The Don River Trail system runs 23km from the waterfront up into the valley — a car-free greenway through the ravine system that makes Toronto uniquely livable. Rent a bike at Union Station and ride to the Brick Works for brunch.
Neighbourhood: Don Valley · Address: Don Valley, Toronto, ON · Hours: Open year-round (dawn to dusk)
Why Visit
The Don Valley Trail runs uninterrupted for 23km, letting you ride or run deep into Toronto’s ravine system without worrying about car traffic. It's a rare slice of urban wilderness where forest, river, and city skyline actually meet.
What Makes It Unique
Unlike the Martin Goodman or Beltline trails, the Don Valley Trail is a long-distance route almost entirely shielded from traffic, hugging the river and dipping under streets you’d never realize you’re passing. Urban explorers can hit several neighbourhoods, pass the Brick Works, and see beaver dams, all on a single trip.
The Don Valley Trail is Toronto's great urban cycling and running corridor — a 23-kilometre car-free greenway that runs from the mouth of the Don River at Lake Ontario through the deep wooded ravines of the Don Valley and up into the northern reaches of the city. The trail follows the Don River through a landscape that alternates between wild-feeling valley forest, community gardens, athletic fields, and the occasional industrial remnant that reminds you this is very much a city river with a complicated history.
The valley itself is one of Toronto's most significant natural features — a deep glacially-carved ravine that has been spared intensive development and now forms one of the green corridors that make Toronto more livable than its street-level streetscape suggests. The canopy cover in summer is substantial, and the temperature in the valley bottom routinely runs five degrees cooler than street level on hot days. Cycling through the Don Valley in July is one of the city's genuinely pleasant summer experiences.
The trail connects south to the Martin Goodman Trail and the waterfront, and north through Crothers Woods, the Brickworks, and up toward the Forks of the Don in the north end. The E.T. Seton Park section in the mid-valley is particularly attractive — wide path, river access, and good birdwatching along the river's edge. The Brick Works at Evergreen is accessible directly from the trail and offers a destination mid-ride: a Saturday farmers market, café, and landscaped former industrial site.
Mountain biking is possible on the single-track trails in the upper valley through Crothers Woods, which have developed a loyal following among Toronto's mountain biking community. These trails are unofficial but well-maintained by trail volunteers and offer legitimate technical challenges within the city limits.