5 easy hiking trails near Toronto
Published June 8, 2026 at 3:42 pm
When warm weather arrives, it’s a great time to enjoy nature.
Hiking is an inexpensive way to experience the outdoors, but it can be overwhelming for a beginner.
With its extensive ravine system and waterfront area, Toronto has plenty of good choices. But if you want to take a drive and get out of town, there are some beautiful alternatives.
Conservation areas are often a good choice for new hikers as they are typically accessible and highlight ecologically important spots. There is usually an entry fee, which helps support conservation efforts. Some spots may require reservations, particularly during the busy summer months.
Here are five easy hikes near Toronto:
Located near Guelph, just over an hour’s drive from Toronto, Rockwood Conservation Area is known for its towering limestone cliffs, caves and glacial potholes, including one of the world’s largest. Visitors can view the cliffs on hiking trails on both sides of the Eramosa River or in a canoe or kayak.
The Pothole Trail – Cedar Ridge Trail loop is just over three kilometres and takes walkers through forested areas and to a lookout over the water. There are a few easy climbs on this hike.
A view from the lookout at Rockwood Conservation Area.
Located at the headwaters of the Credit River in Orangeville, this park is about an hour’s drive from Toronto.
The area features 820 acres of lake, wetland and forests.
The park’s signature eight-kilometre trail, the Vicki Barron Lakeside Trail, leads hikers around the perimeter of the lake. It is a well-marked and maintained wide trail, good for all ages, All Trails says. There is also a 2.1 km loop that takes in part of the lakeside.
This new conservation area opened in May 2026 in Mississauga. Located on the shores of Lake Ontario, this park’s entrance is accessed through the southwest side of Marie Curtis Park, at the Etobicoke and Mississauga border.
The 26-hectare waterfront park features 3.7 kilometres of trail. Most paths are flat and wide, with one climb to a promontory for views of the waterfront. There is also a boardwalk section through the Serson Wetland.
Serson Wetland in the new Jim Tovey Conservation Area.
There are several short trail options here including the one-kilometre Trillium Trail, the best places in the park to see spring wildflowers and catch a breathtaking glimpse of the valley floor. The trail is wheelchair and stroller friendly.
Maiden’s Blush Trail, also one kilometre, is a paved path that winds through mature forest and is suitable for walking, roller blading and cycling. This trail is wheelchair accessible.
The park is located in Oakville, off Burloak Drive.
Crawford Lake Conservation Area
Crawford Lake is of scientific importance as a rare meromictic lake, which is a type of deep lake with two layers of water that never intermix. It has well-preserved annual sediment layers in the lakebed.
Visitors can do several hikes in the area. The Crawford Lake Boardwalk, a pathway that circles the lake, was temporarily closed for reconstruction starting Sept. 29, 2025, but is expected to be completed in the summer of 2026. This is a generally flat, one-kilometre trail.
The 1.5-kilometre Woodland Trail is another easy option.
Reservations are recommended to visit Crawford Lake.
Photos: Karen Longwell