Photo Credit: Destination Ontario
Cycling in and around Toronto is a fun and fast way to visit unique neighbourhoods, attractions and enjoy nature in the city. Visitors to Toronto will be pleasantly surprised by its large bikeway network with 753km mix of bicycle lanes, off-road trails and signed routes. The relatively flat and grid-like layout of the city makes getting around by bike easy.
Want to avoid the city streets? Days can be spent riding trails through parkland and forested ravines, following heritage watershed rivers and discovering the waterfront on the Martin Goodman/Waterfront Trail that covers 56km as it crosses the city from east to west.
Access by bike into Toronto is easy!
- Cycle in and out using the Waterfront Trail
- Hop on a bike-friendly GO Bus or Train
- Or leave your bike at home and use Bike Share Toronto, the city’s public bike sharing system.
- Bike rentals are also available at a number of bike shops.
Want to shop for bike gear? Toronto has over 100 independent bike retailers in the city, so there are plenty of shopping opportunities too!
Toronto Cycling Day Tour Itineraries
Distance: 7 routes ranging from 12-80+km
Ontario By Bike’s Toronto Cycling Day Tour Itineraries are a series of seven self-guided cycling routes designed to show visitors and residents the best of Toronto’s cycling routes and trails and showcase attractions best seen on a bike. On these itineraries, explore:
- Urban cycling routes showcasing murals, sculptures and art installations across the city
- Stunning off-road waterfront and ravine trails, exploring the Lake Ontario beaches, waterfront parks and the city’s unique creek and river ecosystems
- Visit top shopping and tourist destinations, restaurants and eateries displaying Toronto’s vibrant cultural and culinary diversity
The routes are published online with Ride With GPS, a useful site that provides maps for downloading and printing, turn by turn directions, elevation information and more for free.
Cyclists may wish to cross reference routes with the Toronto Cycling Map or enhance their cycling experience with a guided bike tour.
Full details: www.ontariobybike.ca/torontocyclingdaytours
The City of Toronto currently has a 367km On-road Bikeway Network with 386km of multi-use off-road cycling paths. Navigate your way across the city making use of the cycling map or following signed routes that link cyclists to neighbourhoods and destinations across the city. Explore the city on a suggested ride itinerary.
- Ontario By Bike Ride – Toronto Trails and Ravine Tour – Discover another side to the big city on this looped tour around Toronto. Ride on a mix of park, ravine, hydro corridor and waterfront trails on this 90km off-road route. Make it a single day tour, or stay overnight to have more time to stop and enjoy the city’s many attractions, neighbourhoods and parks. Download detailed guided itinerary.
- Ontario By Bike’s – Toronto’s Ride Guide – Explore the city on the 17km Downtown Explorer self-guided route. With so much to see and do in Toronto, getting around Canada’s largest city by bike is the perfect way to get to know the city more intimately, see the top attractions, eclectic neighbourhoods and have a great day out, all on two wheels.
- Ontario By Bike – Toronto Bike Tour Routes – Suggested self guided touring itineraries and routes around the city to take cyclists to a variety of neighbourhoods, attractions and peaceful parklands.
- Rouge National Urban Park – Rouge National Urban Park is a real gem, with many natural and historical points of interest to discover on two wheels. The park’s farmland and forests provide a lovely rural atmosphere and a sense that you are far away from the city.
- On-Road Bike Trails: Cycling is allowed on roadways within the park. There are also few traffic lights to interrupt your ride, while the gentle rolling hills offer a nice workout.
- Off-Road Bike Trails: The Park includes 36km of off-road trails where cycling is permitted, including the following trails – Northeast Trail, Reeser Road Trail, Central Trail, South Central Trail, and Monarch Trail.
- 5 Bike & Brew Rides in Toronto – Discover Toronto neighbourhoods and craft breweries riding these 5 looped routes, developed for an Ontario By Bike blog in 2021. Cheers!
- Toronto Islands – Cycling is a popular way to explore the Toronto Islands, the largest car-free urban community in North America. Paths and roads are mostly paved with some gravel sections and a boardwalk along the south side of the island. Bikes can be brought on the ferry or rented on the island.
- Martin Goodman / Waterfront Trail – A beautiful 56km bike trail across Toronto’s waterfront, from Marie Curtis Park in the west to Rouge Park in the east. This multi-use trail is paved, well marked and signed with a large portion off-road. The Trail forms a part of the 720km cross-regional Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail and part of the complete 3600km Great Lakes Waterfront Trail.
- William G. Davis Trail – The 1.3km William G. Davis Trail is connected to the Martin Goodman Trail and offers beautiful views of Lake Ontario and the city skyline, part of the 2017 restoration of Ontario Place adding a 7.5 acre park and roughly 600 metres of shoreline.
- Tommy Thompson Park / Leslie Street Spit – The 6km spit east of downtown is a popular destination for cyclists of all ages, with a mix of paved roads and gravel and dirt trails with excellent lake and city skyline views. A washroom and water bottle filling station is located at the park entrance. In summer months, quadcycles (four person bicycle) are available for rent from the Nature Centre.This urban wilderness is a human-made headland that is still being added to, so is only open for recreational activities on weekday evenings, weekends and holidays. Please note that a number of trails are designated hiking-only.
- Don Valley Trail – Following the Don River and valley on the east side of the city, the 32km multi-use paved trail passes through riverside conservation areas, branches off into off-road trails for mountain biking, connects to numerous local parks, city streets and attractions including Todmorden Mills and Evergreen Brickworks. The trail is easily accessed from the south via the Waterfront Trail.
- Humber River Trail – Following a historical route between the upper Great Lakes, Lake Simcoe and Lake Ontario used by indigenous peoples and early settlers, the paved trail runs 26km north from the Waterfront Trail, plus an additional 10km on the West Humber branch. On the south end, the trail joins Humber Bay Park at Lake Ontario (via a number of trail sections and city streets), nearby High Park, plus several local parks and neighbourhoods along the route. At the north end, the trail ends at the Toronto city limits at Steeles Ave. On-road connections can be made north into York region.
- Rouge National Urban Park Trails – There are five trails covering 36km within the park where cycling is permitted. The trails pass through a variety of landscapes, including meadows, forests, wetlands, and farmland and give an opportunity to explore the rich human and natural history of the area. Trail surfaces range from gravel, dirt, with some including boardwalk features, are relatively flat and wide, and are rated easy to moderate in terms of ability level.
- Cycling is permitted on the following trails – Northeast Trail, Reeser Road Trail, Central Trail, South Central Trail, and Monarch Trail. Note many trails within the park are designated for hiking-only due to sensitive natural ecosystems.
- Park Trails – Toronto has over 1600 parks located across the city. Many parks have their own multi-use trail system or pathways that can be used by recreational cyclists.
- Crothers Woods (Don Valley Trails) – This 52-hectare mature woodland has 10km of trails for hikers and bikers, with beginner to expert sections including some single-track sections, climbs and descents along the sides of the ravine.
- Park Trails – Many of the city parks have unpaved multi-use trails that while not technically challenging, may be suitable for mountain biking. Check trail usage signs to ensure that bikes are permitted.
- Wallace Emerson BMX Park – The 750m2 bike park (Dufferin and Dupont) features a 150m single-track trail and pump-track with freestyle features that include quarter pipes, gridboxes and grind rails, roll-ins, pyramids, jump boxes, a street spine and a bank ramp.
- Bayview Arena Bike Park – The 3000m2 park with dirt jumps, berms and tabletops is accessible to riders with various skills and experience. Located in the north end of the city, the park is open from dawn-to-dusk.
- Sunnyside Bike Park – Opened in 2014, the park offers progressively difficult challenges and opportunities for off-road cycling. Riding features include; a skills trail, pumptracks, a wide variety of jump lines, a large drop and a wall ride. Located on the east side of Ellis Avenue just south of the Gardiner Expressway.
Bike Shops & Bike Rentals
- There are numerous bike rental locations and close to 100 independent bike shops across the city.
- Search online for a full service location convenient to your location.
Bike Tours
- Toronto Bicycle Tours– Various guided tours and routes around the city available daily, bike rentals included or available for self-guided tours.
- Pedal Toronto – Offering guided tours of downtown, Toronto Island, Distillery District, Midtown and Brickworks, offering multiple tours weekly with bicycle rental included
- Cadence & Volta – Small guided e-bike tours of Toronto’s historic Cabbagetown neighbourhood, waterfront, The Beaches, and the Leslie Street Spit/Tommy Thompson Park. E-bike rental and lunch included.
Bike Share
- Toronto Bike Share – The city’s public bike sharing system is a convenient and flexible way for visitors to explore Toronto’s downtown area, with 10,000+ bikes (including ebikes) at 1,000+ stations, with a network that continues to grow yearly. Toronto Bike Share docking stations allow users to pick up and drop off bicycles at any location across the network, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information, visit: www.bikesharetoronto.com
Toronto is Ontario’s cycle tourism transportation hub. For more information on bike transportation to and from Toronto, visit:
- Ontario By Bike Transportation Page – View HERE
- Bike Train website – Learn about GO Transit and bike transport, including the seasonal bike train on weekends running from Toronto to Niagara. Please note VIA Rail has suspended bike transport along its Windsor-Quebec City Corridor trains until their new train fleet is launched.
- Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) – Transportation in and around the city. Use trains during off-peak travel times and put your bike on the front of city buses with the Rack It and Rocket program.
Toronto Cycling Map
THE map for cycling in Toronto, detailing the city’s cycling infrastructure, bike routes, cycle tracks and trails. Updated annually, you can view an interactive map online, or better still, pick up a printed copy, which includes:
- Additional information about bike riding in Toronto
- Locations of bike stations and bike lockers
- Toronto Bike Share locations
- City cycling safety tips
The print version of this indispensable bike route map is free and available to pick up at libraries, community and civic centres, City Hall and a number of other locations in Toronto.
More details and interactive map: www.toronto.ca/cycling
- City of Toronto – Cycling network map, cycling infrastructure, cycling events, bike lockers and bike stations by City of Toronto.
- Destination Toronto – Suggested routes to explore the city.
- Cycle Toronto – Advocacy organization providing a strong, unified voice for Toronto cyclists,
Toronto – Related Blogs:
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As Toronto welcomes soccer fans from around the world, across Canada and Ontario, we welcome you to explore the city by bike. Cycling is one of the best ways to see more of Toronto during the busy summer of soccer matches, celebrations, and community events. Find where to rent a bicycle and all the best city bike routes to enjoy.
Top Cycling Dates in Toronto
Finding the perfect date spot can be a bit overwhelming in a city as big as Toronto, with such a huge selection of incredible restaurants and bars, magical outdoor spaces, and so many things to see and do. Try these top cycling date ideas for Toronto - urban, trails, islands, beaches - we've got you covered.
Family Fun Bike Rides Exploring Toronto
Let the extensive network of off-road paved trails and paths be your guide around Toronto with these top suggested rides for families visiting the city, a great way to keep all active and engaged in fabulous urban outdoor settings.
Discover Art and Toronto Flavours by Bike
Summer hits Toronto hard, sending Torontonians out into the streets and parks to eat, drink, and be merry, making the most of the season. And there’s usually a bike in there somewhere, too.
For information on accommodations, attractions and more, visit Destination Toronto
Destination & Regional Partners:
