Humber River Trail in Etobicoke, Toronto: Lakeshore to Valley

One walk, one river, and about 10,000 years of company.

The Humber River Recreation Trail follows the length of the historic Humber River, and the City notes many access points and parks along the way. This guide stitches the lakeshore end in Etobicoke to the valley sections upriver, in the order you would walk them.

What makes the Humber special?

TRCA says the Humber is a designated Canadian Heritage River, the only river with that designation in the Greater Toronto Area. People have lived along its banks for at least 10,000 years. The City adds that some sections of the trail are on-road and have accessibility barriers, so it is worth checking a map before you commit to a route.

How do you get there by transit?

Two easy doors into the Humber. Down at the lake, the City’s 2019 Etobicoke cultural loops guide uses the 501 Queen streetcar to reach Humber Bay Park East, as described below. Up the valley, the City names Old Mill Subway Station as a good starting point for its Humber River, Old Mill and Marshes Discovery Walk. Pick one end, walk toward the other, and let the river do the navigating.

Where do you start at the lakeshore?

Begin at the lake. Humber Bay Shores Park is part of the Martin Goodman Trail system, which connects Etobicoke to Toronto’s east end along the waterfront. The City’s 2019 guide starts this loop with the 501 Queen westbound streetcar, getting off opposite 2111 Lake Shore Boulevard West and walking one block east to Marine Parade Drive, then south to Humber Bay Park East.

The Humber Bay Butterfly Habitat provides habitat for a variety of butterfly species, with interpretive signs leading a self-guided tour. It opened in 2002, and volunteer stewards were key to its success. Its plant communities include wildflower meadow, short grass prairie, woodland and wetland.

What is there to see in Humber Bay Park East and West?

Humber Bay Park East offers views of Lake Ontario and the city skyline, plus trails for walking, hiking and biking. The Mimico Creek Bridge connects the two Humber Bay parks, and it was designed by Santiago Calatrava. Humber Bay Park West, at 2225 Lake Shore Blvd. W., has trails, picnic areas, an off-leash area for dogs and views of Lake Ontario. Mimico fans can keep going with our Mimico guide.

What is the thunderbird bridge at the river mouth?

This is the hinge of the whole walk. A 200-tonne steel arch pedestrian bridge at the mouth of the Humber River, completed in 1996, has a cross-bracing pattern based on an abstract thunderbird. The Martin Goodman Trail opened in 1984 and extends 22 km along Toronto’s shoreline, connecting with Humber Bay Park East on the east side of the bridge.

Waterfront Trail describes its Etobicoke surface as largely asphalt, routed along quiet residential streets. It lists Humber Bay Park, Sir Casimir Gzowski Park at the Humber Bridge and Col. Samuel Smith Park among its Toronto staging areas.

West of the river, Colonel Samuel Smith Park has a wooded shoreline, a network of paths and the city’s first ice skating trail, in a figure-eight shape. That makes it a good winter stop on the Etobicoke lakeshore.

What is there to walk at Old Mill and the marshes?

Heading up the valley, the City’s Humber River, Old Mill and Marshes Discovery Walk is a loop from about Bloor Street south to Lake Ontario, with Old Mill Subway Station as a good starting point. The City’s route sheet gives it as approximately 7.3 km, and the City’s Discovery Tours page says to allow two hours or longer.

Highlights include the Old Mill site, where mills have stood since 1793, and a stone arch bridge built in 1916. Riverside Drive traces the path of the ancient Toronto Carrying Place Trail, a First Nations trade route between Lake Ontario and the Upper Great Lakes. Near the lake, the Humber Marshes are one of the few remaining river mouth marshes in Toronto, with breeding habitat for ducks, turtles and fish.

For a shorter outing, the City’s Lambton House Hotel and Lower Humber River walk is a one hour to under two hour loop between Dundas Street and Bloor Street, starting at the restored Lambton House and reaching Etienne Brûlé Park.

Is James Gardens worth the detour?

James Gardens is a former estate on the west bank of the Humber, known for flower gardens, terraced stone pathways beside spring-fed pools and streams, and mature trees. It has a historic gazebo, cross-country skiing and a scenic lookout over the Humber Valley to downtown Toronto.

How do you reach the Humber Arboretum and the West Humber?

The City describes the Humber Arboretum as a partnership of the City, TRCA and Humber College, connecting to trails that run south and north along the Humber River. Its Discovery Walk is a loop through the West Humber River valley on paved, hard-packed and grass trails, starting at the Arboretum or the Humberwood Centre. The City’s route sheet gives it as approximately 10 km, at least 2.5 hours, with a shortcut loop as an option. The same route sheet says the paved path beside the West Humber River is part of the Toronto Trail and may be followed to the main Humber River and Lake Ontario.

What about winter?

The Humber works in winter, with a few notes from the City. The City’s Old Mill route sheet says steps and paths are not lighted and not cleared of ice and snow. On the bright side, James Gardens lists cross-country skiing, and Colonel Samuel Smith Park has that figure-eight skating trail.

For more ravine walks, see our guide to Toronto’s ravines and the roundup of the best hikes in Toronto. The wider area lives on our Etobicoke hub.

Start with butterflies at the lake, finish with a river valley.

Send this to the friend you would bring for a lakeside walk that turns into a river hike.