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Ed's Sk8toronto Website
EAST HUMBER RIVER (NORTH OF 401)
OVERVIEW
This path offers the best "ravine skating' in Toronto and really sets the standard for what is possible. There is almost 10k of great skating available in the east branch of the Humber River, north of the 401. The path is quite wide, asphalt quality is very good, hills are minimal and the pathway is under-used by Toronto standards. The south end of the trail is very new and very well constructed. It goes right under the 401 and almost links up with the bike paths on the main section of the Humber River between Lawrence Ave and the Martin Goodman Trail (MGT) down at Lake Ontario. It is a real shame that there is no pathway link between these two great sections of pathway (although skaters can go along Weston Road). It would appear from the map that the Weston Golf and Country Club effectively blocks the river valley at this point. I am not sure why the city cannot put a link in on the east side of the river. If it ever happened it would properly link 20k of good trails north of the 401 to the rest of the Humber valley, the MGT and the Don Valley.
PARKING
There are many places to access this bike path and you should check a map to find the one that best suits you. Please note that although a pathway is shown on some maps on the west side of the river between Finch and Steeles only the one on the east side of the river is skateable.
For my favourite parking spot, take the Weston Road exit north from the 401. Stay to the right side of Weston Road and turn left (west) onto Albion Road. Follow Albion Road for about 1.5k and park in the public (park) parking lot on either side of the road. There are tennis courts on the east side and a big flag pole on the west.
THE ROUTE
From the tennis courts on the east side of Albion Road skate north on the path. The path swings east, away from Albion Road and across a small bridge. After a few hundred meters there is a branch in the path leading to the right (east). This branch leads across a big pedestrian bridge to the east side of the river and is, in fact, the section that leads under the 401 (and almost links up to the network of paths further south). This section is really new, well made, and a pleasure to skate. The pedestrian bridges spanning the river are the best in the city. This part of the path is about 3.5k and stops abruptly at Fairglen Cr (perhaps 300m south of 401 off of Weston Road).
The othe branch follows the Humber River north as far as Riverside Drive (just south of Steeles Ave). The path crosses the river three times and goes under Finch and Islington. I find the route a little confusing when I haven't been on it for a while. In general, when the path forks, always take the path that stays close to the river (the other path is usually a side path coming in to meet the main path). The asphalt quality is a bit better at the north end of this section where the pathway is actually a park road but there are a few speed bumps to deal with. A traffic barricade sometimes blocks the road completely at Rowntree Mill Road but it is possible to get around by taking a path on the east side. Alternatively, skaters can walk a very short distance on the grass to get around the barricade.
Last update -May/10
The map below is from the Toronto Parks and Trails Map (See section #1, West Humber). To get a hard copy of this map or to view the map in PDF format click HERE.
The dashed yellow line shows the Upper Humber (East Branch) as described. The dashed red line is the West Branch.
