The path then proceeds through riverside parkland alongside suburbs such as North Sunshine and Maidstone before reaching Canning Tea Gardens Reserve in Avondale Heights.

This section of the trail adjoins grassy areas, and sightings of snakes such as the eastern brown snake, on this riverside section of the trail are not uncommon in warmer months Near the confluence of Maribyrnong River and Steele Creek at Essendon West the path becomes concrete and follows Steele creek inland before winding up the hillside to the top of the plateau at Lily St for outstanding views of the Maribyrnong River and the skyscrapers of the Melbourne CBD in the distance.

Further is Afton Street footbridge, from which point the trail runs down both banks of the river, down to the Ascot Vale golf course.

The path passes Flemington Racecourse, where the Melbourne Cup is run on the first Tuesday of November each year as part of the Spring Racing Carnival.

The other is a 2.8 km path, running along the south side of Footscray Road, which connects to the Capital City Trail.

On weekends, on the Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail, a punt takes cyclists across the Yarra River under the West Gate Bridge at Spotswood near the Scienceworks Museum.