is the west-end hike you can do after work: oak savannah, Grenadier Pond, the hillside to Colborne Lodge, and enough dirt trail that a 5 km loop does not feel like a sidewalk. 1873 Bloor Street West, south of the subway. City park hours. This is not the off-leash listing — keep dogs to posted OLA rules and stay on trail through restoration areas. Spring cherry blossoms are a crowd, not a hike; come at dawn or on a weekday if you want the woods. Washrooms and a cafe when the park buildings are open. TTC: High Park or Keele station, or the 80 Queensway bus to the south gate.

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No.11

Autumn lookout over the basin at Mono Cliffs Provincial Park

Recreation• Mono (1 hr 15 min drive)

Mono Cliffs Provincial Park

“The canyon-and-cliff hike when you want more drama than Forks and fewer people than Spencer Gorge. Permit and barcode at the gate.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Mono Cliffs is the 732-hectare Natural Environment park on the Bruce Trail north of Orangeville: a canyon on the Spillway Trail, 30-metre cliffs on the Cliff-Top Trail, ferns and cedars, and a lookout that still earns the drive. Ontario Parks lists it as day-use, open 1 January to 31 December 2026. Access is by automatic gate — buy the daily vehicle permit in advance and scan the barcode; this is not a casual pull-off. Physical address 795086 3rd Line EHS, Shelburne (the park sits in Mono). Phone (705) 435-2498, administered with Earl Rowe. No visitor-centre café — pack water. Year-round, including winter hiking when the trails are packed.

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No.12

The Hermitage ruins in Dundas Valley Conservation Area

Recreation• Hamilton (1 hr drive)

Dundas Valley Conservation Area

“A full day if you want one, or a Hermitage-and-Main-Loop afternoon. The Basadinaa signs are the reason to walk the Main Loop slowly.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Dundas Valley is Hamilton Conservation Authority’s 1,200-hectare Carolinian basin: 40 km of trail, the Hermitage ruins, the replica Victorian Trail Centre, and the new Basadinaa Indigenous-led signage on the Main Loop (Territory No. 3) with the Mississaugas of the Credit and Six Nations. Open seven days, sunrise to sunset. Trail Centre 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., weather permitting. Main lot 650 Governors Road, Dundas; other lots at Artaban, Hermitage (Sulphur Springs), Merrick, and Monarch. Dogs on leash. Cyclists on marked multi-use only — not on the Bruce Trail. Rail Trail is the accessible option. Paid HCA admission. 905-627-1233 / dvalley@conservationhamilton.ca.

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No.13

Red Queenston shale ridges at the Cheltenham Badlands, Caledon

Recreation• Caledon (1 hr drive)

Cheltenham Badlands

“A 45-minute walk and a geological glitch. Book ParkPass; do not step on the shale. Confirm this year’s open dates — the Trust page lagged a season.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Cheltenham is Ontario’s exposed Queenston-shale badlands: a short boardwalk and a 320-metre forest trail, not a backcountry day. Ontario Heritage Trust owns it; ParkPass reservation is required for the lot at 1739 Olde Base Line Road, Caledon. The Trust page still listed the 2025 season (9 May–17 November, dawn to dusk) as of this pass — treat it as seasonal, typically May to mid-November, and confirm dates and fees on heritagetrust.on.ca before you drive. Most bookings are 90 minutes ($10+HST weekdays / $20+HST weekends); limited three-hour slots cost more. CVC and TRCA passes are not valid. Stay on the boardwalk — walking on the shale is prohibited. Free if you arrive on foot or by bike. No drones. badlands@heritagetrust.on.ca.

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No.14

Humber River seen from Étienne Brûlé Park in Toronto

Recreation• Bloor West Village

Humber River Trail — Étienne Brûlé Park

“The no-car west-end hike. Start at Old Mill, walk until the river gets quiet, ride the subway home.”

— Very Toronto Editors

The Humber River Recreational Trail is the west-end valley walk: paved and dirt, Old Mill stone bridge, river flats, and enough distance to make a 10 km out-and-back feel like leaving the city. Étienne Brûlé Park (Old Mill / Bloor) is the civilized start — washrooms when open, river views, and the subway at Old Mill station. Follow the river south toward the lake or north into the valley. City park hours. Shared with cyclists; keep right. Spring melt can cover low boardwalks. This is the hike for people who will not get in a car.

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No.15

Plantings and paths at Edwards Gardens, Toronto

Recreation• North York

Edwards Gardens & Wilket Creek Trail

“The ravine hike that begins with a washroom and a greenhouse. Walk south until it feels like a forest.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Edwards Gardens is the formal Civic Garden Centre at Lawrence and Leslie (755 Lawrence Avenue East); Wilket Creek is the ravine that drops south from it into the Don. Together they are the north-end hike that starts with washrooms and a greenhouse and ends in real woods. City park / garden hours for the formal grounds; the creek trail follows city ravine hours. Easy first kilometre, roots and boardwalk as you go. Connects toward Sunnybrook and the larger Don system if you want a longer day. Parking on site (paid when enforced). TTC: 51 / 54 / 56 buses along Lawrence, or a walk from Leslie subway if you like a warm-up.

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No.16

Taylor Creek flowing through Taylor Creek Park, Toronto

Recreation• East York

Taylor Creek Park

“The east-end ravine that is actually easy. Victoria Park station, follow the creek, decide at the Don whether to keep going.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Taylor Creek is the East York ravine you can do from the subway: a mostly flat, well-used trail along the creek from Dawes / Victoria Park toward the Don, with boardwalk, meadow, and enough canopy that it counts as a hike, not a sidewalk. City park hours. Connect west into the Lower Don if you want the longer day; turn around at the forks if you want an hour. TTC: Victoria Park station plus a short walk, or buses along Dawes. Shared with bikes and dog walkers. After heavy rain the low boardwalks take on water — wear something you can wet.

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No.17

Woodland grounds at the Kortright Centre for Conservation, Vaughan

Recreation• Vaughan (30 min drive)

Kortright Centre for Conservation

“The contained woods hike for people who want a map and a washroom. Maple-syrup season is the circus; a weekday in October is the hike.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Kortright is TRCA’s 325-hectare woodland in Vaughan, ten minutes north of the city line: marked hiking trails, a visitor centre, maple-syrup season, and the kind of washroom-and-map start that makes a first hike less feral than Crothers. 9550 Pine Valley Drive. A Conservation Parks membership covers Kortright and other TRCA sites; day admission is sold on site and online — check trca.ca/parks/kortright-centre for the current rate and seasonal hours before you go (the page is also the camp and Nature School hub). Not a cliff hike. Come for a contained woods loop, birds, and a place you can send relatives who do not want to get lost in a ravine.

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