Hike #19: Mountain Brow Park to Cliffview Park, Hamilton

 

Mountain Brow West Park to Cliffview Park, Hamilton

Today we started our hike at Mountain Brow West Park and ended at Cliffview Park. We picked up a little hitchhiker (our grandson) who joined us on our hike. There was free parking at both locations but no facilities. 


View of Hamilton and the harbour from Mountain Brow West Park


From Mountain Brow West Park we took the Wentworth Steps Side Trail to access the Bruce Trail. You only descend the the first set of stairs before meeting the trail at the Sherman Access road. 


Wentworth Stairs (upper set).  Sherman Access road can be seen below.


The Bruce Trail continues for a short stretch along the South side of the Sherman access. 





View from the Bruce Trail looking north towards the city of Hamilton and the Burlington Skyway bridge in the distance


We passed a few encampments along the way. It is really evident that Hamilton is facing a housing crisis. 



We passed by the Sam Lawrence Park Side Trail which is about half a kilometer from where we started. There is parking on Concession Street. 


After descending a short stairway we were rewarded with stunning views of downtown Hamilton and the harbour from an overpass that crosses the Claremont Access on Arkledun Ave. These are definitely some of the best city views we've seen so far on the Bruce Trail. 


View of Hamilton from Arkledun Ave

Arkledun Ave overpass - view westward

View of Hamilton and the harbour from Arkledun Ave

View of downtown Hamilton from Arkledun Ave.  You can see a Go Train parked at the station.


From Arkledun Ave you can see that the Bruce Trail continues on the other side of the street; however, the trail actually continues by taking a u-turn under Arkledun onto the Claremont Access. This is definitely easy to miss, but is the safer option.

View south of the Bruce Trail in the distance from the north side of Arkledun.

Here is a picture of the marker indicating the u-turn to go under Arkledun. It is easy to miss. 



Keddy Access is the bike trail that runs alongside the Claremont Access. It is a tribute to Jay Keddy, a cyclist who was tragically killed on this section of road. The Bruce Trail merges with the Keddy Access for only a short time before taking a right turn (west) into the woods.


Underpass to access Bruce Trail on north side of Akledun Ave



After a short stretch in the woods the Bruce Trail merges once again with the Claremont Access.


Claremont Access - view westward.

View eastward of Keddy & Claremont Access. 
Arkeldun overpass can be seen in the distance.

Where the Bruce Trail enters the woods alongside Keddy & Claremont Access.

Section of the woods alongside the Keddy Access.


Graffiti Artwork 



Some steps we encountered in the woods alongside the Keddy Access.


Staircase with access to the lower city.  Located opposite Southham Park.

Southam Park at the top of Claremont Access

View north of downtown Hamilton and Burlington harbour from the top of the Keddy / Claremont Access.

Steps down from the Keddy Access to St Josephs Garden Park - at West 5th.

View south of St Josephs Garden Park.
The park sits just north of St Josephs Healthcare (West-5th location).
 


Steps down towards the escarpment cliff face from St Josephs Garden Park (looking north).

View westward of the escarpment cliff face just north of St. Josephs Garden Park.  The trail runs alongside the cliff face.





The Bruce Trail turns south to circumnavigate a ravine in the vicinity of St Josephs Garden Park.




The Bruce Trail crosses Beckett Drive before heading back into the woods. Use extreme caution when crossing Beckett Drive as there is a lot of quick moving traffic and a blind corner. 



View of Beckett Drive from east side.

Re-entering the woods after crossing Beckett Drive (west side)

Hillcrest Reservoir




The Hillcrest Side Trail is a 120 metre access that leads to roadside parking. It is approximately 4 kms from where we started at Cliffview Park. 




Stairs to Dundurn St South. View is to the north.


To continue along the Bruce Trail you have the option of going over or under the Dundurn Stairs. There are 326 stairs on this one lane staircase that connects lower Hamilton (Dundurn Ave) to upper Hamilton (Garth and Beckett).

Dundurn Stairs - the highroad option.

Peter and Brantley going under the stairs - the low road option.

View northbound towards Dundurn Ave

View southwards up the Dundurn Stairs towards Garth and Beckett Drive


The Bruce Trail briefly merges with the Chedoke Radial Trail. Here you will see Chedoke Civic Golf Course on the northside of the Radial Trail before continuing south on the Bruce Trail. 



The Bruce Trail continues southwest alongside Chedoke Creek towards the base of Lower Chedoke Falls. Upper Chedoke Falls is not accessible without risking a fine from bylaw officers.

Section of Bruce Trail heading southwards along the west bank of Chedoke creek.


Unfortunately there is not a great spot to view Chedoke Falls. Late fall, winter or spring would be the best opportunity to view the Lower Chedoke Falls, as in summer the leaves would obstruct the view.

Lower Chedoke Falls viewed from the Bruce Trail




I notice that someone has written Seguin Trail on the sign for the Robert MacLaren Side Trail. The Robert MacLaren Side Trail was previously named the Scenic Drive Side Trail; however, I'm wondering if there is some dispute as to the origin of this trail. 



We climbed the upper section of the Chedoke Stairs to get to our parked car on Cliffview Park. 

Chedoke Stairs - view northward toward Chedoke Park.

Chedoke Stairs - view southwards.

Chedoke Stairs

View of McMaster University Hospital from Cliffview Park



Hike #19

Date:                       Nov 27th, 2021

Start:                      Mountain Brow West Park       

Finish:                     Cliffview Park

Distance:                6.34 km 

Time:                       1 hour 50 min

Difficulty:               Easy, gentle climbs

Trail Use:                Hiking/Biking

Total kms hiked:    121.7 kms

Kms remaining:     790.2 kms

Points of Interest: Bayfront Park area has a lot to offer with lit biking trails, Hutch's Harbour Front Restaurant,  HMSC Haida National Historic Site and Pier 8 Outdoor Rink (rentals available).  Other points of interest include the  Hamilton Farmer's Market and Locke Street Shopping District.

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