The Bentway

Smashing IT! The Bentway! It's a wonderful experience and unique social gathering of like-minded people. The space and the energy of The Bentway are very uplifting. What's great about this space is that it's also connected with Garrison Crossing, Stanley Park, and Old Fort York, so there's so much to see and do. Oftentimes, The Bentway has some amazing activities to see and partake in as well. So if you're looking to go take a stroll, why not head on out to THE BENTWAY. ENJOY!

The Bentway is located right under the Gardiner Expressway. It’s close in proximity to the Old Fort York. It’s a public space where events take place like Food events. During winter, one can ice skate on the Bentway trail. During summer, one can roller skate on that same trail. During Friday evenings, one can learn to skate. Please check their website for more information like where to park, what TTC bus to take there and what time their washrooms are open to the public. I believe it’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

I visited for the Camp Milk Up Ontario, which was a nice little experience. I sat and relaxed a bit. I know they have these events every year, so everyone should check it out if you can

Winter Ice Skating Rink there is very fun place to go. You can rent ice skates for 12$ (2 hrs). Parking spot is close by. Would not recommend this place for beginners, because it doesn’t have a lot space with borders to hold on to. Operating hrs : noon - 9 pm

Pretty cool spot to skate during winter. Make sure do go right when they open or late at night, otherwise, you will be run over by kids that the parents did not tough manners to. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Good location for outdoor music fest, mix or cement and gravel surface. Hill on one side .Shielded from the rain. Indoor bathroom available. Upper deck has seating and allows you to see the whole site if your standing from the railing

Good place to skate in the city. Decent size and it’s free, has skate rentals if you need.

My family and I went skating here at The Bentway over the weekend and it was super fun! The "Figure 8" style of the rink makes it fun to go around with some twists and turns. They offer skate rentals for $12 (adults) and skate sharpening for $10. The seats are limited, but you should be able to find a spot to put your things down while you skate. There are also washrooms and a small concession stand, and I would recommend trying their hot chocolate for $3. We went on a fairly cold day, so the hot chocolate really warmed us up! They also sell some of their merch (i.e., hats, gloves, etc.). Definitely come here before the season ends! Skating under the highway was pretty fun. 😄

The Bentway is a public space under the Gardiner Expressway. You'll see it when you drive along Fort York Boulevard, between Strachan Avenue and Bathurst Street, across from the Fort York National Historic Site. I have driven by this area many times this year. I did a few times when going to Coca-Cola Coliseum for Marlies and PWHL Toronto (now Sceptres) hockey games. Last night, I passed by it heading to Queen Elizabeth Theatre for a concert. I remember when this space was used for parking during the Canadian National Exhibition (The Ex). It was affordable back in the day. You basically parked on the grass, paid for parking, and walked over to the Princess Gates. Good times. Parking for The Ex is atrocious these days. It's better to take the TTC, mainly because this parking space is gone and it's cheaper than shelling out over $30. If you are looking for parking near The Bentway, you've got a couple of Green P options: - 250 Fort York Boulevard - 800 Fleet Street Paying through the Green P app is convenient. If you need to extend your parking stay, it's easy to do through the app than physically returning to the parking machine to pay for parking. The Bentway is popular in the wintertime. It becomes a skating rink where you can rent skates, skate till your heart's content, and grab some hot chocolate. In the summertime, it becomes a rollerskating party every month. You can rent skates, grab a bite to each from food trucks, and visit a few market vendors. I am looking forward to Dominoes. It's basically a community-building activity of laying down giant dominoes along a 2.5 km path through a number of downtown neighbourhoods. They are cutting through The Bentway. The domino run is scheduled for September 22 (tomorrow). It sounds like a lot of fun! The downside is that traffic is horrible in this area. There was a concert and an Argos game at Exhibition Place yesterday. Cutting through this area to get there was painful. When there aren't a lot of activities in the area, The Bentway is a calming, fun place. Otherwise, pack some patience! (371)

A great repurposed space, I wish Chicago would do something similar. A communal space, adults and kids roller balding, skating, making conversation, an art exhibit, and green spaces for pets and yogis like me.

I've visited the Bentway during the winter when they just opened in 2018. They offered cute skate rentals with cubby set ups. They also had a coffee place serving beverages and at the time offering free hot chocolates. There was live music and while a small rink it ended up being a fun place for small families to gather. There were even warming globes. I have to admit it was actually fun and worth the trek via public transit in. Looking forward to hitting it up again during the winter, it's quite a revitalization of a place.

I enjoyed my outdoor skating experience at The Bentway last weekend. The Christmasy lights and decor just makes the place so lively and festive. It is located underneath the Gardiner Expressway, at the Fort York National Historical Site. It is walking distance from CNE, streetcar stops and a nearby paid parking lot. The 'Village' has a skates rental shop. $10 per person for 2 hours. The staff will also ask you to leave one piece of ID with them (per group). The skates are very new, so they are not broken into yet... you might find them a bit tight around the ankle area. Perhaps wear a thicker pair of socks would help. Small lockers are available for rental (bring a toonie!), and there is an ATM machine on site. The 'Village' also has a security-guarded, lounge area for you to relax in front of the fire pit, and grab a drink or two (alcoholic and non-alcoholic available). The funny thing is that the bartenders ask for ID when they serve you alcohol and you realize your ID is at the rental shop lmao. #facepalm #worstfeelingEVER The ice is well-maintained by an ice resurfacer from time to time. It might get a bit watery in the beginning, so be careful, especially at that 'sharp' turn ;) Please note: If you are new at skating, this might not be a good skating spot for you, there is nothing you can hold on to!! I'd love to come back to skate again... would be nice if there are food trucks as advertised! Until next time; happy skating and stay warm! Opening hours: Mon-Thurs: 11am-9pm, rentals available 4pm-9pm Fri-Sat: 11am-11pm, rentals available all day Sun: 11am-9pm, rentals available all day

I unexpectedly skated on The Bentway for my 1st time last Sat., and perhaps I should provide some background info. I've been an Organizer for an ice skating social Group for about 12 years and as I live close to the Harbourfront skating rink, almost all of the Events I've organized for my Group have been there. On Sat. a Member of my Group who attended my Event at the Harbourfront rink early that afternoon informed me that he was going to go to The Bentway to skate afterward. Another Group Member and I decided to join him, so we walked about 20 minutes from one rink to the other. I've known about The Bentway since around when it 1st opened and I've seen/read a review of the trail on BlogTO and many photos of people skating there. The trail was fairly crowded when we arrived around 3:15 pm but I was pleased that there was ample seating both indoors and outdoors for putting on and removing your skates, as well as lockers and an office inside and a skate rental booth and a hot chocolate booth outside. The 3 of us skated until it was time for rink maintenance, which due to the smaller size of the trail didn't take as long - about 15-20 minutes - as it does at skating rinks. It was often tricky and a unique experience trying to skate around others on the narrow trail but it made for an interesting skate. Although fairly cold, it was a mostly sunny day with not too much in the way of wind chill which also made skating easier. After maintenance was done, the 3 of us skated for awhile longer, then we partook in free samples of Kahlua which were available at a separate booth just east of the trail after 5 pm. This was only the 2nd time in my life I've skated on 2 different rinks on the same day and I believe it was my 1st time skating on a rink I hadn't been on before since 2011. I found the experience quite enjoyable overall and I'm glad I decided to venture to the trail and try it out.

I am so excited to see how they will extend this trail. It's a great use of space under the Gardiner. It's quite small and narrow at this time, so extending it would be great! It wasn't too busy on a week night, but still enough. Ice condition was very good. I can only imagine the crowds on weekends. Skate rentals are $10 for 2 hrs Skate sharpening is $8 Please be courteous to other people skating. Don't block the trail or stop abruptly in the middle. It's fairly narrow, and there's nothing to grab onto if you are pushed off the ice.

For those unaware this used to be a lot of nothing - open land to walk past or through, but in the past few year's they've made this really nice. The thing is it really matters what time of year you go here. During the winter it's great because a huge portion of it is iced over (and maintained with a zamboni!) where people can skate and they have fairy lights and skate rentals if need be. During the spring/fall/summer they have a bunch of different events here (like the Bentway Moon seen in the pics) as well as dance shows, and food/drink events. There's stadium type seating year round, and this is nicely runnable and walkable.

Such a great use of space that wouldn't have been used beforehand! The Bentway skating rink has been a great addition to the city which offers skate rentals which many other public ones lack besides Harbourfront and NPS. It is much smaller in size compared to the two but the 8 shape of the track definitely makes skating a new experience, at least for me. Parking here is reasonable in my opinion with a decent capacity for a Saturday afternoon. The rink itself is on a slight slope so at first it might be a challenge to keep your balance but after a round or two it's easy to keep up with the crowds. There are a ton of skate aids here to hold onto in many non traditional shapes so you don't need to be a pro to finish the track. For non skaters, they have a little cafe area which is stocked with hot cocoa and some alcoholic beverages - from the Bentway's website I found out they also hold events here for 19+ 5pm and later. They also provide a nice little warming up area once you enter the cafe sitting section: a refurbished wind-blocking storage unit with a heater, three tiered bench, and tons of ikea blankets to keep cozy. I can't wait to see what the Bentway has to offer next, and hope to see expansions in the future! They are off to a great start as the crowds love it.

Why we decided to come here at -20 degrees was beyond my thinking but it was so cold that we only did one round then left. What's great about this place is the abundant chairs and blocks to sit and tie your skates. There's also a historical area right on site to warm you up and for washrooms. However, I found the trail very short and narrow. At only 220m long, you skate the trail in a minute. Quite disappointing that that was all there was. It was also very crowded being a Saturday afternoon. Unique spot to skate, but I would prefer a rink.

Went to skate the Bentway. Rentals were $10 for 2h and it wasn't super crowded. I do wish they'd watered the rink a bit more often but overall it was a good experience. Also recommend checking out the historical site nearby. We also biked along Lakeshore after and I would highly recommend it if you're planning an active trip or even a weekend family day.

Never having came to a skate trail before, The Bentway was my first experience of what an outdoor skate trail might look like. The Bentway was super easy to find, as it was right under the DVP, and thanks to all the recent published media of this place, looking at the structure of under the DVP from far away, we could tell right away where it was located. There were a few blocks for you to sit on on the sides (if you're coming from the West side that is), but if you walk further east, there will be a platform of spaces for you to sit on and hop onto the bentway. Still currently in construction, the bentway currently isn't in it's best shape, but i'm definitely looking forward to it once construction finishes and the surroundings are decorated a little nicer. There's no heater or visible washrooms nearby (or maybe I'm just not sure where the washrooms are). It's fully padded with rubber around the rink, so there's ample space to change. I found that once more people are visiting the Bentway, there are less seats, so it would be nice in the future, if they could get a few more seats, and spaces for people to leave their unattended empty bags. The Bentway is a little narrow if you're comparing it to an ice rink. There's no ledge for you to hop onto or into, so it's a little different than regular ice rinks. If you trip on the sides, you might actually fall into dirt, or you can slide right off the edges. I don't think it's the best place for learning as well especially if you're bringing a pusher/walker on the ice, or for groups to skate in a big big bunch. It does cause a bit of traffic for other skaters who might be going at faster speeds, and it might be a little frightening for people for other's to skate right in front of them if they're not used to the sport. I'm looking forward to visit again once renovations are completed!

The Bentway is off to a terrific start with on site rentals, lockers, snack bars and washrooms plus ample parking. Staff were very friendly. My rating is slightly lower than some of the other rinks I've visited only because the area still seems to be under construction. There was a lot of loose dirt along the side of the ice that people were tracking onto the trail. And random pylons, lots of black plastic tubing and bits and pieces of scrap construction materials strewn along the area beside the ice looked a little unsightly. I know there are plans to lengthen the trail which is very good. I will definitely go check it out when the extension is complete and hopefully it will have a more finished appearance. At that time I am confident that I will need to update my review and add a star or maybe even two... In the mean time, it was a lot of fun skating here and with so many great restaurants nearby, you can really make it a memorable day. This is a great place to come with family and friends.

This skating trail just opened this weekend under the Gardiner. The trail is free, lots of benches along the trail for resting, the area is well lite, there are firepits to escape the cold, music blasting, skate rentals and drinks (including alcohol) for sale. The ice condition wasn't bad but was definitely due for the Zamboni to come by. Not sure how often they clean the trail. The downside was finding parking as the area is still under construction. Great date night idea or bring the family for a day out.

cute place located in fort york! although the rink is small, it's perfect for a date, a family/friends hangout. They have skate rentals for 10$/2h which is decent. At night, they have lights which gives it a holiday ambience. They also have plenty of seatings and towels to dry skates. There are also artworks around the rink for you to enjoy. When i went thet had 4 see-through igloo tents set up with seats and blue lights. Would highly recommend this place! Just make sure you go when it's not busy so you can thoroughly enjoy what it has to offer

Great addition to Toronto. Love the art installations throughout the year and the Sunday afternoon events in the summer. I haven't done skating yet, but look forward to that this winter. Lots of free events here but also quite peaceful to go for a stroll or just sit. It's great to cool off during hot summer days as it's protected from sun and breezy.

This is a great new skating trail underneath the Gardiner at Fort York and Bathhurst, its a little smaller than I thought, and pretty busy, but its a nice loop trail dedicated to skaters of all ages and all skill levels, they also have a skate rental here, music and a food truck, its a great free trail and definitely worth visiting.

Man had a great time skating outdoors here. My family and I really enjoyed it. Was a little crowded but that's because it's such a good time. Well maintained. Plus the hot adult beverage station.

We came here for skating as we heard that the place will be close by end of March. From what we heard we thought this skating area will have a long stretch. However this is not the case. It's very small and narrow. They have skate rental for people who doesn't have their own pair of skate. There is a green P parking lot right next to it which makes it convinent for people with car. Maybe because we came in the afternoon, we didn't see any lighting effect or hear any music being play. In the area, there are hot beverage being sold from vendor and a fire place that you can sit near to get some heat.