NOW Magazine
The 12 best bike trails in Toronto
From the Beltline to Don Mills, Toronto’s ravines are great places to commune with nature on two wheels By Enzo DiMatteo
Enzo DiMatteo
June is Bike Month and to help get you in the right frame of mind for a post-pandemic spring – cycling does wonders for the brain – here’s a list of 12 of the most thrilling (and challenging) bike trails to get your ya-yas out in Toronto. Note to riders: some selections include multiple trails.
Beltline Trail (aka Kay Gardner Beltline Trail and York Beltline Trail)
We’ll start with an easy one. Most Torontonians are familiar with this trail that follows the old Beltline Railway that used to serve the Forest Hill and Moore Park areas of the city until the 1890s. That’s because a significant portion of it is named after Kay Gardner, the former Toronto councillor and community volunteer who envisioned the trail as “A place in the heart of the city to explore the city.”
The early history of Edwards Gardens and Milne Hollow in Toronto
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In a hidden corner of Edwards Gardens lies the final resting places of the Milne family. Fenced off and obscured by trees, this family graveyard can only be visited by the Milne descendants.
The story of the Milnes reveals something of the character of early 19th century life in the area.
Alexander Milne and the landscape of North Toronto
Any area north of the established city of York, as Toronto was known before 1834, were stretches of farmland. The Milne family owned a stretch of land near present-day Leslie and Lawrence, including a woolen mill.