Residents and visitors to Toronto will find themselves spoilt for choice in locations in and around the city for mountain biking. But it’s not just the number of handily located bike trails that makes Toronto such a great place for mountain biking. It’s that there are trails for everyone from family oriented rides to challenging technical trails. Indeed for the family or the beginner who are just interested in a pleasant outdoor pursuit that is not overly taxing Toronto has several easy trails within the city itself.
Moore Park Ravine is a good example of a trail suitable for beginners and all the family. Entering from Moore Avenue proved access to the park which consists of around 5km of easy trails that have very limited technical challenges.
Another good example of a trail suitable for beginners is the Humber Valley up by Thackery Park here there are around 25km of trails with only a few being technically challenging so it is also a prime beginners location for mountain biking.
Close by to Centennial Park and Markland Woods is the Etobicoke Creek Area, which you enter from Ponytail drive. Here there are a myriad of single tracks that again are not too technically challenging for a beginner or the recreational rider.
However, no article on mountain biking in Toronto would be complete without a mention of the Don Valley. Although not all the trails are suitable for beginners as some of the trails along the edge of the ravine have steep climb and perilous descents and are probably bordering on expert level. But there are lower down by the river and the railway track flatter less challenging trails.
Outside the city but in easy travelling distance are many other prime mountain biking locations. The pick of these are Kelso Conservation Area, and Hardwood Hills which are both very popular but can get very busy especially in the summer. Both of these prime locations have well maintained trails and are of mixed technical difficulty so there is something for everyone. This is good for beginners as their abilities increase rapidly and they can outgrow the easier trails quite quickly.
For the more adventurous beginner looking for a good day out riding long but not to challenging trails there are the two major forests close to Toronto, Durham Forest and Ganaraska Forest. Both of these have vast networks of trails that are very popular not only with mountain bikers but hikers and horse riders. These locations provide a good day out as there are miles and miles of tracks but it can be easy to get lost if you are not careful.Durham Forest is well worth travelling to for a day out as it has more than 20km of trails but there are also other trails at Glen Major, which is just across the road, as it has over 75km of trails.
You can certainly find mountain biking locations and trails for recreational riding within Toronto itself or if you prefer to make a day of it in the surrounding area. Whichever is your preference Toronto has mountain biking locations to suit you.
