Hike #18: Kingsview Drive to Mountain Brow West Park

Hike #18 Kingsview Drive, Stoney Creek to Mountain Brow West Park, Hamilton

We started our hike today on Kingsview Drive on Stoney Creek mountain. There is roadside parking and a short access to the Bruce Trail. We ended our hike at Mountain Brow West Park in Hamilton. There is free parking at Mountain Brow Park but no facilities at either location. This section of trail is multi-use (no motorized vehicles).

The trail descends the escarpment northward along old Albion Road. This long stretch of road is no longer open to traffic since the construction of the Red Hill Valley Parkway.

Top of decommissioned Mount Albion Rd - just east of Red Hill Valley Parkway.

At the bottom of Albion road the trail crosses under the Red Hill Valley Parkway and heads south towards Albion Falls.

Bruce Trail underpass at Red Hill Valley Parkway - looking west.

View of Red Hill Valley Parkway from below.

I'm a big fan of graffiti art (as long as it's not on private property without the owners permission). Unfortunately we also see a lot of tagging along this section of the trail.

Simpson inspired graffiti art under the Red Hill Valley Parkway

View of the Red Hill Valley Parkway - looking eastward.

As you continue along the trail you will come across the Bear Meeting Place. The placement of the rocks form a bear paw. This would be interesting to view from above.

The Bear Meeting Place

At this point the Bruce Trail veers north along the Red Hill Creek. If you are interested in viewing Albion Falls continue on the Mountain Brow Side Trail which heads south. It is a 3.7 km loop. When you get to the top, cross the bridge over the brink of the falls. The best place to view the falls from is from the Upper King's Forrest Park parking lot (north of the falls).

Entrance to Mountain Brow side trail. It climbs the escarpment to offer hikers a view of Albion Falls.

Leaving the trail to view Albion Falls from the base is definitely not recommended. My daughter and her boyfriend did receive a fine from bylaw officers for straying off the path. Bylaw officers are frequently out especially on weekends.

View of Red Hill Valley Creek northward.

Red Hill Creek

Boulders on east bank of Red Hill Creek. The trail turns west to cross the creek here.

Bridge across Red Hill Creek

View to the south of Red Hill Creek from pedestrian bridge

View of Red Hill Creek from the Bruce Trail.
After crossing the creek the trail winds through the woods on the west bank.

View of Kingsview Golf Course from the Bruce Trail

View of Kingsview Golf Course

View of Kingsview Golf Course and the City of Stoney Creek

This section of the Bruce runs parallel to the Escarpment Rail Trail. There are several staircases connecting the two. Sections of the Rail Trail are lit. This was a good thing as we were hiking later in the afternoon and weren't sure if we'd complete this section of the trail before losing daylight. Fortunately we had enough light to stay on the Bruce Trail.

Staircase leading to the Escarpment Rail Trail

Lean-to

Staircase connection Escarpment Rail trail and Bruce Trail

Another Staircase

If you'd like a shorter hike there is access to roadside parking if you follow the Kimberly Drive Side Trail. Kimberly Drive is about 5kms from Kingsview Drive in Stoney Creek.

The Kenilworth Stairs connect the East Mountain to the Escarpment Rail Trail/Bruce Trail, and continue down to the Rosedale area of Hamilton. There are 228 steps. The Bruce Trail crosses these steps but does not climb them. Although we did not see them today, Uli's Stairs are in this area. This steep set of stone stairs were built by a retired Hamiltonian connecting the mountain brow to the Escarpment Rail Trail.

View eastward of East Hamilton & Stoney Creek from the top of the Kenilworth steps

The Bruce Trail crosses the Escarpment Rail trail and re-enters the woods immediately. As before, this section of the Bruce Trail ran alongside the Escarpment Rail Trail.

After a short trek through the woods the Bruce Trail finally merges with the Escarpment Rail Trail. It was a good thing as it was starting to get dark and with the rocky terrain we'd experienced so far, I was thankful for the paved section of the trail.

Bruce Trail/Escarpment Rail Trail

Bridge over Kenilworth Access - view westward


View northward of Century Brickyard from the Escarpment Rail Trail

By the time we made it to the Wentworth Stairs it was pretty dark. Fortunately the stairs are well lit. If you don't want to end your hike with 498 stairs, there is roadside parking to the north on Cumberland at the base of the escarpment.

Wentworth Stairs - view southwards


View from Wentworth Stairs from Sherman Access. The city of Hamilton and the Burlington harbour can be seen northward in the distance.

The Bruce Trail leaves the Wentworth Stairs just before the Sherman Access. This is where we parted ways with the Bruce Trail for now. We continued up the second set of stairs to our car which was parked at the top of the escarpment. Use extreme caution when crossing the Sherman Access - it is a busy road.