5 bike rides that will make you fall in love with Toronto

Toronto bikes rides don't always have to be a battle for road space with cars. Along with our extensive bike path and off-road trails system, there are places throughout the city that are just ideal for riding a bike. These routes will keep you mostly clear of vehicles while showing off what a beautiful city Toronto is. And if it's more of a physical challenge you're after, don't forget you can always go hill-hunting too.

Here are a handful of bike rides that will help you (re)discover a love for Toronto.

The Martin Goodman Trail
Hands down, this is the best bike ride when you need a dose of Toronto beauty. Start/finish at the Humber Bay Arch Bridge or just west of the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant and cover most of the city's waterfront on a scenic path with very little on-road detours. Yes, it gets crowded on weekends, but an early evening summer ride is absolutely gorgeous.

Rosedale Valley Road to Bayview Extension
There are few streets in Toronto that rival the beauty of Rosedale Valley Road, which cuts southeast across the city under a dense canopy of trees. It's a nicer ride heading down because the false flat on the way back towards Yonge St. can be mentally exhausting. Once you get to Bayview, head north on the shoulder and test your legs as you ride out of the Don Valley via Pottery Rd.

Mount Pleasant Cemetery
With undulating terrain that's as serene as it pretty, the grounds of Mount Pleasant Cemetery are excellent for leisurely riding and exploration of Toronto's history. From the Eaton family mausoleum to that of Captain Fluke, the roadside is strewn with the graves of historical figures who helped to shape this city. Get contemplative and ride on the lovely and mostly vehicle-free roads.

Leslie Street Spit
Although it's technically only open on weekends, the Leslie Street Spit is one of Toronto's idyllic places to ride a bike, as it just out into the harbour offering sweeping panoramas of the skyline and the Islands. The spit isn't particularly long for those looking to throw down some serious kilometres, but it's so nice that doing a few out-and-backs is well worth it.

Sunnybrook Park to Cherry Beach via the Don Valley
Toronto's paved trail system is at its finest along the Don Valley, where it meanders alongside the river from the Port Lands and then under the Bloor Viaduct until you eventually reach E. T. Seton Park, where the road widens and you can fly towards Serena Gundy and Sunnybrook parks. When you get to Sunnybrook, you can loop back down or ride up the tree-lined hill to the hospital.

What's your favourite urban bike ride in Toronto? Let us know in the comments.

Photo by Christine in the blogTO Flickr pool

by Derek Flack via blogTO