As a young child, I lived on the West Mountain. To go downtown, we drove down the mountain. I always believed that downtown meant that you physically travelled “DOWN” to get downtown…. I was surprised to discover that this is not necessary in other towns and cities.
The Niagara Escarpment (the “Mountain”) basically runs through the middle of the city of Hamilton. It’s truly a geographical masterpiece. The view of the side of the Mountain can be enjoyed by looking up from several neighbourhoods nestled at the bottom of the Escarpment. The view from the top can be seen from several look-out points along the brow of the Escarpment.
In the early years of settlement in Hamilton, the Escarpment proved to be an enormous obstacle in terms of travel. In order for the city to grow, transportation to the top of the Escarpment evolved. There are now several ways to travel up and down the mountain.
By car or bus, via one of the several accesses and cuts through the Escarpment:
- Kenilworth Access
- Sherman Access (pictured below)
- Sherman Cut
- Jolley Cut
- Claremont Access
- West 5th Access aka James Mountain Rd
- Garth/Queen Street Access aka Beckett Drive
As a pedestrian, via one of the city’s sets of stairs.
- Chedoke
- Dundurn
- James
- Wentworth
- Kenilworth
If you are cycling around the city, don’t despair! Some of the stairs have bike troughs to enable you to make the trek up the steps and easily bring your bike with you. All of the city buses have accommodations for your bike also.
