(This bike trails in Toronto post was updated on August 23, 2021.)
When the pandemic first hit, we went into a bike-buying frenzy and suddenly found ourselves becoming a cycling family. It then became my mission — as a mom without child care who needed to entertain her children during the summer break — to find the best bike trails in Toronto and beyond. Those that we could easily drive to from the GTA, that offered things to do and see along the way, with great spots for a picnic or patio dining.
Let’s be honest: I needed a surefire way to tucker out my kids.
In some cases, the best hiking trails in Ontario (found using Ontario trail maps like those on the AllTrails app) gave us good trails to follow — though some got a little rough with hybrid bikes. In other cases, we spent hours and hours on a converted rail trail, sometimes seeing oodles of wildlife or riding along waterways and other times sheltered from the hot sun under hundreds-year-old tree cover. It’s been a joy to put a good dent into the Waterfront Trail, too, and I’ll share quite a lot of info in this post about our experience on this massive bike path.
We’ve amassed a good list of kid-friendly bike trails and I’ll also indicate below when some of these turned out to be a challenge for my cyclists-in-training.
But let me preface it with this…we aren’t pro cyclists. Not even close. We try to stay on proper paths and avoid roads as much as possible. It’s just not always possible, so make sure you use Google Maps ahead of your ride to review your route; a bike path will be indicated with either a green line (for paved trails) or little dashes of green (for unpaved trails) on the map, and you may not always find that the detour to find the next stretch of a given path is clearly marked once you’re on your ride.
I always keep my iPhone in a holster on my handlebars with Google Maps open, and if we’re following one of my pre-planned day trips (see my road trips from Toronto post), I’ll often use directions and set it on the “bike” option to keep track of where we are. This doesn’t have a 100 per cent success rate, mind you — sometimes Google will suggest a roadway instead of a path that’s clearly available — so, again, reviewing your route in advance is important. Because “just winging it” with kids can suck.
Don’t forget to stop and smell the wildflowers along the way! Find a great lookout point and grab a photo for your kids’ memory boxes or digital scrapbooks. Here are some helpful iPhone photography tips so you can get the best shots.
Here are the 14 bike trails in Toronto & beyond that you’ll find here:
Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail
Tay Shore Trail
Kissing Bridge Trailway
Toronto Islands
Rotary Greenway Trail
Waterfront Trail (we include Clarington, Durham, Toronto, Mississauga and Burlington so far)
Martin Goodman Trail
Georgian Trail
Niagara River Recreation Trail
The Caledon Trailway
Uxbridge-Lindsay Rail Trail
Beaver-River Wetland Trail
Elora Cataract Trailway
Colonel Samuel Smith East Point Trail & Humber Bay Park East Trail
+ BONUS trail: Ottawa’s Rideau Canal and Ottawa River trail
And more of the best bike trails in Toronto coming soon!
We’ve got plans to add more routes to this list throughout the summer, so be sure to come back often to see what’s new. If you’ve been here before and you’re looking for fresh content, be sure to refresh the page — you may even need to clear your cache — to ensure you’re getting the most up-to-date version.
REMEMBER THAT SOME PARKS, CONSERVATION AREAS, ATTRACTIONS AND SURROUNDING BUSINESSES MAY STILL HAVE HOURS AND OPERATIONS IMPACTED BY HEALTH PROTOCOLS OR STAFFING SHORTAGES. THINGS CAN CHANGE FROM DAY TO DAY. BE SURE TO CHECK INDIVIDUAL WEBSITES OR CALL LEADING UP TO ANY STOPS YOU MAY HAVE PLANNED DURING YOUR BIKE RIDE TO ENSURE THERE ARE NO DISAPPOINTING SURPRISES. AND PLEASE FOLLOW PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDELINES PROVIDED BY BOTH YOUR OWN REGION AND THE ONE YOU’RE VISITING.
Here’s a bike trails Toronto & beyond map to help you plan:
Please keep in mind that many of these trails are dozens (if not hundreds) of kilometres long, and one point on a map won’t tell the whole story. This is where bike trails in Ontario like the Waterfront Trail very much become a “choose your own adventure” journey. Zoom in, follow the path in every direction, see if there are points of interest along the way or just off the path that you want to add to your own itinerary. This is where the fun begins…
Remember that I’m only marking parking on the map we’ve actually used. There may be loads of other options!
Our favourite bike trails in Toronto & beyond
Let’s dig into these trails! From parking options to difficulty ratings, I’ll give you the inside scoop for each trail based on our experience.
Last summer, Big B and I used hybrid bikes and we’ve switched to mountain bikes for this summer unless we know the off-road trails in Ontario that we’re covering are fully paved. Hybrid bikes work really well on most rail trails, but I’ll mention when they weren’t ideal. Our kids are exclusively on mountain bikes but few of these bike paths require anything hardcore.
In terms of difficulty, “easy” is pretty self-explanatory and I mean it’s easy for just about anyone of any age and skill level. There may be some small hills to contend with but most of the trail will be flat. “Moderate” means you’re going to work a little harder during your ride — maybe not the whole time, but the trail is either hillier or has some obstacles like dips in the grading that fill up with water or gravel that gets soft and hard to maneuver in. “Difficult” is relative, of course, because what’s difficult for me and my kids (who are 10 and 13 as I type this) may be a breeze to you if you’re a seasoned cyclist or you aren’t bringing whining children with you. But for the purposes of this post, a trail earned a difficult rating if it was extremely hilly with long or steep inclines, required significant ride time on busy roads or highways, or had trails with terrain that was even challenging for our mountain bikes.
1. Bike trails in Toronto & near GTA: Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail
Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail parking options:
- Sanctuary Park (11 Skyline Dr, Dundas, ON L9H 3S2) — this is a free but small parking lot, so arrive early
- Fortino’s (1579 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 1E6) — there’s a huge, free parking lot at this Fortino’s
Local link with more info: here.
- Length: 32 km
- Difficulty: Easy
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: the trail is covered in finely crushed, hard packed limestone and will work for both hybrid and mountain bikes
More about the Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail:
The Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail was the first rail trail we tried as a family and set us on our course to find more of them. We love a good rail trail! They’re usually quite flat and meander through beautiful countryside. If you park at either of the options noted above and on the map I provided, the bulk of the trail is to the west (so turn left onto the trail in both instances once you’ve parked). This runs right into the City of Brantford’s trails, which continues on to the SC Johnson Trail and the Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail, which we haven’t yet done.
However, if you turn east (right) out of the parking lots, you’ll head towards Hamilton. This is the stretch we did with our kids, curving around the Chedoke Golf Club — where you’ll encounter a bit of a hilly ride. We took this until we saw no more path and noticed we were at Dundurn Street, turned north and rode all the way to Dundurn Castle! This involves riding on the road, though most of it has dedicated bike lanes; it’s a very busy road so if your kids aren’t accustomed to cars whizzing by, this could be uncomfortable.
Looking for more to do in the area? Here’s my Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail day trip map and you can find even more info by checking out my road trips from Toronto series.
2. Bike trails in Toronto & near GTA: Tay Shore Trail
Tay Shore Trail parking: free lot across from the Marshs Waubaushene Marina, 85 Trans-Canada Trail, Waubaushene, ON L0K 2C0
Local link with more info: here.
- Length: 18.5 km
- Difficulty: Easy
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: the trail is mostly paved and will work for both hybrid and mountain bikes
More about the Tay Shore Trail:
If you score a parking spot where I’ve indicated it above and on the map (there are only about five spots so arrive early), the trail is just a few feet away. We headed out on the same side as the parking lot, going west. This is one of the prettiest — and flattest bike trails in Ontario! Other than a couple of highway crossing points, the terrain is paved and easy with only one small hill to navigate, so even little ones riding bikes without gears would be able to manage.
Victoria Harbour (Ontario) is a beautiful spot to reach on this ride that runs along Sturgeon Bay, which is doable in about half an hour with kids. It’s a stunning place for a snack break and there are some benches and a gazebo (literally on Google Maps as “Victoria Harbour Gazebo” if you need help locating it) if you’d rather not sit on grass under one of the big trees along the shoreline.
If your kids are quite young or inexperienced cyclists, turning around here is a nice option that means you’ll have an hour or so of cycling under your belts. But if you want to keep going, you can stay on the Tay Shore Trail going west to cycle all around Hog Bay (it’s gorgeous, too) and make it to the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre — just follow the signage or use Google Maps directions. You’ll need to turn left off of the Tay Shore Trail and head about 450 metres away but it’s not far at all.
There are benches and picnic tables that line the Tay Shore Trail pretty frequently, so snack breaks or picnic lunches won’t require a blanket if you don’t usually pack one.
Looking for more to do in the area? Here’s my Tay Shore Trail & Georgian Bay Area day trip map and you can find even more info by checking out my road trips from Toronto series.
3. Bike trails in Toronto & near GTA: Kissing Bridge Trailway
Kissing Bridge Trailway parking: free gravel lot noted on my map above, just south of the intersection at Wellington County Rds 30 & 39
Local link with more info: here.
- Length: 45 km
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: the trail is both finely crushed, hard packed limestone and more dense gravel, and primarily hard-packed but with areas where it’s softer so mountain bikes are best
More about the Kissing Bridge Trailway:
The little gravel parking lot noted above was easy to access once we knew what we were looking for and there’s no time limit, which is often a concern with street parking — certainly for any bike trails in Toronto proper but also in farther-reaching cities and towns — and it puts you right at the beginning of the Kissing Bridge Trailway as it goes west from Guelph through Ariss to Elmira.
This trail was one of the reasons we ordered mountain bikes last season, even though they were backordered and we didn’t get them until nearly winter. This was tough in spots with our hybrid bikes thanks to several patches where we felt unsteady with thinner tires. That said, it’s quite flat and easy to manage because it’s a rail trail and as long as they have mountain bikes, kids of any age could handle the Kissing Bridge Trailway provided you’re not getting off to find Ontario’s only remaining covered bridge that allows vehicles to pass through it. And this is very cool to see, but drive there instead if you have little ones along for the ride because not only is it a 2km detour that requires crossing a highway and riding on roads without dedicated bike lanes, there’s also a set of VERY steep stairs to navigate that darn near made us throw in the towel after hoisting four bikes onto the guide-rail.
If you don’t want to detour on bikes to see the West Montrose Kissing Bridge, you can decide to simply turn around at any point along the trail, though there isn’t much else to see on the Kissing Bridge Trailway aside from a couple of farms, some nice houses and an orchard. All said and done we did 31km roundtrip, turning around after we’d taken a ride through the covered bridge a couple of times.
Looking for more to do in the area? Here’s my Guelph & Waterloo Region day trip map and you can find even more info by checking out my road trips from Toronto series.
4. Bike trails in Toronto, unofficial edition: the Toronto Islands
Toronto Islands parking: it’s Toronto, so there’s rarely free parking to be had and if you take your chances on street parking, bylaw officers are very happy to ticket you if you don’t follow the signage to the letter. Look for a Green P or above-ground/underground lot near Sugar Beach or the Harbourfront Centre and be prepared to pay around $20-25 for the day
Local link with more info: here.
- Length: 5.5 km end to end, but around 15km if you cover every pathway in a loop
- Difficulty: Easy
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: the trail is paved with some sections that are bridges and boardwalks, all of which will work for both hybrid and mountain bikes
More about bike trails in Toronto Islands:
So, here’s the deal — the Toronto Islands isn’t an official bike trail in Toronto. But its many paved pathways and bridges are just begging to be explored on two wheels. And this was my kids’ favourite ride of the summer because there’s so much to learn, see and do.
Depending on where you park, you may need to use the Waterfront Trail and/or the Martin Goodman Trail (both of which I’ll get to separately below) to reach the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. This ferry ride is the cheapest way to get to the Toronto Islands, with boat taxis being the other option. But the Toronto Island ferry is fun and it doesn’t cost extra to bring your bikes. And, don’t worry, once you’re on the Toronto Islands, your bikes will take you everywhere until you’re ready to cross back to the mainland.
The best part about biking on Toronto Island is that you don’t even need to bring your own bikes if you don’t want to or don’t have any, because the Toronto Islands bike rental game is strong! It’s not exactly cheap, but there are loads of bikes available — including tandem bikes and even these really cool quad bikes that can comfortably hold a family of four.
I suggest going as early as possible and starting at Hanlan’s Point or Ward’s Island so you can ride around before the masses arrive; plus, you won’t need to retrace your steps (er, pedals?) to explore the 15 interconnected islands. We double-backed a few times here and there and ultimately clocked 22km and covered just about every island path, street and sidewalk available.
From the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse and the Ned Hanlan Tugboat Memorial to the 262 quirky Toronto Island cottages, you won’t run out of adventure on this bike ride.
Looking for more to do on the Islands? Here’s my Toronto Islands day trip map and you can find even more info by checking out my road trips from Toronto series.
5. Bike trails in Toronto & near GTA: Rotary Greenway Trail
Rotary Greenway Trail parking options:
- Service Ontario in downtown Lakefield (133 Water St, Lakefield, ON K0L 2H0) – plenty of free parking spots
- Rotary Park in Peterborough (44.31259, -78.31202) – some free parking spots
Local link with more info: here.
- Length: 16 km
- Difficulty: Easy
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: the trail is a mix of paved and finely crushed, hard packed limestone that will work for both hybrid and mountain bikes
More about the Rotary Greenway Trail:
This trail combines both the Lakefield Rotary Greenway Trail and the Peterborough Greenway Trail and runs from Lakefield in the north to Little Lake in Peterborough to the sorth, mostly following the lovely Otonabee River. You can expect to cross several country roads, some private driveways and do some highway-shoulder cycling if you do the trail from tip to tail.
The Rotary Greenway Trail is very pretty and easy for even little legs to manage since it has very few hilly sections and there’s always something to see to keep kids distracted from what amounts to a pretty big ride if you go from Lakefield to Peterborough and back again. There are little bridges, big bridges, locks, parks and river views for miles — with loads of options to stop for snack breaks or lunch. Lift Lock 23, for example, is an awesome stop for a picnic!
There was only one spot that made us nervous since we had our kids with us; as you pass by the Trent Environmental Sciences Building, you have to hop on a busy, fast road that has no bike lane for about 100 metres or so. If you have nervous riders or really little kids, you can easily bypass this entirely by starting your ride in the south at Little Lake or Rotary Park and working your way north — stopping before you hit Trent University.
Looking for more to do in the area? Here’s my Peterborough & The Kawarthas day trip map and you can find even more info by checking out my road trips from Toronto series.
6. Waterfront Trail (definitely one of the best bike trails in Toronto & GTA!)
Waterfront Trail parking for bike trails in Toronto & the surrounding suburbs, east to west:
- Newcastle — at the south end of Cobbledick Rd, there’s a free gravel parking lot adjacent to the Samuel Wilmot Nature Area (0A6, Waterfront Trail, Newcastle, ON L1B 0A6)
- Bowmanville — Port Darlington East Beach Park (54 E Beach Rd, Bowmanville, ON L1C 3K3) has lots of free paved parking; the Bowmanville Off-Leash Dog Park has a large gravel lot; farther west, there are a few free gravel lots on Park Rd across from the Darlington Lower Hydro Fields (312, Crago Rd, Courtice, ON L1E 2R3) and people also park up and down Crago Rd as well, though it’s not official parking
- Courtice — entry into Darlington Provincial Park is not free but there is lots of parking available throughout; if you’re willing to brave cycling down Courtice Rd (it’s busy, traffic moves quickly and there aren’t consistent bike lanes), there’s a free paved GO Park & Ride lot at Courtice/Baseline Rds (43.88608, -78.76888)
- Oshawa — there are two huge paved, free lots at Lakeview Park on the east side and then to the west there’s the Lakefront West Park parking lot
- Whitby — there are two free lots at Kiwanis Heydenshore Park (one gravel across the road and one paved beside the park) or you can pay to park at Lynde Shores Conservation Area. There’s a street on the west side of Lynde Shores called Halls Rd S (through which the Waterfront Trail crosses) and we’ve parked there many times for free but I’ve also seen police cars roaming up and down the road, too, so I can’t promise the street parking here will not end up in a ticket
- Ajax — unless you’re a local resident, most of the Ajax Waterfront parking is now paid during the summer (more info here) so we normally ride through and west of Ajax after parking in Whitby
- Toronto — free parking will be really hard to come by, but you could try looking for street parking in The Beaches (just be hyper-aware of the signage or you will absolutely be ticketed)
- Mississauga — technically, JC Saddington Park is in Port Credit but it’s got a big, free lot with public washrooms onsite, too
- Burlington — all municipal lots are free on weekends. The Locust Street lot (500 Locust St, Burlington, ON L7S 1X6) is just a few blocks north of the waterfront, is one is a quiet street that leads to the Waterfront Trail
General Waterfront Trail link with more info: here.
Local links with more info: Clarington Waterfront Trail, Oshawa Waterfront Trail, Whitby Waterfront Trail, Ajax Waterfront Trail, Toronto Waterfront Trail, Mississauga Waterfront Trail and the Burlington Waterfront Trail
- Length: 3,000 km
- Difficulty: Easy to difficult
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: the trail encompasses every type of terrain, so mountain bikes will be best unless you’re familiar with the route you’re planning
More about the Waterfront Trail’s best bike trails in Toronto & GTA:
Technically, this monster of a bike trail is called the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail. It stretches for more than 3,000km from Sault Ste Marie to the Quebec border, passing through some 140 communities. WE HAVEN’T EVEN SCRATCHED THE SURFACE. But when it comes to the Waterfront Trail bike trails in Toronto and around the GTA, I’ve got you covered.
Depending on how far you want to go, how many on-road detours you’re open to and what you want to see or do along the way, the Clarington through Toronto section of the Waterfront Trail has something for every cyclist of any age.
Here are some of our favourite Waterfront Trail routes in the GTA:
Newcastle
Park at the base of Cobbledick Rd and head east on the trail behind the parking lot. As you make your way along the trail toward Lakebreeze Dr, there will be a fork in the path. If you go left, you’ll end up at the end of this portion of trail — so double back and take the path to the right instead. There’s a big tree that’s carved out and someone has put a bunch of gnomes and fairies here, which Miss Q loves stopping at every time.
If you take the trail to the Newcastle Marina, it’s a nice spot to stop for a patio lunch, but if you head up Shipway Avenue instead (toward the Port of Newcastle East sales building), then hop on to Carveth Cres, the trail picks up again and takes you to Port of Newcastle Dr. Take the road or sidewalk here to Mill St S and go southeast all the way to Bondhead Parkette. This street is my family’s favourite to ride down in the area, full of beautiful heritage homes and an easy slope to the water.
We usually turn around here after a snack break, though you can continue east for more Waterfront Trail if you’re comfortable on a highway-like road for quite some distance.
Bowmanville to Newcastle
Parking at the Off-Leash Dog Park or Port Darlington East Beach park means you have some residential streets to navigate but they’re not busy. Head east on East Beach Rd, jog slightly north on South Service Rd and take an immediate eastbound turn onto Port Darlington Rd. You’ll go north on Bennett Rd from here and the Waterfront Trail will be on your east side after about 150 metres.
You can either take this all the way east to Service Rd or you can dip down through Wilmot Creek’s quiet retirement community and bike through there or use it as a way to get down to another trail along the waterfront south of Bluffs Rd. If you stay on the trail to the north, you’ll take Service Rd all the way to Cobbledick Rd and go south, where you can use the route information above in the Newcastle section to continue.
If you use the southern trail, get onto Cove Rd when the trail ends, follow it until Fairway Dr and head north, looking for the little break in the fence that allows access to the parking lot area at the bottom of Cobbledick Rd. Turn around here to head back to your vehicle or continue on to the Newcastle Marina or even Bondhead Parkette described above if you want a nice, long ride
Bowmanville to Oshawa
Park near the Darlington Lower Hydro Fields and pick up the Darlington Waterfront Trail heading west, south of Energy Dr. You can find the next official Waterfront Trail section by taking Osborne Rd northwest until it hits Energy Dr. This is all quiet roadside riding until it runs into Courtice Rd and its busy Hwy 401 exit.
From here, you need to make your way south to Darlington Park Rd, which runs parallel to the highway and has limited dedicated space for bikes; it can get busy and noisy here and is not for nervous cyclists, but it’ll take you right into Darlington Provincial Park. There’s a lot of pavement here but the trail you’ll follow does have hills and there are spots where it’s dusty gravel suitable only for mountain bikes.
Using Colonel Sam Drive, you go up and around the McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve and Second Marsh area and look for Harbour Rd. Go south here until you hit Simcoe St S and finally head southeast to reach Lakeview Park. (There seems to be a trail called the Larry Ladd Harbour Trail that can cut out some of the road biking from Harbour to Simcoe, but I saw it too late to see where the entrance/exit is on Harbour St. On Simcoe, you can access it from the east side of the road near the lights at Valley Dr.)
There’s a great little ice cream truck near the Lakeview Park Beach parking lot and you can walk or ride out to the pier before turning back or even continue west towards Whitby
Oshawa to Pickering
Park in one of the lots at Lakeview Park and take lots of water and snacks because this is a very long but relatively easy-to-follow route; then simply turn around wherever and whenever you like. No one says you have to go all the way to Pickering before coming back! I’ll note here where else you can park west of Oshawa if you’d rather make a shorter cut.
The Oshawa Waterfront Trail is pretty clearly marked once you’re down at Lakeview Park and following the paved path westbound; the Lakeview Park Mandela Gazebo and Lakewoods Park Lookout are your first two markers. You’ll ride through the Pumphouse Marsh Wildlife Reserve and Stone Street Park before ending up on Stone St, which runs right alongside Lake Ontario. At the bottom of Park Rd S where it meets Stone St, the Waterfront Trail begins again, with a nice trail all the way to Lakefront Park West (where there’s also parking) and then Thickson Rd S in Whitby.
The sourthern-most tip of Thickson Rd S sees the trail continue over to Kiwanis Heydenshore Park (which has two parking lots). This is a great spot for a break or if your kids want to play at the park. Continue over the boardwalk towards the Whitby Harbour Lighthouse and just keep following the path and signage northwest to the Port Whitby Marina — where, notably, another day you might return to do some Lake Ontario fishing). Take Gordon Street south, which becomes the Waterfront Trail and will take you up to Victoria St W, which has a nicely paved and very wide bike path totally separate from but beside the road that’ll lead you right to the Lynde Shores Conservation Area paid parking lot.
We love riding through the trail here and stopping to look at the ducks and swans before you reach the bridge or detouring to the right and feeding the chickadees on the Chickadee Trail. It’s easy to find your way through here with a couple of different path choices that are a mix of paved and more uneven terrain, so look at Google Maps ahead of time to see which one’s which. One way or another, you’ll end up at Halls Rd S (people park up and down this road, too) and regardless of which path you’re exiting from, you need to go south to get back on the Waterfront Trail.
From here, the trail runs on for a long time and you’ll pass parks, playgrounds and pavillions as you reach Ajax. There are some hilly bits in here but it’s kid-friendly as long as they have some stamina. Paradise Beach and the adjacent Paradise Park is a lovely spot with picnic tables if you’re planning to have lunch en route and if you’d rather not keep going, it’s also a nice turnaround point. If you keep on truckin’, you’ll wind up at the most southern point of Duffin’s Trail, one of the most family-friendly hiking trails in the area.
The Ajax Waterfront Trail keeps going west from here into Pickering; if you started in Oshawa, you have a good trek back of about 25km or so making your route a 50km ride!
Toronto
Parking at or near Sugar Beach won’t be cheap, but it’s easy access to Queens Quay (head west), which is where the wide two-lane bike paths (often with their own traffic lights) that make up a large part of the Toronto Waterfront Trail section. I absolutely love riding here, among the skyscrapers and busy sidewalks, where the bike lanes are as well-maintained and marked as the streets themselves.
There are loads of little offshoot trails here and there — like at the Harbourfront Centre, HTO Park and Little Norway Park — that’ll take you closer to the lake and then you can work your way back up to Queens Quay or the and continue west. Once you reach the ferry terminal, and the western-most point of Queens Quay W, the Waterfront Trail is on the other side of Stadium Rd. and culminates at The Toronto Inukshuk Park before it’s called the Martin Goodman Trail (which has its own section in this post below). This is a flat, easy route and there are more restaurants, landmarks and cool spots to explore here than I could possibly mention.
Harbourfront to Port Credit
I’ve detailed this route (in reverse) in the 14th bike trail listed below since it also encompasses two other distinct bike trails in Toronto that really served their own section, so scroll wayyyy down for this one.
Burlington to Hamilton
This is one of my all-time favourite routes of any of the bike trails in Ontario we’ve done to date! Park anywhere near the Brant Street Pier (municipal lots, like the one on Locust St on my map above, are free on weekends but if you want to be closer to the Waterfront Trail or you’re there midweek and will be paying for parking anyway, there’s lots near the pier. In any case, ride to the pier first; it’s so cool!
You can’t actually RIDE along the waterfront west of the pier until you pass Spencer Smith Park — you have to get off and walk your bike here, so if you’d rather ride, your option is to go back up to Lakeshore Rd until you see the Joseph Brant Museum; from here, you can get back on the Waterfront Trail and ride away. This ride continues along a long beach and you might even see windsurfers and kite surfers out on the water.
One of the best, best, best parts of this route is watching the big container ships and pleasure craft go under the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge. If you’re lucky and it’s not closed for repairs or other public service breaks, you can cross it to get to Hamilton. This is what made our trip along this part of the Waterfront Trail extra memorable. The bridge is supposed to go up on the hour and half hour throughout the day for recreational boats to pass through but it can also be raised at any time if a big commercial boat comes along. If it’s operating and you do intend to cross, you’ll need to be able to hoist your bikes onto the rails on some steep stairwells and push them up, but my kids did manage it on their own even though it was challenging.
After you clear the bridge, it’s technically the Breezeway Trail you’re following to the Waterfront Trail, but you likely won’t be able to tell where one ends and the other begins. This stretch is just awesome, with the wind from the water whipping across the path keeping you cool on even the hottest summer day. It’s beach views for ages here and you can ride all the way to a Waterfront Trail Lookout Point, or turn off the trail for the Naval Memorial Garden, which is pretty neat.
This route is only around 8km from the pier in Burlington to Skyway Park in Hamilton but when you add in the canal crossing, stopping for a picnic, taking in some detours and perhaps even a visit to the incredible Spencer Smith Park on the way back, this could easily take a few hours roundtrip
I strongly recommend reviewing the official Waterfront Trails map before embarking on any of these routes.
Looking for more to do in the area? Check out my road trips from Toronto series and look for day trips to Clarington, Burlington and Toronto Islands.
8. Bike trails in Toronto & GTA: Martin Goodman Trail
Martin Goodman Trail parking: forget trying to find free parking and just find a convenient lot and hand over your first-born child to pay for it
Local link with more info: here.
- Length: 22 km
- Difficulty: Easy
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: the trail is paved and will work for both hybrid and mountain bikes
More about the Martin Goodman Trail — one of the best bike trails in Toronto’s core:
Although it’s part of the Waterfront Trail, the Martin Goodman Trail has its own name so it gets its own section. Beginning at Ontario Place Blvd in the east and going west to the Humber Bay Arch Bridge, the nice thing about this part of the trail is that it’s 100 per cent pathway. There are no major streets to cross, you spend most of your ride near but not on Lake Shore Blvd W, and there are a couple of spots where you can choose an alternative route.
We’ve done the entire trail from east to west and it’s a beauty. Making it all the way to the Humber Bay Arch Bridge is a must, even if only to see the bridge itself.
What I love most about the Martin Goodman Trail is that in most places where there’s a road crossing, you have your own set of traffic lights for the bike lane. Plus, you don’t often have to worry about pedestrians stepping out or stopping in front of you since they have their own path to stroll off to the side. The trail is marked like a road, making it clear which side you should be on (for anyone visiting from abroad, you should be on the right side) and the only pedestrians sharing the path will likely be runners…some of whom may actually go faster than you on your bike.
Looking for more to do in the area? You can find even more info by checking out my road trips from Toronto series.
8. Bike trails in Toronto & near GTA: Georgian Trail
Georgian Trail parking: we used a free two-hour street parking spot in Thornbury (44.5629, -80.45191)
Local link with more info: here.
- Length: 34 km
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: the trail is paved in some sections and covered in finely crushed, hard packed limestone in others and will work for both hybrid and mountain bikes
More about the Georgian Trail:
We did this trail sans children during our only weekend last summer without our kids, but kids would be just fine on the Georgian Trail. This is another rail trail so is predominantly flat, though there are some hills here and there. And although you can go all the way from Meaford to Collingwood, you can also do a shorter route like we did since I wasn’t feeling well.
We started in Thornbury, which is one of my favourite towns anywhere in Ontario but especially in Grey County (I’ve written about it here and here), and rode to Craigleith Provincial Park about 10km away and turned around. We definitely want to go back and do the full 34km, stopping for a long lunch break in Collingwood.
Looking for more to do in the area? Here’s my Grey County for Grownups map and you can find even more info by checking out my road trips from Toronto series.
9. Bike trails in Toronto & near GTA: Niagara River Recreation Trail
Niagara River Recreation Trail parking options:
- There’s free parking in Niagara-on-the-Lake near the McFarland Park Picnic Pavilion (43.23314, -79.06033).
- There’s paid parking in Niagara-on-the-Lake at McFarland House (15927 Niagara Parkway Recreational Trail, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L2E 6T2).
- There’s a scenic lookout spot in Niagara-on-the-Lake with free parking (43.16159, -79.05012).
- Peller Estates has a huge, free parking lot if you’re also going to have a drink or dine there after your ride (290 John St E, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0).
- You can also park for free on just about any side street in NOTL for up to 12 hours (provided it doesn’t have a paid parking sign).
- Bird Kingdom (5651 River Rd, Niagara Falls, ON L2E 7M7) and the Dufferin Islands (43.06866, -79.07069) have the cheapest paid parking lots in central Niagara Falls.
Local link with more info: here.
- Length: 53 km
- Difficulty: Moderate to difficult
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: the trail is mostly paved and will work for both hybrid and mountain bikes
More about the Niagara River Recreation Trail:
This should be the trail your family aspires to complete — or comes close to completing — after a summer of cycling, once you’ve built up your stamina and have the leg muscles to support a long route like this one. It’s absolutely stunning and takes you from historic Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Horseshoe Falls to the hidden gem that is the Dufferin Islands. And it goes on beyond there, but we didn’t make it. No, we called it a day after doing a 50km+ exhausting but exhilerating roundtrip ride!
We parked at Peller Estates and went east out of the parking lot to find the Niagara River Recreation Trail not far from the winery. Peller has an enormous patio at the back of the estate, which overlooks the vineyard, and offers a wonderful meal to come back to once you’re done riding so it’s fair to use their lot of you’re going to spend some cashola there later.
The ride meanders along the Niagara River through wine country and some of the most stunning lakeside homes you’ve ever seen. There are roadside fruit stands galore, so take a market bag with you and grab whatever’s in season on your way back.
Where the trail meets the Niagara Parkway, you have the option of taking Queenston St south. Do this and find the Laura Secord Homestead and the original Mackenzie Printery en route before winding up a very long, steep part of the trail in Queenston Heights. MY GOD THIS WAS TOUGH. It’s like the hill that never ends, but on the way back it’s ridiculously fun.
When you go under the Queenston-Lewiston bridge, the Falls are getting close. Make pit stops at the Floral Clock and pass the White Water Walk with the Class 6 rapids below. We went up onto the sidewalk at this point along the Niagara Parkway because it was a lot safer for the kids; and we noticed many adults without kids doing the same thing. Ride on the lefthand side sidewalk here so you’re as close to the Niagara River as possible. You’ll see the famous Hornblower (Maid of the Mist) Cruises on your left and you can ride all the way to Table Rock, which is my favourite place to stand and watch the water race over the edge of the Canadian Falls.
Continue southeast and ride around the Dufferin Islands, which we only discovered last summer thanks to this bike ride. Even after going to Niagara Falls for more than 40 years, there are still new things to see.
Get a good break and fuel up your bodies for the big ride back to NOTL, which is markedly easier with more downhills than uphills. But unless you’re used to big rides like this, don’t plan anything for the next day or two because your legs are gonna feel this one.
Looking for more to do in the area? Here’s my Niagara Region day trip map and you can find even more info by checking out my road trips from Toronto series.
10. Bike trails in Toronto & near GTA: The Caledon Trailway
Caledon Trailway parking options:
- There are a few free spots near the start of the trail (43.7152, -79.94325).
- Ken Whillans Resource Management Area (16026 Hurontario Street) has free parking.
- Caledon East Community Complex (6215 Old Church Road) has free parking.
- Caledon Equestrian Park (200 Pine Avenue, Palgrave) has free parking.
- Lloyd Wilson Arena (15551 McLaughlin Road, Inglewood) has free parking.
Local link with more info: here.
- Length: 35 km
- Difficulty: Easy
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: the trail is mostly finely crushed, hard packed limestone and will work for both hybrid and mountain bikes
More about the The Caledon Trailway:
Another abandoned and repurposed rail trail, The Caledon Trailway is part of the Trans Canada Trail and the Greenbelt Route with small, free parking spots at many of the trail road crossings if you don’t want to park at any of the larger lots listed above. And there are many!
One of the cool things about this trail is that it offers a few bike repair stations en route, which I haven’t seen elsewhere.
This pretty, easy ride takes you near golf club grounds and through forested areas and conservation land, requiring a few major and country road crossings. You can right right across Caledon, taking in Terra Cotta, Cheltenham, Inglewood, Caledon East and Palgrave and also connect to the Bruce Trail, Humber Valley Heritage Trail, Oak Ridges Trail and the New Tecumseth Trail at various points.
We went from the beginning of the trail to Airport Rd in Caledon East before stopping to have lunch and ice cream, which is about 18-19km one way. This cute “main street” has bakeries, specialty grocery shops, a few eateries and the cutest little ice creak shack you ever did see called — wait for it — Main Street Ice Cream. We had an awesome, friendly lunch at Tom’s Family Restaurant and the patio is such that we could lean our bikes just beside our table so they didn’t even need to be locked up.
We took a spin just north of this junction and there are some fun bridges to ride across before you hit Caledon East Park (a great picnic spot if you’re looking for one). There were even people on horseback riding through here — not surprising since Caledon is horse country. You can keep going north all the way to Tottenham from here, which is another 17km or so, but we turned around to keep this a 40k day.
Looking for more to do in the area? Here’s my Caledon-Alliston-Tottenham day trip map and I’ll be adding more info to my road trips from Toronto series soon.
11. Bike trails in Toronto & GTA: Uxbridge Rail Trail
Uxbridge Rail Trail parking: if school’s not in session, there’s free parking at the Uxbridge Montessori School (167 Main St N, Uxbridge, ON L9P 1C3). (Note that on-street parking and parking in municipal lots in Uxbridge is limited to a maximum of three hours unless otherwise posted)
Local link with more info: here.
- Length: 64 km
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: the beginning of the trail is finely crushed, hard packed limestone and will work for both hybrid and mountain bikes, but if you go past Blackwater toward Fenelon Falls it becomes mixed terrain that’s better suited for mountain bikes
More about the Uxbridge Rail Trail:
You may see this called either the Uxbridge-Lindsay Rail Trail or just the Uxbridge Rail Trail — but it’s all the same. Just be aware that when you reach the Blackwater fork in the path, you need to stay left to head toward Fenelon Falls and end up on the Beaver-River Wetland Trail (detailed next); if you go right at the fork as you head north on the Uxbridge Rail Trail, you’ll start moving east towards Port Perry along the Trans Canada Trail and this goes on and on and on and on. And then on some more.
This was my kids’ least-favourite ride to date — not only because we pushed them to do a 41k day much earlier this summer than we ever attempted that distance last summer, but because it was basically the same scene for the duration of the ride…marsh land. And that’s lovely but it gets tiresome after looking at it for 3.5 hours. That said, the bird life here was spectacular and made the ride sound lovely. There were also lots of pretty wildflowers and butterflies lining the trail, but you start to tune that stuff out when it’s constant.
There are some bridges and roads to cross, but nothing onerous. Some of the trail is super-easy — that flat rail trail with the crushed limestone but then there are spots where the gravel is so soft you’ll have to get off your bike and walk through it. In some spots, it’s a mountain bike or nothing with hilly, rocky terrain. In other spots there are holes so big and deep through the trail — which rain had filled to the brim — that we were covered from head to toe in mud. This is not a complaint (it was fun!) but it deserves a warning.
Until you reach the Blackwater Junction fork, it’s primarily easy and flat so if that’s what you want to stick with, turn around at the big Blackwater sign. We kept going to see what the Beaver-River Wetland Trail, which continues to the northwest, would bring. More on that next.
The one thing the Uxbridge Rail Trail did have that none of the others did: a fox! Yes…a real, life fox. He darted out of the side of the trail, took one look at us and bolted. I tried to keep up but he was too fast.
We turned around just before we hit 21km and went to the Urban Pantry for a gorgeous patio lunch — I still can’t believe they didn’t turn our mud-splattered selves away.
Looking for more to do in the area? Sorry, but you’re out of luck — we haven’t done nearly enough here to warrant a dedicated map or day trip itinerary, but you can check out my road trips from Toronto series to see what might be nearby.
12. Bike trails in Toronto & near GTA: Beaver-River Wetland Trail
Beaver-River Wetland Trail parking: we parked in Uxbridge, but noticed many cars parked along the concession roads where it crosses with the trail
Local link with more info: here.
- Length: 21 km
- Difficulty: Moderate to difficult
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: the trail is mixed terrain that’s ideal for mountain bikes
More about the Beaver-River Wetland Trail:
Like I mentioned in the Uxbridge Rail Trail section above, we didn’t come out specifically to do the entire Beaver-River Wetland Trail but we were curious to see if it was any different than the trail we’d been riding leading up to the fork at Blackwater Junction.
And this is where the terrain really started to change. We went from the predictable rail trail hard-packed limestone to a mixed bag of heavier gravel, soft gravel, bare dirt with big rocks and huge holes full of muddy water. It made for a more interesting ride for sure, but my kids weren’t impressed.
The trickiest and least fun part of the Beaver-River Wetland Trail section that we conquered was in Sunderland. The trail is narrow and uneven here, and just before you reach Concession Rd 6, there’s a fork in the path — one goes slightly uphill towards Hwy 7/12 on the left, the other is slightly downhill to the right and looks like it’s the most natural continuation of the trail. So we went right.
WRONG.
There was an impassible puddle (nay, miniature pond) blocking our path, so we backed out and took the fork to the left. This resulted in getting off our bikes once we reached the highway and walking on the dense gravel shoulder. Adults and teens would probably be fine to ride on the paved edge of the highway but I wasn’t going to let my kids risk it. Walk toward the lights at Concession Rd 6, cross the road and head east on 6. There’s an industrial building on the northeast corner and you have to walk through its yard to reach the next section of the Beaver-River Wetland Trail. On Google Maps, it looks like there are two little side streets going north of 6 that lead to the trail — don’t be fooled. There are no such streets. But just walk your bikes through the yard (it’s damn near impossible even with mountain bikes to ride through the ultra-soft-packed gravel here) and I promise the path is visible on the other side of it.
At this stage, if you’ve already done the Uxbridge Rail Trail and carried on through the Junction like we did, you won’t really find the Beaver-River Wetland Trail much different. Flat, marshy, trees. Some super fun puddles (most of which are avoidable if you don’t want to rip through them). There might be more farther north but we were toast and headed back to Uxbridge.
Looking for more to do in the area? Sorry, but you’re out of luck — we haven’t done nearly enough here to warrant a dedicated map or day trip itinerary, but you can check out my road trips from Toronto series to see what might be nearby.
13. Bike trails in Toronto & near GTA: Elora Cataract Trailway
Elora Cataract Trailway parking options:
- There’s a parking lot (might be paid?) and free street parking near the tourism office at 10 East Mill St. (Note that all street parking in Elora is free for three hours.)
- There’s LOTS of free street parking around Knox Presbyterian Church (55 Church Square, Elora, ON).
- There’s a free lot at Forfar Park in Fergus (605 Gartshore St).
- There’s loads of parking in Belwood Lake Conservation Area (8282 Wellington County Rd 18, Centre Wellington, ON N1M 2W5), but it’s paid by the person — not the vehicle or length of time.
Local link with more info: here.
- Length: 47 km
- Difficulty: Easy
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: Most of this trail is just hard dirt with a light dusting of hard-packed limestone making it a breeze for both hybrid and mountain bikes
More about the Elora Cataract Trailway:
This is such a beautiful trail! We only made it from Elora to Hwy 26 (about 20km) before taking a detour to find the famed butter tarts at the Belwood Country Market, but it’s flat, easy and scenic. There’s some on-street riding required if you start in Elora, but it’s fairly well-marked and you can use the markers I’ve plotted on my bike trails in Toronto & beyond map, which gives you turn-by-turn directions.
Riding through the historic towns of Elora and Fergus, you’ll eventually find your way onto a long trail that only requires a few busier crossings but just keeps going and going and going. Through trees, and with wildflowers lining your path, the Elora Cataract Trailway is quite narrow at times, which can make physical distancing a challenge — so you may wish to consider wearing a Buff around your neck if it isn’t too hot in case you prefer to cover your face quickly.
One of the best parts about the ride toward Erin, Ontario, is where Belwood Lake is dammed by the Shand Dam — with the beginning of the Grand River on the other side. It’s a stunning spot for a break and to just look out on both sides. Or watch brave canoeists portage down the incredibly long, steep stairwell to the Grand River below. The ride continues through the Belwood Lake Conservation Area before meeting up alongside the Grand River again snaking its way to Hwy 26, which is where we ultimately turned around.
Roundtrip, this ended up being around the 40km mark, but we decided to re-route to Fergus before heading back to the car. And this excursion ended up in us finding the Trestle Bridge Trail, an alternative bike route back to Elora that offers different views and some fun bridges to cross.
Although I never felt like we were going uphill en route from Elora to Belwood Lake, there is a discernible difference in effort to return — with more coasting at nearly every stage along the trail. So if we were to do it all over again, I’d start in Elora and do the (very, very slight) uphill “climb” for the first half of the ride and coast home.
Looking for more to do in the area? Check out my road trips from Toronto series and look for day trips to the Guelph & Waterloo Region plus a separate itinerary just for Elora & Fergus.
14. Bike trails in Toronto & near GTA: Colonel Samuel Smith East Point Trail & Humber Bay Park East Trail
Colonel Samuel Smith East Point Trail & Humber Bay Park East Trail parking: JC Saddington Park in Port Credit.
Local link with more info: here and here.
- Length: Individually, the Colonel Samuel Smith East Point Trail & Humber Bay Park East Trail are, respectively, less than 1 km and 2.6 km; but if you do them as I’ll describe below connecting with the Waterfront and Martin Goodman Trails (noted in sections above) this route is 52 km roundtrip
- Difficulty: Easy
- Hybrid/MTB recommendation: The vast majority of this route is paved, but most of the Colonel Samuel Smith East Point Trail is hard-packed limestone — all easily done on either a hybrid or mountain bike
More about this route:
I might be cheating here a bit but there was no other way to include our latest bike route in the GTA without including both the Waterfront Trail and the Martin Goodman Trail, both already detailed and now updated above, and bypass the Colonel Samuel Smith East Point and Humber Bay Park East Trails, since each of these provided some of the most memorable stops during this 52-kilometre roundtrip ride.
We started in JC Saddington Park (noted on the updated master map) because the interactive Waterfront Trail Map showed that it had parking and public washrooms. Although it would mean less driving for us to start in the east and head west, we opted to begin here in Port Credit because (a) we knew the free parking options would be more plentiful and (b) we knew riding into the city would mean a waterfront lunch break with more restaurant choices. But you could easily do this in reverse and look for parking in Harbourfront instead, bring a picnic lunch and use JC Saddington Park as your lunch spot and turnaround point.
This park itself, aside from having clean washrooms, was a lovely place to start. There’s a duck pond just behind the washrooms and a family of swans were swimming in the Mary Creek Fix, which runs into the Credit River in front of the washrooms. There’s also an old boat (maybe a sea container ship?) sitting out in the water. Considering we only expected to use this as a place to park and pee, it was a nice surprise to start our route off with so much to see.
I kept Google Maps open the entire ride, and set the directions for Harbourfront — selecting cycling as the mode of transportation. Overall, Google did a pretty good job keeping us on cycling routes for most of this ride. There were a few confusing spots where it wanted to take us away from the water when there was clearly a path to follow, so my advice is to hug the waterline as much as you can and keep referring to the map to look for those solid and dotted green lines FIRST and use the nav as your backup.
The first section of this ride is all Waterfront Trail and you’ll passes through Snug Harbour before winding through side streets full of multimillion dollar waterfront estates in between. They’re gawk-worthy and you’ll be plotting your lottery win before this ride is done. Then you’ll roll through Marie Curtis Park, which has a nice splash pad and a beach at the south end.
Once you reach the Lakeshore Yacht Club, Colonel Samuel Smith Park is straight ahead. Park of the Colonel Samuel Smith East Point Trail here doubles as a skating loop in the winter and there are lots of different paths that intermingle here. Have fun zipping around this way and that, discovering whether the path takes you to a new one or heads down to the water and a lookout point. Make sure — whether it’s now or on your way back — to make your way to the waterfront and look for the big rocks that make up 3rd Beach Colonel Samuel Smith Park (also noted on the map). The waves crashing onto shore will transport you to your happy ocean place.
Now get back on the trail heading towards Toronto! At some point, you will do about 2 km along Lake Shore Blvd. W., but it has a dedicated, two-lane bike path sectioned off from the road and it feels very safe. Before you know it, you’ll reach the Humber Bay Park East Trail, which is one of the most scenic stretches of this ride. You know you’re just about there when you hit this stunning postcard view in Mimico:
There’s beachfront to enjoy, lots of parkland and then you’ll approach and ride through the Humber Bay Arch Bridge. This is a great stop for a snack and to just take in the views from every direction — including up, because this bridge’s construction is so neat.
Once you cross the bridge, you can choose to ride down near the Sunnyside Boardwalk on your right or take the path to your left where the Martin Goodman Trail begins. Before you know it, you’ll be passing the Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion with its massive swimming pool, Palais Royale, The Boulevard Club and Ontario Place. Then you’re at Harbourfront!
You’re spoiled for choice in this area when it comes to food. There are food stands and restaurants galore, and you can easily carry on easterly to reach even more if you’re not tuckered out. We decided to eat on the lakefront patio at Amsterdam Brewhouse, which had a bike rack, cold drinks and great food.
We turned around, stopped for gelato at Fruit & Bean Co., one of the many restored vintage food trucks that line this route, and enjoyed the slightly more downhill path back to JC Saddington Park.
Make no mistake: 52 km is a big, big ride with or without kids — even on a mostly flat and paved path. If you haven’t been riding longer and longer stretches, working your way up to something as long as this, you can always do just the stretch between the Colonel Samuel Smith East Point and Humber Bay Park East Trails. As the crow flies, it’s only 5.75 km one way between them.
Looking for more to do in the area? Check out my road trips from Toronto series.
BONUS trail: Ottawa’s Rideau Canal and Ottawa River trail
Yeah, yeah… I know it’s not in Toronto or even within easy driving distance of Toronto, but I figure you’re here because you love bike riding and finding great new bike trails. And this is a GREAT one — a rare loop that follows the Rideau Canal and then the Ottawa River.
I won’t add it on the map because it’s so far outside the scope of GTA bike riding, but if you find yourself planning an Ottawa road trip, like the one I’ve outlined in my road trips from Toronto post, you should definitely take or rent bikes to do even part of this beautiful route.
You want to be on the west side of the Rideau Canal and starting right at the beginning of the locks from the Chateau Laurier is a great place to take in the beginning of the canal’s impressive lock system and ogle the castle-like hotel. Just make sure you’re not starting out on the same side of the canal as the hotel since this is the east side; if not, you’ll have a chance to cross to the west side at the Corktown Footbridge.
From here, you’ll simply ride south following the dedicated bike trail that runs parallel to and eventually merges with the Rideau Canal Western Pathway. After the Corktown Footbridge, this turns southwest and the path runs parallel to Queen Elizabeth Driveway. You’ll pass under the Trans Canada Highway and lovely Pretoria Bridge and continue south — following the canal the whole time. After the Bronson Avenue Bridge, the path winds northwest toward the impressive Dows Lake Pavilion. From here you can cycle down around Dows Lake to Locks 9-10, cross over and head back up on the east side of the canal to get back to where you started.
But if you want a longer ride (making it around 20k once you finish the loop), opt to cross Carling Ave and connect with the Trillium Pathway instead. This will take you north for a bit of a stretch, and once you pass the Sir John A Macdonald Parkway, pick up the Trans Canada Trail at Nepean Bay and head east to reach the Ottawa River. You can even ride over to Quebec by taking the Chaudiere Bridge — with a killer view of the rapids! — riding east on Middle St and crossing back to Ontario using the Portage Bridge.
Things can get a bit tricky here because there are a LOT of bike paths! But if you keep the Ottawa River on your left shoulder, the Trans Canada Trail will bring you up and around the Supreme Court of Canada, the House of Commons and right back to the Chateau Laurier. This is one of the best ways to see Ottawa and I hope you get a chance to do it.
Looking for more to do in the area? Here’s my Elora & Fergus day trip map and you can find even more info by checking out my road trips from Toronto series.
DISCLAIMER: there isn’t one! This post is not sponsored — I just thought you’d enjoy it.
Every comment counts -- what's yours?