Ed's Sk8toronto Website TORONTO ISLANDS OVERVIEW The Toronto Islands are an excellent place to skate -although the reason is not the quality of the asphalt but the sheer joy of exploring the islands with skates on your feet. There are a great number of pathways leading to the main attractions and these paths are generally in decent shape. As well, the main island road which runs between the ferry docks at the opposite ends of the island is wide, flat, generally smooth and lightly used. As the islands are one big park, there are plenty of washrooms, places to eat and others things to do besides just skate. PARKING/ACCESS The only way out to the islands (assuming you do not take your own boat) is by ferry. The ferry ride costs $6 for adults and all ferries depart from the very bottom of Bay Street on the west side of the Harbour Castle Hotel (on Queen’s Quay at Bay Street). The ferries will take you to Ward’s Island at the east end, Hanlan’s Point at the west end or (the most popular destination by far) Centre Island. Click http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/ferry.htm for more info on the ferries. If you go on a busy weekend be advised to go early. Otherwise you will be waiting in a line-up both to get to the island and to return. If you are departing late it is probably best not to leave from Centre Island as the line-ups are much longer there. Once you are on the island you can leave from any of the three docks. The $6 pays for the round trip and it does not matter if you leave from a different dock than the one you arrived at. The ferry docks are accessible by TTC or there is parking in the area. I paid $8 for all day on a summer weekend but it would be much more during the week when office workers crowd into downtown. Lockers are available in several places. There are some at the Centre Island Dock, more at the washrooms to the south and still more on the south side of Ward’s Island at the Pier. It is always wise to bring warm clothing to the islands because it can be unexpectedly cool. You can dump the extra stuff in a locker if it is not required. Lockers cost a toonie -each time you lock the locker. THE ISLANDS Until around 100 years ago when a huge storm ripped open the Eastern Gap the islands were part of the mainland and there was only one way into Toronto Harbour. The entrance to the harbour was at the west end near the foot of Bathhurst Street and was guarded from the dreaded Americans by Fort York. Years ago, there were a large number of cottages/homes built on the island but most have been demolished to make room for parkland. However, some homes still survive on the very east end of the main (Ward’s) island and on Algonquin Island. A skate around these unique communities is well worth it. The islands have always been an important (summertime) destination for Torontonians to "beat the heat" and have had a sort of amusement park flavour for decades. Today you can take your kids to Centre Island Amusement Park, rent several different types of bikes or boats, visit the farm, go to the beach or do plenty of other things. Warning: If you want to go to the clothing optional (nude) beach for a peek you will have to take your skates off because the paths to the beach are sand. THE ROUTEIt would be silly to try and describe a route since there is so much exploring to do. Skaters can take the ferry to any of the three destinations as, with their skates, they are sufficiently mobile to cover the entire island it one outing. I skated all the major pathways, the road and most of the boardwalk in 90 minutes. I arrived and departed from Centre Island (early in the day). The best skating on the island is on the road near the Ward’s Island Ferry Dock because the asphalt is brand new. Some of the worst skating is at the opposite end of the road near the Hanlan’s Point Ferry Dock where the asphalt is rough (the binder material has disappeared and only the aggregate (stones) are left). The best pathway skating is between the Tram Departure Station and the school. Latest Update: August 2006 The map below has been scanned from Toronto Parks and Trails Map. To get a hard copy of this map or to view the map in PDF format click HERE. This map is part of Section 8 -Downtown Central Don. You can get a good idea of where the trails on Toronto Island are by looking at the bottom left of the map below. Good maps of the island are avalable for free close to the Center Island ferry dock (at the information booth). The dashed red line shows the Martin Goodman Trai (East End) as described elsewhere. The dashed yellow line shows the Leslie Street Spit. The dashed blue line shows the bottom end of the Lower Don Trail. |
