Cyclist GO Transit Guide

Originally created May 15, 2026

If you love riding bike trails like me but don’t have a car, GO Transit is your best bet to get to some of the bike trails outside of the city. While GO Transit does promote some transit accessible trails and their “Trail to Go” program connects 13 GO stations with the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, there are lots of other trails in the area. As a public service to cyclists in the Greater Toronto Area, here’s a rough guide which lists some trails are accessible from which stations (and selected bus stops) which I welcome your feedback by replying in the comments or sending an email.

My former LeMond road bike (RIP) on a GO train

Author’s Note

To avoid duplication of efforts, I will not reference the Waterfront Trail since you can access it from all stations along the Lakeshore West and Lakeshore East lines including Union Station, while Metrolinx should be encouraged to add Trail to Go signage for the other stations. This guide will not include the Milton and Richmond Hill lines which are rush hour only when you can’t bring regular bicycles on board. However, the Brantford, Uxbridge, and Peterborough bus stops will be added to their respective train lines since they have hourly (or every two hour) service daily. Always check the GO Transit schedule when planning your trip.

Map of GO bus network with train lines (via Metrolinx)

Union Station

For those coming from out of town, Union Station is your best bet to get to the Lower Don Trail which – along with the nearby Waterfront Trail – is part of the 72-kilometre Loop Trail. From the Forks of the Don, you can take the Taylor Creek Trail, the East Don Trail (and The Meadoway), or continue along the West Don Trail which is part of the 121-kilometre Lake to Lake Route to Georgina. However, the Lake to Lake Route has a significant gap from Holland Landing to Keswick which isn’t expected to be filled anytime soon. Gravel trail lovers would want to take the Bayview Avenue Trail to the Evergreen Brickworks where the Beltline Trail begins. There are several other parks near Union Station including Biidaasige Park, Cherry Beach, Tommy Thompson Park, and Woodbine Beach.

Lakeshore East Line

Danforth is the closest station to the Taylor Creek Trail which leads to the Forks of the Don and connected trails. A good option if you want to avoid the crowds at Union.

Eglinton is the closest station to the steep Gates Gully and some beautiful gravel riding which is part of the Scarborough South Loop. However, The Driveside starts and ends this loop at Guildwood Station for their annual group rides.

2025 Scarborough South Loop group ride by The Driveside

In addition to the Scarborough South Loop, Guildwood Station is one of two options where you can start the Highland Creek Trail. The other station is Rouge Hill which will (hopefully) offer access to a new trail by next year which leads to Mast Trail; one of several hiking trails within Rouge National Urban Park.

Ajax offers plenty of trails including Duffins Creek and Carruthers Creek.

At Durham College Oshawa GO, you can take GO Bus 88 to continue to Peterborough. From there, you can take the Omemee Rail Trail across the Doube’s Trestle Bridge with its nice views towards Lindsay. (will get back to this place) In the other direction, you can take the Lang Hastings Trail to Campbellford. For the serious bike-packers out there, you can use the network of trails to go further afield such as Prince Edward County, Kingston, and even Ottawa!

Doube's Trestle Bridge

Lakeshore West Line

Mimico is the closest station to the Humber River Trail which again is part of the Loop Trail.

Long Branch is virtually right next to the Etobicoke Creek (South) Trail. However, getting to the rest of the Etobicoke Creek Trail at Ponytrail Drive will require some on-road riding from Sherway Drive. Fortunately, multi-use paths exist along the north side of Queensway and the west side of Dixie except for under the railway tracks. You can then take Fieldgate Drive and Ponytrail Drive to continue.

Getting to Brantford requires taking GO Bus 15 from Aldershot station which has three connecting trails. Among the three, you would be most like to ride the Lake Erie & Northern (LE&N) Trail to Port Dover on the shores of Lake Erie which is about 100 kilometres return. The other two – Cambridge to Paris and Hamilton to Brantford – can be accessed from other GO stations.

The other station where you can get the Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail is West Harbour. That station is also where you can get to the Escarpment and Chippewa Rail Trails.

The Dundas Valley Trail Centre from the Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail

Confederation is the closest station to the Dofasco 2000 Trail and the Red Hill Valley Trail which itself connects to the Chippewa Rail Trail.

One trail which is a must is the 140-kilometre Greater Niagara Circle Route which is an ideal beginner multi-day bike trip and can be started at one of two stations. St. Catharines is the closest to the Welland Canal Trail while Niagara Falls is the closest to the Niagara Parkway Recreational Trail which is part of the Waterfront Trail.

Kitchener Line

Mount Dennis is right next to the Eglinton West Trail which leads to the Humber River Trail, the West Deane Trail, Centennial Park, and the Etobicoke Creek Trail. In the near future, it will connect with the Etobicoke Greenway. It’s also the closest existing station to the Beltline Trail until Caledonia station is completed.

There are a few other GO stations which lead to the Humber River Trail, but the closest one is Weston.

If you want a northern access point to the Etobicoke Creek Trail, Brampton Innovation District GO is your best bet. At some point in the future, it will become the closest station to the Orangeville Brampton Rail Trail which would help connect several other trails such as the Elora Cataract, the Caledon Trailway, and the Dufferin County and Grey County Trails from Orangeville to Owen Sound.

The best place to access the Caledon Trailway right now is Mount Pleasant which is a straight shot along Creditview Road with its multi-use paths and paved shoulders. You can continue further north towards the Thornton Cookstown Trail to Barrie. You can also access the Caledon Trailway from Georgetown, but the service is far less frequent.

Caledon Trailway at Palgrave

The Guelph to Goderich (G2G) Rail Trail is best accessed from Guelph station, but you can also access it from Kitchener station via Elmira.

In addition to the G2G Trail, Kitchener station provides access to the Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail via the Iron Horse Trail.

Barrie Line

There are two GO stations where you can get to the Finch Hydro Corridor; the last part of the Loop Trail. The first of these stations is Downsview Park which is not too far from the Humber River Trail.

The Bartley Smith Greenway – which is part of the proposed 100-kilometre Vaughan Super Trail – is best accessed from either Rutherford or Maple stations.

The next three stations – Aurora, Newmarket, and East Gwillimbury – are all close to the Lake to Lake Route with the latter two being right next to the trail. Bradford station is another option if you want to do a one-way ride back to Downtown Toronto and ensure you include Holland Landing.

The final station at Allandale Waterfront in Barrie has the potential to become a trail hub with four trails not too far away. The Oro Medonte Trail (to Orillia) and the North Simcoe Rail Trail (to Penetanguishene via Tiny Trail) are part of the 160-kilometre Simcoe County Loop Trail. In addition, you can get to the Thornton Cookstown Trail towards Beeton (and on to Brampton via the Caledon Trailway), as well as the recently opened Barrie-Collingwood Rail Trail which starts at Angus. For an even longer journey, you can pick up the Georgian Trail from Collingwood to Meaford.

Oro Medonte Rail Trail

Stouffville Line

Kennedy station is the closest one to The Meadoway which offers connections to the Highland Creek Trail going east and the East Don Trail going west. Meanwhile, the other GO station which is close to the Finch Hydro Corridor is Milliken at Steeles Avenue.

Getting to Uxbridge involves either taking GO Bus 71 from Union Station or taking the train to Mount Joy before switching to GO Bus 70 (or 71). The main reason to go to Uxbridge is to ride the Uxbridge to Lindsay Rail Trail. At Blackwater, the trail branches off with the Beaver River Wetland Trail heading towards Cannington and Woodville. At Lindsay, you can continue east towards Peterborough via the Omemee Rail Trail or take the Victoria Rail Trail north towards Fenelon Falls and Haliburton. There is a southern branch of the Victoria Rail Trail towards Bethany, but Andrew (a.k.a. Cardiac Cyclist) does not recommend it.

The Beaver River Wetland Trail (left) splits from the Uxbridge to Lindsay Rail Trail at Blackwater

Final Thoughts

As far as I know of, VIA Rail still does not allow bikes on board the Québec City to Windsor corridor. In the event they do, I’m sure even more trails can become accessible by train such as the Millennium Trail from Belleville, the K&P Trail from Kingston, and the P’tit Train du Nord from Montréal.

If you are looking for additional rail trail resources, fellow bike bloggers Jun and Lisa have covered several trails over the years, while Cardiac Cyclist is my go-to YouTube resource. Ontario Bike Trails offers thorough reviews of rail trails (and other trails) across the province, though it could use some updating.

GO buses have bike racks in front