Ever since the first time I ever saw Hamilton, I was in love. It's been an ongoing love story for me to return to the Escarpment, and though my current life in Toronto keeps me away for days at a time, I always find myself slipping back into the natural beauty that surrounds her. The Chedoke radial trail is one of many trails in Dundas Valley and is part of the massive Bruce Trail. It was once the Brantford and Hamilton Electrical Railway and now is a being used as a pedestrian and bike pathway that runs from Hillcrest Avenue southwest crossing the Chedoke Golf Course and crosses the escarpment to Scenic Drive. This is about a 2.5 kilometre distance.
You will see beautiful woodlands, hidden valleys, a variety of migrant and domestic birds, beautiful waterfalls such as Upper and Lower Chedoke, Westcliffe, Cliffview, Sanitorium and Mountview to name a few. There are only a few sloping parts of trail that may make it somewhat of a challenge if you are walking a stroller, or in a wheelchair, but overall its a reasonably easy trail to explore.  |
| a very skinny deer on lower right of pic |
I was shocked to see a deer foraging in the woods, and as quiet as I could be, I was amazed how trusting and confident she was just walking up closer to me. I scrambled for my camera but wasn't able to get a decent shot, but am excited to try once again. If you are going on foot, the Chedoke Radial trail can also be assessed by a series of metal steps (300 in all) which descend from Upper Paradise Road (off of Scenic Drive) from the Escarpment. Although the climb back up can be tiresome, from my own experience the ascent back up does gets easier every time you do it!
