Set on Lake Ontario, Toronto is North America’s fourth largest city. It’s a cosmopolitan, diverse place, with a great arts and culture scene. Many travelers to Toronto will stay downtown, where there are many large office & apartment buildings, and numerous hotels. Toronto is a very spread out city, with large suburbs and bedroom communities. Our guide to running in Toronto is divided into two ‘locations’: the City of Toronto, which extends from the lake north to Highway 407, east to Scarborough and west to Etobicoke; and the other municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), from Oshawa in the east to Burlington in the west. For getting around, the TTC operates an extensive & growing subway, tram, and bus system. Go Trains serve the major GTA cities.
The best places to run in Toronto center on the lakeshore, anchored by the iconic Martin Goodman Trail. There are also good linear parks and trails near downtown, such as the Beltline and Don River trails. We’ve also recommended several attractive residential neighborhoods for running. Another running favorite is The Island — a 15 minute ferry ride from downtown. East of town, there’s terrific running in The Beaches, and under white lakefront cliffs in Scarborough. West of town, there are some good running options in Etobicoke. For points east of Scarborough and west of Etobicoke, see our GTA guide.
Routes By Area
Downtown: Queens Park/downtown tour, Martin Goodman Trail.
Waterfront/South: Martin Goodman Trail and waterfront trails; The Island.
West: Martin Goodman trail west, Humber River, Sunnyside Beach, High Park.
East: The Beaches, Lower Don Valley River trails, Distillery. Also, trails in the suburb of Scarborough. See our GTA guide for Pickering & Ajax, and our separate guide for Oshawa.
Midtown: Beltline Trail, Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Forest Hill and Summerhill/Yorkville/Rosedale neighborhoods.
North: Botanical Gardens, linear park around the Science Center, Ravine Trail between Sunnybrook Park & Muir Gardens. See our GTA guide for routes north of the 407 (Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill).
Northwest/Pearson Airport: Separate posts for Etobicoke Mississauga, and with numerous parks, linear paths, and waterfront trails.
West: See our GTA guide for routes in Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, & Burlington.
