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At the foot of Bay Street on Queen's Quay, at the west side of the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel is the Entrance to the Toronto Island ferry. Just follow the crowd and head towards the lake, and behind the Hotel is the line up and ticket booths. As of Summer 2003, the Adult return fare is $6.00 CAD ($2.50 under 14) with no additional charge for bikes.

Once you've paid your fare, wait in the concourse for one of three ferry destinations: Hanlan's Point, Center Island, or Ward's Island  (No ticket is required on return). On weekends or Holidays bikes are allowed only on the Ward or Hanlan ferries.  After 10 AM they run every 30 minutes. Walk your bike once you're in the concourse, boarding, then ride once you've safely cleared the disembarking crowds after docking.

Hanlan's Point

Take the Hanlan ferry, usually the Ongiara (the Iroquois name for Niagara) the open deck and car ferry introduced in 1960 (the latest in the fleet) to Hanlan's Point, about a 20 minute ride.  In stormy weather, you can leave your bike on deck and head to the enclosed  narrow rooms on either side of the ferry. Before docking, you'll pass the Island Airport, used by prop planes, on the west side. Walk your bike off the ferry and follow the crowd. When clear, mount your bike and continue along the wide paved road, Lakeshore Ave., but be on the look out for the odd service vehicle or the passenger shuttle tram.

The trail splits with a path that follows along the edge of the western sandy beaches. Note that after the first beach entrance, you'll probably come out to the 'clothing optional' beach. This split off path rejoins the main path as it heads past the water treatment plant and curves past the haunted lighthouse at Gibraltar Point.

Gibraltar's Point

This lighthouse is one of the oldest on the lake and one of Toronto's oldest remaining structures. Built in 1808 from limestone rock hauled by ship from Queenston at Niagara, it's current location may seem odd for a lighthouse. Because of shifting shore and land reclamation the water's edge  is now far from it's original twenty five feet from the lighthouse. It's original keeper, Rademuller,  met his end in 1815.

Center Island

Cycle past the arts school and continue towards the main beach until you reach a T junction. Here you can, use the facilities, have a snack, walk out on the pier, or rent a bike. The path that leads back towards the Toronto mainland crosses over to the Center Island amusement park, mini farm, fishing, and restaurants.

Continue to cycle along the lakeshore Ave. towards Wards Island path past the main beach. You'll come to a smaller split off path that continues 'Lakeshore Ave.' along the shoreline where the path becomes a  boardwalk. At  Ward's beach you can turn and head to the ferry dock.

Ward's Island

 The main path, now Cibola Ave.,  heads towards Wards Island past the Frisbee golf field, yacht clubs, bridges to Snake and Algonquin islands and the many small cottages that make up the small island resident community. Take the Ward ferry back to Toronto mainland and rejoin the Martin Goodman/Waterfront trail.

The islands were formed by the erosion of the Scarborough bluffs meeting the outflow of the Don river -- creating a  large, long, sometimes narrow and ever changing sand bar. Once a peninsula in Simcoe's day; old maps showed it meeting the mainland at Ashbridge's bay then slowly angling away from the shoreline to Gibraltar Point. An additional bar near the Don ran out to intersect the other somewhere near Clark (Cherry) Beach. This made a triangle which enclosed a large marsh. One of the reasons Simcoe chose to settle at Toronto in 1793 was because the Peninsula offered defendable shelter for Naval vessels further away from the Americans than at Kingston or Niagara. 

Council had debated for some time the desire to open an eastern gap for better shipping access. A storm in April 1858 caused the Don outflow to wash away the eastern connection to the mainland (Lakeshore Ave was the original path to the mainland) settling the issue.

Even before Simcoe, the Mississauga Indians were supposed to have used the area for recreation. Hanlan's Point was named after the father of the world champion sculler Ned Hanlan. The Gibraltar's point historical sign near the ferry at Hanlan's Point is confusing but again, reclamation and shifting shorelines have drastically changed the link between the names and locations of the islands over time.  For years, early Toronto sport fans would take the steam ferries across to the point to watch baseball (Babe Ruth's first out of the park home run) and enjoy the amusement park where the airport now located.

Center Island is now the main amusement area and, with the exception of the airport, the Islands have remained Toronto's play ground. The quaint summer cottages at Ward's Island (named after one of the early residents) have been home to some of Canada's familiar people in arts and sport. Among others, CBC personality Peter Gzowski and New York Islanders'  Ron Handy  have made the Islands their home.

Now can anyone tell me why is Ward's 'Island' called an Island?  

The ferries:

The Ongiara (1963) 440 BHP at 8.7 Knots, The Sam McBride (1939) 900 BHP at 12 Knots, The Thomas Rennie (1951) 900 BHP at 10.3 knots and the Trillium (1910-1957,1976-present) at (48 IHP at 8 knots?) at 12 knots, The William Inglis (1935) 740 BHP at 12 knots.

Steam engines were rated as indicated horsepower (IHP) and Diesels as brake horsepower (BHP). I haven't found  the rating for the Trillium once it was re-fitted to Diesel and put back in service in 1976. Anyone?