Trek Toronto — Toronto Islands, Canada

Toronto Islands Loop: Ward's Island to Hanlan's Point

A car-free crossing of Toronto's islands on foot or by bike: ferry to Ward's Island, the lakeshore boardwalk, Centre Island, the oldest lighthouse on the Great Lakes and sunset on Hanlan's Point Beach.

Duration: 1 day
Distance: 6.4 km
Ascent: 0 m
Difficulty: Easy
Best season: May–October (best June–September)

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A short ferry ride from the foot of Bay Street, the Toronto Islands are the city’s back garden: a chain of fifteen low, sandy islands, about 330 hectares in all, with beaches, lagoons, willow-lined channels and no private cars. They began as a sandspit built from sediment washed west from the Scarborough Bluffs, and they became islands only in April 1858, when a storm tore open the Eastern Gap. Today they shelter Toronto Harbour, and from their southern shore the city behind you disappears and there is nothing ahead but open lake.

This loop crosses the islands east to west on foot or by bike. Land at Ward’s Island, where a few hundred homes form the largest car-free urban community in North America, follow the boardwalk along the lakeshore to Centre Island’s beach and pier, detour past Centreville, then continue west to Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, built in 1808 and the oldest surviving lighthouse on the Great Lakes. Finish on the long sands of Hanlan’s Point and catch the ferry back from its western dock, with the whole downtown skyline lined up across the water.

It is flat, roughly six and a half kilometres, and entirely on paved paths and boardwalk. On a bike it takes an hour; on foot, with swims and stops, it fills a day.

Getting there. City-run ferries leave the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay Street, behind the Westin Harbour Castle, for three docks: Ward’s Island, Centre Island and Hanlan’s Point. Ward’s runs year-round; Centre and Hanlan’s are seasonal, with reduced service outside summer. Walk from Union Station in about 15 minutes, or take the 509 or 510 streetcar to Queens Quay.

Permits & tickets. No permit is needed. You need a return ferry ticket, bought online in advance or at the terminal; TTC fares are not accepted on the ferries. Fares and timetables change, so check the official City of Toronto site before you go. Bikes ride free.

Good to know:

Your ticket is a return and works from any island dock, so you can arrive at Ward’s and leave from Hanlan’s.
Outside summer, the Hanlan’s Point ferry may stop running early in the afternoon or not at all. Check the timetable before committing to the full loop.
Swimming beaches are supervised by lifeguards in summer only; check posted flags.
Part of Hanlan’s Point Beach is an officially designated clothing-optional beach.
Most island facilities, including food and bike rentals, close outside the summer season.

Tips & Insights for this route Planning this route? Read our practical tips before you go — 9 tips. Read the tips

Download waypoints (GPX) Points of interest in walking order — not a trail trace.

Day by day

DayDistanceAscentDescentWalking time

Day 1 Hardest dayWard's Island to Hanlan's Point

Distance6.4 kmAscent0 mDescentNot recordedWalking timeNot recorded

Day 1

Ward's Island to Hanlan's Point

Jack Layton Ferry Terminal → Hanlan's Point ferry dock 6.4 km 0 m

Navigate this day Print day

Ferry to Ward’s Island, boardwalk west to Centre Island and Centreville, on to Gibraltar Point Lighthouse and Hanlan’s Point Beach, and the ferry back from Hanlan’s Point.

Segments

Ferry to Ward's Island 0.4 km Map

Jack Layton Ferry Terminal → Ward's Island Beach

Ferry crossing, then paved island lanes

The crossing to Ward's Island is short, and the view back at the skyline from the stern is the first highlight of the day. From the dock, wander south through the lanes of cottages and gardens on Ward's Island, home, together with neighbouring Algonquin Island, to the islands' residential community of a few hundred households. There are no cars, just bikes, wagons and front porches. Walk through to the beach on the lake side, facing open water.

About this place

The Toronto Island ferries connect the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario to the mainland of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The main city-operated ferry services carry passengers (all) and commercial vehicles (some) from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay Street to three docks on the islands. Private motor vehicles are not carried. The ferry operated by PortsToronto carries passengers and vehicles to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the island from the foot of Eireann Quay. Additional private ferries carry passengers to various island boat clubs. Ferry services to the islands began in 1833, and the Toronto Island Ferry Company began in 1883.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Robert Lesser from Toronto, Canada · CC BY 2.0
The boardwalk to Centre Island 1.8 km Map

Ward's Island Beach → Centre Island Beach

Timber boardwalk and paved path

Head west along the boardwalk that runs above the lakeshore on the south side of the islands, with sand and driftwood on one side and cottonwoods and lawns on the other. It is the island's great stroll: flat, open and breezy, with Lake Ontario stretching to the horizon. Benches along the way are the place to stop. Allow 25 to 30 minutes on foot.
Centre Island pier and Centreville 0.8 km Map

Centre Island Beach → Centreville Amusement Park

Paved paths and lawns

Centre Island is the busiest part of the islands, with its long beach, the pier that juts into the lake, and gardens and fountains along the tree-lined avenue that runs back toward the Centre ferry dock. Toward the harbour side is Centreville, a small amusement park opened in 1967 with around 30 rides and a 1907 Dentzel carousel, open daily in summer, and next to it Far Enough Farm, a free petting farm. Bike rentals operate near here in season. Budget 30 minutes, or much longer with children.

About this place

The Centreville Amusement Park is a children's amusement park located on Centre Island, part of the Toronto Islands, offshore of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The park has been operated by the Beasley family since 1967, currently through Etobicoke-based William Beasley Enterprises Limited, on land leased from the City of Toronto government and is open daily during the summer. Beasley also operates the "Far Enough Farm" adjacent to the park.
Read more on Wikipedia
West to Gibraltar Point Lighthouse 1.4 km Map

Centre Island → Gibraltar Point Lighthouse

Paved path through parkland

Continue west along the lakeside path, past lagoons and quieter beaches, to the stone tower of Gibraltar Point Lighthouse. Begun in 1808 and first lit in 1809, it is the oldest existing lighthouse on the Great Lakes, and it was raised in 1832 to its present height of about 25 metres. The shoreline has since grown so much that the tower now stands roughly 100 metres inland. It has a ghost story too: its first keeper, John Paul Radelmüller, vanished in 1815. The interior opens only occasionally, for events such as Doors Open. About 20 minutes on foot.

About this place

The Gibraltar Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on Hanlan's Point, the most westerly of the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Begun in 1808, it is the oldest existing lighthouse on the Great Lakes, and one of Toronto's oldest buildings. The lighthouse is perhaps best known for the demise of its first keeper, German-born John Paul Radelmüller, whose 1815 murder forms the basis of Toronto's most enduring ghost story. Recent research has verified many aspects of the traditional tale of his death and identified the soldiers charged with but ultimately acquitted of the crime.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: JK Liu · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hanlan's Point Beach 0.9 km Map

Gibraltar Point Lighthouse → Hanlan's Point Beach

Paved path, then sand

The path swings north-west to Hanlan's Point Beach, a two-kilometre stretch of sand facing west, the best spot on the islands for sunset. Part of it is an officially recognized clothing-optional beach, clearly signed, and it has a place in Canadian history: a gathering here on 1 August 1971 is counted as the country's first gay pride event. About 15 minutes to reach; stay for a swim if it is lifeguarded.

About this place

Hanlan's Point Beach is a nude beach on The Island just offshore from downtown Toronto, Ontario. It stretches for 2 km along the western shoreline of Hanlan's Point, facing the open waters of Lake Ontario. Recognized by the City of Toronto as one of the ten oldest surviving queer spaces in the world, it is also Canada's oldest surviving queer space and the site of the country's first Gay Pride celebration in 1971.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Friendsofhanlans · CC BY 4.0
To the Hanlan's Point ferry 1.1 km Map

Hanlan's Point Beach → Hanlan's Point ferry dock

Paved path

Walk north past the fence of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, where small planes land almost at your elbow, to the Hanlan's Point ferry dock. This was once an amusement park and baseball stadium; Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run here in 1914, into the lake. At the dock, a statue commemorates Ned Hanlan, the nineteenth-century world champion rower who grew up on the islands. Take the ferry back across the harbour, facing the skyline. About 15 minutes of walking.

About this place

Hanlan's Point Beach is a nude beach on The Island just offshore from downtown Toronto, Ontario. It stretches for 2 km along the western shoreline of Hanlan's Point, facing the open waters of Lake Ontario. Recognized by the City of Toronto as one of the ten oldest surviving queer spaces in the world, it is also Canada's oldest surviving queer space and the site of the country's first Gay Pride celebration in 1971.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Friendsofhanlans · CC BY 4.0