Scarborough Bluffs Toronto: Where to See the Cliffs

About 15 kilometres of bluffs run along the Lake Ontario shore, from the Eastern Beaches to East Point Park.

The Scarborough Bluffs are one of the great views in the region, and they are far easier to enjoy when you know which park does what. This guide sorts the shoreline by mood, with the access details taken from official sources such as the City of Toronto, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and the TTC.

What are the Scarborough Bluffs?

They stretch about 15 km along the Lake Ontario shore, from the Eastern Beaches in the west to East Point Park in the east. The City says the cliffs come from sediment deposited more than 12,000 years ago, then shaped by wind and water erosion from the lake.

TRCA puts their height at up to 91.4 metres and names the Needles and Cathedral Bluffs, close to Brimley Road, among the features. TRCA adds that they are known and studied throughout the world as a record of the Pleistocene geologic era. TRCA also notes that the bluffs support increasingly rare habitats for fish, birds and other wildlife.

Eleven City of Toronto parks line the route. Together they offer views of the bluffs and the lake, plus trails, beaches, gardens and sports and recreation facilities. For a wider look at the area, our Scarborough neighbourhood hub collects everything we have filed from this side of the city.

Where should you start: the beach or the clifftop?

Think of it as two different outings. From the bottom you look up at the cliff face with sand under your feet. From the top you look out across the lake. Most of the parks give you one or the other, so choose your view first and your park second.

From the base: Bluffer’s Park

Bluffer’s Park is at 1 Brimley Rd. S. The City lists a parking lot and a swimming beach there, but no trail to the lakefront. TRCA describes it as a 20-hectare waterfront park at the bottom of Brimley Road. Its facilities include a sandy beach, picnic areas, trails and lookouts, boat launching ramps and day mooring docks.

TRCA says the park can only be accessed by Brimley Road. The park took shape in two stages, with the first phase opening in 1975 and the second finished in the early 1980s.

The City lists Bluffer’s Park Beach among its swimming beaches and posts current beach notes on its beaches page. Check that page before you pack the towels, and see the notices the City keeps at the top of its Scarborough Bluffs page. We are happy to leave the official guidance to the people who write it.

From the top: Cathedral Bluffs, Rosetta McClain and Cudia

Cathedral Bluffs Park is at 24 Lyme Regis Cres. The City lists street parking only, with no lakefront trail and no swimming beach. Destination Toronto describes it as perched high atop the sandstone cliffs. That makes it a look-and-linger stop rather than a beach day, which is exactly why we love it for a quiet half hour.

Rosetta McClain Gardens, at 5 Glen Everest Rd., pairs an ornamental garden and fountain with braille signage, rose gardens and native plant communities. A pergola surrounds them and looks out over Lake Ontario from the top of the bluffs. The City lists parking there, and notes that dogs are not allowed, with service animals exempt.

Cudia Park is at 70 Meadowcliffe Dr., with a parking lot, no lakefront trail and no swimming beach. Destination Toronto says photographers, hikers and birdwatchers flock to it.

Art on the clifftop: Guild Park and Gardens

Guild Park and Gardens, at 201 Guildwood Pkwy., sits atop the bluffs and has six kilometres of forested, floral and cultural trails with views of Lake Ontario and the bluffs. It deserves its own visit, and we wrote a spotlight on its architectural fragments and trails.

Out east: East Point Park

East Point Park, at 101 Copperfield Rd., has a parking lot and a lakefront trail that starts at the end of Beechgrove and Copperfield Road. The City calls it one of Toronto’s largest parkland areas along the east waterfront, a migratory staging area for monarch butterflies and over 178 species of birds.

TRCA adds that a series of formal and informal trails guide visitors through the park’s ecological communities, and that the Waterfront Trail runs along Copperfield Road on the park’s northern boundary.

Two more spots are worth a look on the City’s map. Sylvan Park lists a lakefront trail along the Doris McCarthy Trail through Gates Gully, and Scarborough Heights Park lists one through its west service road only.

How do you get to the Scarborough Bluffs by transit?

The TTC runs seasonal 200-series routes through spring, summer and autumn, and the 201 Bluffer’s Park bus is one of them. The TTC’s 2025 seasonal-service announcement describes the route as running between Kennedy Station and Bluffer’s Park. The TTC says it rides directly to the base of the Scarborough Bluffs.

Because the route is seasonal, check the TTC’s route page for the current schedule before you leave. The City’s Scarborough Bluffs page also lists each park’s parking situation.

What is next for the bluffs?

The City is developing a Bluffer’s Park Action Plan to guide the long-term renewal of the park, with community engagement running from summer 2026 to winter 2027. Separately, TRCA and the City began a study in 2014 with a vision of a system of public greenspaces along the shoreline between Bluffer’s Park and East Point Park. Both are worth a bookmark if you like to watch a favourite place grow.

If you are planning a full lakeside day, our guide to the best beaches in Toronto is a good second stop, and the history of Scarborough explains how the area got its name.

Pick your view first: the beach for the cliff face, the clifftop for the lake.

Send this to the friend you would bring for a clifftop coffee and a lakeside walk.