Toronto Islands or Leslie St Spit are nice. The Martin Goodman Trail along the lake should be good in theory, but it gets really busy, which can be intimidating.
The separated bike lane along the lower part of Bayview is decent and relatively quiet, if not the most scenic route.
The bit of the Don path that runs north from the washrooms in Sunnybrook Park towards Edwards Gardens would work well, too, although that's not really downtown.
Here is a link to the city of Toronto bike routes map (PDF). All the ones in orange are off road trails in parks etc. Locate the ones that are within your area and go for it.
https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/913d-Toronto-Cycling-Map-2024-digital-v3-alt-secured.pdf
The Martin Goodman Trail IS busy, but there's always tons of people going slowly and cautiously on Bikeshares there. Maybe not a Day 1 route for someone getting their legs, because there's lots of pedestrians wandering about in the downtown section so you have to maintain that awareness, but it's safer than a lot of other routes.
From the MGT, you can go west through lots of pretty parks and over the Humber Bay Bridge or the east to Tommy Thompson/the Spit via Cherry Street and Commissioner's Street (with their new bike lanes!). Commissioner's is not the MOST beautiful right now, but it's cool to see how the Don Mouth Naturalization project is going.
Cherry Street is also connected to the Bayview/Lower Don trails, so from there you can get to Evergreen Brickworks and get snacks at their cafe.
High Park is good for cycling, but the access from the south end can be a bit dodgy.
When they feel a bit more comfortable with traffic, going from Trinity Bellwoods down Shaw, hanging a left at Douro/Wellington and then through Garrison Crossing is a nice west end way to get to the MGT.
Out of the major protected bike lane routes, Harbord (goes from Ossington to Queen's Park) is probably the most beginning-friendly, as it's chill for car traffic and there are few driveways, so less worry about getting right-hooked. I'd turn before Ossington onto a side street though.
Bloor-Danforth isn't bad, but in the Annex drivers LOVE to park in the lanes and the patios on the Danforth make for some sharp turns. Parts of College are great but it dumps you into the door zone west of Manning, and the bit at Bathurst is bad for parkers on weekends. Parts of Richmond and Adelaide are good but it's nasty around University with construction, and you have to be cognizant of the weird left configuration and the cycling lights.
North-South is lacking on good safe routes. Sherbourne is probably the best -- yes there are some unwell people but they usually don't bother you. University WAS good but there's so much construction now. St. George/Beverley, Palmerston and Brunswick/Denison are chill but be careful when you get to Queen.
Join neon Riders on Facebook
They get together every Thursday at Nathan Philips Square at 7pm and a different route is taken (all over the city,). Its anywhere between 20 -30 km but it takes all night and there are 3 long stops at parks throughout the night. The routes will help I'd you want to do them on your own Nd as you're in a group, it's safe.
Leslie Spit!
Lots of room, so you won't feel intimidated by other cyclists zipping by you or ringing their bells because they think you're too slow. No food delivery couriers zooming by too.
Bring a backpack with snacks and drinks, you could easily spend 4-5 hours biking around. I reccomend taking a break at Snake Island which has a perfect view of the skyline and not overly crowded
There's a lot of people who take bikes on the ferry... however I strongly reccomend just spending an extra $3 and take a water taxi. You can choose wherever the next taxi goes since biking makes traveling anywhere easily and you won't feel like cattle at the terminal. Plus you get a free ferry ride back home whenever you like.
Toronto Islands or Leslie St Spit are nice. The Martin Goodman Trail along the lake should be good in theory, but it gets really busy, which can be intimidating. The separated bike lane along the lower part of Bayview is decent and relatively quiet, if not the most scenic route. The bit of the Don path that runs north from the washrooms in Sunnybrook Park towards Edwards Gardens would work well, too, although that's not really downtown.
Martin Goodman is good on weekday mornings. Before 7 or 8 AM
Thank you! Yeah, was worried that Martin Goodman might be too busy but those other ideas sound great. Thank you!
Here is a link to the city of Toronto bike routes map (PDF). All the ones in orange are off road trails in parks etc. Locate the ones that are within your area and go for it. https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/913d-Toronto-Cycling-Map-2024-digital-v3-alt-secured.pdf
Super helpful- thanks!
Have fun, stay safe. Make sure you have a bell on your bike (required by law) and don’t be afraid to use it. Oh, and wear a helmet!
Thank you! Yep, have a bell and a helmet!
Don trail from Sunnybrook Park to ET Seton, down to Pottery Rd is fairly decent.
The Martin Goodman Trail IS busy, but there's always tons of people going slowly and cautiously on Bikeshares there. Maybe not a Day 1 route for someone getting their legs, because there's lots of pedestrians wandering about in the downtown section so you have to maintain that awareness, but it's safer than a lot of other routes. From the MGT, you can go west through lots of pretty parks and over the Humber Bay Bridge or the east to Tommy Thompson/the Spit via Cherry Street and Commissioner's Street (with their new bike lanes!). Commissioner's is not the MOST beautiful right now, but it's cool to see how the Don Mouth Naturalization project is going. Cherry Street is also connected to the Bayview/Lower Don trails, so from there you can get to Evergreen Brickworks and get snacks at their cafe. High Park is good for cycling, but the access from the south end can be a bit dodgy. When they feel a bit more comfortable with traffic, going from Trinity Bellwoods down Shaw, hanging a left at Douro/Wellington and then through Garrison Crossing is a nice west end way to get to the MGT. Out of the major protected bike lane routes, Harbord (goes from Ossington to Queen's Park) is probably the most beginning-friendly, as it's chill for car traffic and there are few driveways, so less worry about getting right-hooked. I'd turn before Ossington onto a side street though. Bloor-Danforth isn't bad, but in the Annex drivers LOVE to park in the lanes and the patios on the Danforth make for some sharp turns. Parts of College are great but it dumps you into the door zone west of Manning, and the bit at Bathurst is bad for parkers on weekends. Parts of Richmond and Adelaide are good but it's nasty around University with construction, and you have to be cognizant of the weird left configuration and the cycling lights. North-South is lacking on good safe routes. Sherbourne is probably the best -- yes there are some unwell people but they usually don't bother you. University WAS good but there's so much construction now. St. George/Beverley, Palmerston and Brunswick/Denison are chill but be careful when you get to Queen.
Thank you for such a detailed reply. This is super helpful!
Beltway
Is the Lower Don River Trail still closed? If not, it starts at Corktown Commons and goes up to the Brickworks
Yes, closed ‘til July 2025 https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/construction-new-facilities/improvements-expansion-redevelopment/lower-don-trail/
Will have to look into that one. Thanks!
Join neon Riders on Facebook They get together every Thursday at Nathan Philips Square at 7pm and a different route is taken (all over the city,). Its anywhere between 20 -30 km but it takes all night and there are 3 long stops at parks throughout the night. The routes will help I'd you want to do them on your own Nd as you're in a group, it's safe.
Oh that’s a cool idea- hadn’t heard of them before!
Leslie Spit! Lots of room, so you won't feel intimidated by other cyclists zipping by you or ringing their bells because they think you're too slow. No food delivery couriers zooming by too.
Thank you! There are a few folks mentioning Leslie Spit so will definitely need to add it to our list!
toronto islands? there won't be any cars
That's where I got comfortable on a bike after not biking for well over a decade.
Yeah, sounds like the islands are a great option for this. Thanks!
Bring a backpack with snacks and drinks, you could easily spend 4-5 hours biking around. I reccomend taking a break at Snake Island which has a perfect view of the skyline and not overly crowded
Appreciate the tips! How’s the experience taking a bike on the ferry?
There's a lot of people who take bikes on the ferry... however I strongly reccomend just spending an extra $3 and take a water taxi. You can choose wherever the next taxi goes since biking makes traveling anywhere easily and you won't feel like cattle at the terminal. Plus you get a free ferry ride back home whenever you like.
Oh that’s a really good point