Very Toronto Trail Guide
32 trails with transit directions, seasonal tips, and editorial picks from the VT team.
A compact but stunning provincial park where the Credit River carves through the Niagara Escarpment, creating dramatic waterfalls, limestone gorges, and old-growth forest. The 5-kilometre trail network includes a riverside walk to a 22-metre waterfall and panoramic views from the escarpment edge — all just 50 minutes from downtown Toronto.
A chain of 15 small islands in Toronto Harbour offering 8 kilometres of car-free walking and cycling paths with unobstructed skyline views. The island trails connect beaches, gardens, a century-old amusement park, and one of the best urban vantage points in North America — looking back at downtown Toronto across the harbour.
A 5-kilometre human-made peninsula extending into Lake Ontario that has evolved into one of Toronto's most remarkable urban wilderness areas, with 18 kilometres of trails through wetlands, meadows, and cobble beaches. The park is a globally significant bird habitat and offers stunning skyline views you can't get anywhere else in the city.
A hidden ravine trail through the Windfields estate lands between York Mills Road and Edwards Gardens, following the upper reaches of Wilket Creek through 200-year-old trees, open meadows, and one of the most tranquil stretches of urban forest in Toronto. The trail connects Irving Paisley Park at Bayview and York Mills to Edwards Gardens at Lawrence and Leslie, forming the northern leg of the complete Wilket Creek corridor.
A 60-hectare park with over 5 kilometres of trails through open meadows, forested ravines, and along the West Don River. The park connects to Edwards Gardens and Wilket Creek Trail to the north, and to Serena Gundy Park to the east, making it a central node in Toronto's connected ravine trail network.
A 1-kilometre ravine trail connecting the Beltline Trail to Davenport Road through a narrow, densely forested valley in midtown Toronto. Despite its short length, the trail descends steeply through mature forest that feels surprisingly wild, with a creek running through the ravine floor.
A 6-kilometre section of the Lake Ontario waterfront trail connecting Rouge Beach Park to Port Union along Scarborough's eastern shoreline. The paved path passes through marshland, lakeside bluffs, and quiet residential waterfront communities, offering a peaceful alternative to the busier central waterfront sections.
A 10-kilometre trail network through Carolinian forest on the Niagara Escarpment featuring a 10-metre waterfall that freezes into a dramatic ice formation in winter. The park offers both gentle walking trails and rugged Bruce Trail sections, plus ruins of a 19th-century sawmill at the base of the falls.
A 7.5-kilometre loop trail through ancient cliff faces, crevice caves, and old-growth cedar forest on the Niagara Escarpment north of Orangeville. The park features dramatic 20-metre cliff walls, spring-fed pools, and some of the most diverse plant communities in southern Ontario. A favourite of serious hikers looking for escarpment scenery without Bruce Peninsula crowds.
A 6-kilometre paved multi-use trail following the East Don River from Sheppard Avenue south to the forks of the Don at Don Mills Road. The trail passes through deep ravine forest, crosses multiple pedestrian bridges, and connects to the wider Don Valley trail system — a key link in Toronto's north-south ravine corridor.
A 3.5-kilometre paved trail connecting Edwards Gardens to Sunnybrook Park through a lush ravine valley. The wide, flat path follows Wilket Creek under a thick forest canopy, making it one of the most accessible and scenic ravine walks in midtown Toronto. The route passes through Edwards Gardens' free botanical displays before entering the wilder ravine sections.
A 2.5-kilometre trail through one of Toronto's most dramatic ravine landscapes, descending from the Beltline Trail near Mount Pleasant Cemetery to the Brick Works via a steep forested valley. The trail follows a creek through dense canopy, crossing wooden bridges and climbing a long staircase to connect the upper and lower sections of the Don Valley.
A 2.1-kilometre paved trail built on an abandoned rail corridor connecting Dundas West to Sterling Road, passing through the Junction Triangle neighbourhood. The linear park features public art installations, native plantings, and connects to the new LRT path extending north. A vital active transportation corridor and one of the city's best urban trail conversions.
A 6-kilometre section of the Bruce Trail winding through Terra Cotta Conservation Area with forest trails, creek crossings, and Wolf Lake — a serene kettle lake surrounded by pine forest. The trail follows the Credit River valley through one of the best-preserved natural areas on the Niagara Escarpment's eastern face.
A compact but stunning provincial park where the Credit River carves through the Niagara Escarpment, creating dramatic waterfalls, limestone gorges, and old-growth forest. The 5-kilometre trail network includes a riverside walk to a 22-metre waterfall and panoramic views from the escarpment edge — all just 50 minutes from downtown Toronto.
A 4.5-kilometre boardwalk trail circling a rare meromictic lake — one of fewer than 20 in the world — where layers of water never mix, preserving a 3,000-year environmental record. The trail connects to a reconstructed 15th-century Iroquoian village and the Nassagaweya Trail leading to Rattlesnake Point along the escarpment edge.
A chain of 15 small islands in Toronto Harbour offering 8 kilometres of car-free walking and cycling paths with unobstructed skyline views. The island trails connect beaches, gardens, a century-old amusement park, and one of the best urban vantage points in North America — looking back at downtown Toronto across the harbour.
A hidden 11-hectare old-growth ravine in the Beaches neighbourhood with a 1.5-kilometre boardwalk trail through one of Toronto's most pristine urban forests. The ravine shelters rare plants, migrating warblers, and a spring-fed creek, all tucked between quiet residential streets just steps from Queen Street East.
Toronto's premier 56-kilometre waterfront multi-use trail stretching along the entire Lake Ontario shoreline from the Humber River to the Rouge River. Named after the late Toronto Star editor, this paved pathway connects beaches, parks, marinas, and neighbourhoods, offering uninterrupted lake views and fresh breezes year-round.
A scenic 7.2-kilometre paved trail winding through Taylor Creek Park along a gentle creek in Toronto's east end. The wide, flat pathway is one of the city's most family-friendly trails, passing through lush ravine forest with regular benches, washrooms, and parking lots along the route.
One of Ontario's most surreal landscapes, the Cheltenham Badlands features exposed Queenston Shale formations in vivid red and green hues — the result of topsoil erosion on 450-million-year-old rock. A short boardwalk and the Bruce Trail provide access to this nationally significant geological site in the Caledon hills.
A peaceful 4-kilometre ravine trail cutting diagonally through midtown Toronto, connecting the Beltline Trail to the north with Heath Street to the south. The deep forested valley follows Castle Frank Brook through a surprisingly wild landscape of mature trees, meadows, and creek crossings, all hidden below the surrounding residential streets.
A 52-hectare urban forest tucked into the Don Valley with 10 kilometres of interconnected dirt trails through mature hardwood forest. Often called Toronto's best-kept hiking secret, the trail network includes steep elevation changes, a hidden 194-step staircase, and dense canopy that makes you forget you're in a city of three million.
A 2.4-kilometre trail network through the restored Don Valley Brick Works quarry, with boardwalks over wetlands, meadow paths, and connections to the broader Don Valley trail system. The site blends industrial heritage with ecological restoration, offering an easy and scenic introduction to Toronto's ravine system.
Toronto's largest and most beloved public park features 5 kilometres of trails winding through 161 hectares of rare oak savannah, forested ravines, and manicured gardens. The park is home to Grenadier Pond, a free zoo, seasonal cherry blossoms, and some of the oldest trees in the city.
A 5-kilometre human-made peninsula extending into Lake Ontario that has evolved into one of Toronto's most remarkable urban wilderness areas, with 18 kilometres of trails through wetlands, meadows, and cobble beaches. The park is a globally significant bird habitat and offers stunning skyline views you can't get anywhere else in the city.
A 5.6-kilometre waterfront trail at the base of the dramatic Scarborough Bluffs, where 90-metre clay cliffs rise above Lake Ontario's shoreline. The trail connects Bluffer's Park and Beach with stunning views of the layered geological formations that have been eroding since the last ice age.
Canada's only national urban park protects one of the largest remaining natural areas in the GTA, with the Vista Trail offering a spectacular viewing platform overlooking the Little Rouge River Valley. The broader park features over 12 kilometres of trails through Carolinian forest, wetlands, farmland, and Indigenous heritage sites.
The most Instagrammed hike near Toronto follows the Bruce Trail to a dramatic Niagara Escarpment lookout 100 metres above the Spencer Gorge, with views stretching across the forested valley to Dundas and Hamilton. The trail also passes Tew Falls, Ontario's second-tallest waterfall at 41 metres.
A stunning section of the Bruce Trail through the Niagara Escarpment featuring dramatic rock crevices, old-growth forest, and historic lime kilns. The 7.7-kilometre loop passes through the famous 'Hole in the Wall' rock formation and crosses the Black Creek Side Trail through dolomite canyons.
A 13-kilometre paved pathway hugging the banks of the Humber River through Toronto's west end, stretching from the lakefront to Steeles Avenue. The trail offers a gentle, car-free route through lush river valley scenery, passing historic sites like the Old Mill and connecting to the waterfront trail network.
A 9-kilometre walking and cycling trail built on a former railway corridor that once encircled midtown Toronto. The flat, tree-lined path passes through residential neighbourhoods, dips into the Moore Park Ravine, and connects Cedarvale Park to the Don Valley — one of the best urban rail trails in North America.
A forested ravine trail through one of Toronto's most beautiful urban woodlands, featuring 150-year-old trees, a wooden boardwalk, and the trickling Burke Brook stream. The 4-kilometre network stretches from Bayview Avenue to Blythwood Road with a popular off-leash dog area that draws locals year-round.
A 13.5-kilometre paved trail following the Don River from E.T. Seton Park south to Corktown Common, passing through some of Toronto's most scenic ravine landscapes. The route connects Crothers Woods, Todmorden Mills, Evergreen Brick Works, and Riverdale Park, offering a continuous urban wilderness corridor through the heart of the city.
Perched atop the Niagara Escarpment near Milton, Rattlesnake Point offers 13 kilometres of trails with dramatic cliff-edge lookouts rising 300 metres above the surrounding farmland. The popular Nassagaweya Trail connects to Crawford Lake Conservation Area through dense Carolinian forest and ancient cedar groves.