There are extensive running options in The Beaches, a fun residential community near the water about 3 miles east of downtown. There are several popular beaches, extensive waterfront paths and boardwalks, parks, bays, and marinas. After your run, enjoy some of the fun restaurants and bars in the area. We’ve put together three routes routes that can be run in sections, standalone, or combined for an even longer run, all connected by the Martin Goodman Trail. Leslie Street is the ‘spit’ the sort of divides the two routes.
Balmy Beach Park to Ashbridge’s Bay. 10 km. Starting at Balmy Beach Park, head west along the water, where you can run on the Martin Goodman Trail or the Boardwalk, with nice views to Lake Ontario. Enjoy a loop around Kew Gardens, returning to the waterfront paths, and head west through Woodbine Beach Park. At the 3 km mark, the route does a nice loop around Ashbridge’s Bay, with nice views of the water and fancy boats. Exiting the bay, cross Lake Shore Blvd. and do a ~1 km loop around Woodbine Park. Complete the route by heading the 2 km east to the start, or continue east to our Tommy Thompson Park route.
Woodbine Park toTommy Thompson Park and Leslie St. Spit. This can be a route of up to 15 km, so you’ll want to choose your section or distance. Starting at Woodbine Park at Lake Shore Blvd., it’s 1 km along the water along Leslie St. and then 1 km along a path paralleling Leslie St. to Tommy Thompson Park. Here, you can do many km along wide, open and exposed waterfront paths. It’s 4 km from the park entrance to the eastern side of the Split, then use a connecting path to run for 1 to the western side. Then, it’s 1 km down to the Tommy Thompson Lighthouse, and 5 km back to the entrance of Tommy Thompson Park. Park Information.
Marina Loop and Sailing Club Loop: From the entrance of Tommy Thompson Park, a loop of the Outer Harbor Marina is 4 km. This can be extended further west along the Martin Goodman Trail, passing several boat clubs, to Cherry Beach and the Eastern Channel, for a route of up to 9.5 km. ROUTE MAP.
NEW: Biidaasige Park, a new park that opened in 2025, is located just across Cherry Beach off Commissioners Way. Overall, the park will be 40 hectares and is being opened in phases. It includes over a linear kilometre of an engineered and renaturalized river that is also flood protection infrastructure.
Note that the running in this area is open with great views but is also exposed — to wind and cold in the winter, and sun in the summer. Woodbine Beach, stretching nearly 2 miles, is the most popular beach in Toronto and probably the best for swimming.
Woodbine Beach
There are extensive running options in The Beaches, a fun residential community near the water about 3 miles east of downtown. There are several popular beaches, extensive waterfront paths and boardwalks, parks, bays, and marinas. After your run, enjoy some of the fun restaurants and bars in the area. We’ve put together three routes routes that can be run in sections, standalone, or combined for an even longer run, all connected by the Martin Goodman Trail. Leslie Street is the ‘spit’ the sort of divides the two routes.
Balmy Beach Park to Ashbridge’s Bay. 10 km. Starting at Balmy Beach Park, head west along the water, where you can run on the Martin Goodman Trail or the Boardwalk, with nice views to Lake Ontario. Enjoy a loop around Kew Gardens, returning to the waterfront paths, and head west through Woodbine Beach Park. At the 3 km mark, the route does a nice loop around Ashbridge’s Bay, with nice views of the water and fancy boats. Exiting the bay, cross Lake Shore Blvd. and do a ~1 km loop around Woodbine Park. Complete the route by heading the 2 km east to the start, or continue east to our Tommy Thompson Park route.
Woodbine Park toTommy Thompson Park and Leslie St. Spit. This can be a route of up to 15 km, so you’ll want to choose your section or distance. Starting at Woodbine Park at Lake Shore Blvd., it’s 1 km along the water along Leslie St. and then 1 km along a path paralleling Leslie St. to Tommy Thompson Park. Here, you can do many km along wide, open and exposed waterfront paths. It’s 4 km from the park entrance to the eastern side of the Split, then use a connecting path to run for 1 to the western side. Then, it’s 1 km down to the Tommy Thompson Lighthouse, and 5 km back to the entrance of Tommy Thompson Park. Park Information.
Marina Loop and Sailing Club Loop: From the entrance of Tommy Thompson Park, a loop of the Outer Harbor Marina is 4 km. This can be extended further west along the Martin Goodman Trail, passing several boat clubs, to Cherry Beach and the Eastern Channel, for a route of up to 9.5 km. ROUTE MAP.
NEW: Biidaasige Park, a new park that opened in 2025, is located just across Cherry Beach off Commissioners Way. Overall, the park will be 40 hectares and is being opened in phases. It includes over a linear kilometre of an engineered and renaturalized river that is also flood protection infrastructure.
Note that the running in this area is open with great views but is also exposed — to wind and cold in the winter, and sun in the summer. Woodbine Beach, stretching nearly 2 miles, is the most popular beach in Toronto and probably the best for swimming.
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Essentials
Multiple one way and loop options - see description
Flat
Woodbine Beach or Tommy Thompson Park, depending on route chosen
A 5-mile tour of downtown Toronto landmarks. Start at City Hall, and run by The Royal Ontario Museum, Queen’s Park, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the University of Toronto.
The signature running trail along the Lake Ontario waterfront in Toronto. A great run from downtown is from Queen’s Quay to the Humber River Bridge, about 5 miles.
Some great waterfront running 4.5 miles west of Queen’s Quay, bordering Etobicoke. Includes Humber Bay Shores Park, Humber Bay Park East and West, and Mimico Waterfront Park, then looping back to the bridge.
A wonderful 400 acre park just north of the lakeshore and Sunnyside Beach. There are lovely gardens, little bridges, ponds, and waterfalls, and some more secluded trails.
A linear park running about 8 miles through the northeast part of the city, connecting the neighborhoods of Rosedale, Moore Park, Forest Hill, Chaplin Estates, and Fairbank. The trail consists of three sections.
A popular area to visit in Toronto. A series of parks and trails provide a nearly 15 km run from the Botanical Gardens in the north to the Lakeshore in the south. Numerous connections to other parks and trails.
A series of trails running through a ravine in North Toronto, connecting Sunnybrook Park with the Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens in the west. Mainly wooded, and even some hill opportunities! Can connect to our Edwards Gardens/Lower Don route.
In addition to the Ravine Trail and the Don Valley trails, good additional running options in North York are the Upper Don Trail, the 15 km Finch Hydro Corridor Trail, G Ross Lord Park, and the York University campus, and some parkland trails accessible from there.
This is a good option slightly east of downtown. Enjoy a quick jaunt through the Distillery Historic District (fun shops, restaurants), and join the Lower Don River Trail in the aptly named Corktown Commons.
A 15 minute ferry ride from downtown, the ‘Island’ is a great destination for runners, with numerous trail options. There are beaches, picnic grounds, a lighthouse, a disc golf course, gardens, and great views of the Toronto skyline.
This western suburb near Pearson Airport has some excellent running options, including several longer, linear park trails. Highlights include the Etobicoke Creek Trail, West Deane Park Path, trails along the Humber River, Centennial Park, and Humber Bay Park.
The iconic run in Scarborough is the waterfront path at Scarborough Bluffs, with great views of the cliffs and the waterfront. There's also a 10 km waterfront path between East Point Park and Frenchman's Bay. Trail runners will love Rouge River Park.
Enjoy a trail run in the largest urban park in North America! There are many km of trails, with options for all abilities. Combination of meadows, forests, wetlands and farmland, with some views of the Rouge and Little Rouge rivers.
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Essentials
Multiple one way and loop options - see description
Flat
Woodbine Beach or Tommy Thompson Park, depending on route chosen
Review or Comment on This Route/Share a Photo!
Share your feedback on this route and see that of other Great Runs users. Click on the image icon to upload a photo. And please let us know if there are notes or changes we should incorporate!