Outdoors

Trails, Parks, Bluffs, Islands, and Spots That Don't Feel Like Toronto

Hiking routes, hidden nature spots, seasonal outdoor activities, and the places where the city disappears and the lake takes over.

Hiking in the City
Must Do

Scarborough Bluffs: 90-Metre Cliffs, Turquoise Water, and Nobody Believes It's Toronto

14km along the eastern waterfront. White cliffs rising 300 feet. A sandy beach at the bottom. The 6km loop from Bluffer's Beach to Bluffer's Park is the best urban hike in Canada. Get there before 10 AM on weekends.

National Park

Rouge National Urban Park: A Wilderness Escape Inside the City

Canada's first national urban park. 10km of trails with real elevation changes. Vista Trail and Mast Trail are the best. Bird watching, canoeing, 10,000 years of Indigenous history. Free parking near the Zoo. Accessible by TTC.

Read More
Islands

Toronto Islands: 14km Hike with Skyline Views the Whole Way

Ward Island to Hanlan Point. Flat, easy, and the skyline views are unreal. Hanlan Beach, Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, the arched bridge. Take the ferry, walk the whole thing, take the ferry back. Perfect day.

Read More
Hidden

Don Valley Brickworks: 40-Acre Former Quarry with Skyline Views

Hiking trails through a reclaimed industrial site. Toronto skyline above the trees. Saturday farmers market. One of the most photogenic spots in the city.

Read More
Urban

High Park: 400 Acres of Forest, Zoo, Trails, and Cherry Blossoms

Toronto's largest public park. Multiple trail difficulties. A free zoo. The cherry blossoms in spring draw thousands. The off-leash dog area is chaos in the best way.

Read More
Secret

East Point Park: Scarborough's Hidden Monarch Butterfly Staging Area

Between Morningside and Port Union. 178 bird species. Monarch butterfly migration staging area. Softball pavilion, trails, lake breeze even on the hottest days. Nobody goes here. That's the point.

Read More
Seasonal
Now Open

CafeTO: 1,600+ Patios Are Open Across the City

290+ new restaurants added this year. Victoria Day weekend launch. Your official excuse to eat outside for the next five months.

Read More