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Ed's Sk8toronto Website
MARTIN GOODMAN TRAIL (WESTERN SECTION)
OVERVIEW
The Martin Goodman Trial (MGT) from Stadium Road (near Bathhurst and Lakeshore) out to the Humber River is a great place to skate. In general, the asphalt quality is great and the path is wide and flat. The route travels almost exclusively through a series of parks along the waterfront. There are a few driveways crossing the path but traffic is minimal. On weekends, warm summer evenings and during the CNE this pathway is crowded with pedestrians and for a time in both the spring and fall the goose population can be a problem. As well, the route is fairly exposed to the wind but all in all, this is a prime place to lace up the inlines.
NOTE: Some maps show the MGT to be continuous along Queens Quay between Jarvis Street and Bathurst Street. This is not so. To skate this section it is necessary to skate on the sidewalk and the road.
There are great maps of this route available at the website for the Waterfront Trail. The main site for the Waterfront Trail is: http://www.waterfronttrail.org/ .The two maps that pertain to this particular route are: http://www.waterfronttrail.org/maps/wt-2_10.pdf and http://www.waterfronttrail.org/maps/wt-2_11.pdf. To look at these maps you need an Adobe Reader (Version 5).
PARKING
There is metered parking available on Coronation Park Road (east of Ontario Place and straight south of Strachan Ave) and also beside the lake just to the east of the Boulevard Club (its not visible from Lake Shore Blvd but the road is there). Parking is always available at Ontario Place (for a fee) and there are also are few lots situated between Lake Shore Blvd and the lake between the Humber River and Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion. More parking is available in Humber Bay Park. Washrooms are available in Coronation Park and near the Pizza-Pizza outlet as well as other places.
THE ROUTE
A decent quality path leads west from Stadium Road and Tutu Blvd. Stadium Road is the first north-south street -west of Bathurst and runs south from Lakeshore Blvd to the Western Gap. After skating through Coronation Park you will find yourself on a brand new path beside Lakeshore Blvd and north of Ontario Place.This new section of path is a huge improvement over what was there before. From here to Park Lawn Road the skating is terrific. You are now on the longest stretch of high quality pathway that Toronto has to offer. The asphalt is smooth, flat and wide and it is set close to Lake Ontario.It reminds me of Chicago’s waterfront.
There is plenty of great skating past the pedestrian bridge spanning the mouth of the Humber River so climbing the little hill up to the bridge is worth the effort. Look for a more modest pedestrian bridge after a kilometre or so and check out Humber Bay Park. In the park, I prefer to skate on the little used road rather than the pathways because the road is smoother.
From the west side of the big pedestrian bridge there is a pathway that takes users up the Humber River Valley almost to the 401. The quality of the path is only so-so and the south part is a little worse than the part north of Bloor Street -but if you are looking for places to explore on your skates this is a good one. Check out the trail I call the Lower Humber for more info.
Last update: May/10
The map below has been scanned from the Toronto Parks and Trails Map (#2) . To get a hard copy of this map or to view the map in PDF format click HERE.
The dashed red line shows the route as described below. The dashed yellow line is the south end of the Lower Humber River Valley trail.
