2023/07/29 – Central Escarpment

Good afternoon from the Corktown area of Hamilton. I’m heading into the tail end of the rain, and am heading up the mountain to explore the central part of the Escarpment cutting through the city. Let’s go.

Going up the Jolley Cut can make your heart flutter. Heck of a perspective up here, from where it sails over the Claremont Access and towers above the Sherman Access switchback. Got to the top just as a wave of rain came in.

Up the rest of the cut, and a small detour to Mountain Park Avenue, where I discover that I have rotten timing. The whole brow here between Poplar and Upper Wentworth, including the escarpment staircase, is under construction until October. Bummer.

At the Juravinski Hospital, we get access to the brow, and some views of the city below. Once again, the drop can be exhilarating or anxiety-inducing, depending on your personality. The Sherman Cut looks like a pretty cool gauntlet in the wet.

Well, no one likes a quitter.

Lots of apartments in this stretch, with the trail flanked by old stone walls. Things open up a bit, before being pinched again by Mountain Brow Boulevard.

Had the joy of walking on a curb between Upper Ottawa and Oakcrest. There’s no infrastructure for pedestrians or cyclists around the traffic circle at Mountain Brow Boulevard and the Kenilworth Access. You could take a detour, but why should we?

Emissions from Hamilton Harbour aren’t getting funneled at me anymore, but still looks ominous. The brow is turning southwards to meet Red Hill Valley, giving a nice view of the Kenilworth Access Traffic Circle and escarpment to the east. Trail / park becomes high quality here.

Full on south now, and past two staircases providing a shortcut to the Escarpment Rail Trail. One is sanctioned by the city, one is not. Red Hill Valley looks like a rainforest, and the sun is starting to shine on the shoreline.

The mountain brow trails and the escarpment rail trail are converging on each other. Eventually you cross the latter, and come to a beautiful overlook of the valley.

Decided to change things up. Instead of keeping along the brow, I headed down a Bruce side trail and get a glimpse of Red Hill Creek swelling to the banks.

A swollen Red Hill Creek means a swollen Albion Falls. The viewpoints are good, and the falls are beautiful, but their distance away leaves something to be desired. A sign posted here tells me there’s a close-up lower lookout in the works though.

Down the Bruce trail some more to Buttermilk Falls. Certainly smaller, as it’s fed by groundwater and the sewered remains of a Red Hill tributary that drains part of the upper mountain. Still beautiful. There’s apparently two other waterfalls nearby, but the brush is too thick to see them.

The connection from Buttermilk is terrible. I eventually gave up, hopped onto the road and cut through the Mohawk 4 Ice Centre to get to the Escarpment Rail Trail. The sun is coming out, so this should be a pleasant roll down the mountain.

More unsanctioned but unimpeded stairways. There’s windows to the city and rest stations periodically.

The Bruce Trail has some trails in parallel, in case you wanna get off the paved line. More stairs, and an old chimney. Across the Kenilworth Access.

More windows to down below, though the drop is shrinking. Runoff from the storms is pooling north of the embankment. The trail finally lands at Wentworth, where a stopped freight train has clogged things up.

Off the rail trail and across Charlton Avenue, flanked by new midrises. Leads to a complex of crossings; Victoria Ave’s flyunder at the CPKC mainline and rail trail, and a behemoth tunnel under the Claremont Access.

Made it to the new Keddy Access Trail, which opened just under 3 years ago alongside the Claremont Access. This is what Hamilton should do with all its mountain accesses. This is just awesome.

Past the James Street Steps, and through Southam Park. Weaving back through side streets will lead you to Sam Lawrence Park. The same escarpment rehab work seen on the Claremont Access is requiring ugly blue fencing at the west end of the park, but views are still possible.

Round the tongue of the park, which sticks into the Jolley Cut switchback. Some proper and great views of the city amongst a unique and colourful garden.