Escarpment Country Cruise

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Hamilton, Ontario, CA

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Waterfront Regeneration Trust

Routes along the waterfront for all your cycling needs

64 km

283 m

Experience the flip-side of Hamilton and Burlington. Far from the industry of Hamilton's harbourfront, you'll cruise a fully signed 65km course of (mostly) quiet country roads, screened limestone rail trail greenways and scenic waterfront paths.

You'll cruise out of Bayfront Park with kilometres of paved paths right along the water, run a gauntlet of culinary temptations through Westdale Village and roll out into the Dundas Valley Conservation Area, to the heart of Hamilton's trail network. You'll enjoy a quiet ride through the country to a popular orchard and bakery and work off those pie-cals heading back into Hamilton, with a stop at lovely Albion Falls, and enjoy a roughly 5km glide down the Escarpment Rail Trail back into the heart of Hamilton, where coffee, food, ice cream, and a craft brewery awaits.

This is one of 9 cycling itineraries showcasing Ontario’s best trails and two signature cycling routes–the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and The Greenbelt Route. Celebrate the Lake Ontario watershed and cycling while supporting rural communities and local businesses.

For more information on the Greenbelt Route and Ontario's Greenbelt including more recommended itineraries, visit greenbelt.ca/cycling

For more information on the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail including free downloadable maps and itineraries visit waterfronttrail.org

Share your trips with the #greenbeltroute and #waterfronttrail hashtags. We'd love to hear more about your experience!

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For more information on the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail including free downloadable maps and itineraries visit [waterfronttrail.org](https://waterfronttrail.org/).

**[Support the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail]( https://waterfronttrail.org/donate/)**

# Escarpment Country Cruise

***Great Lakes Waterfront Trail to Ontario's Greenbelt***

You'll start your day from Bayfront Park, riding right along the water on paved paths. Following this, you’ll head through Westdale Village with its variety of food options and roll out into the Dundas Valley Conservation Area. As you go back to Hamilton, you’ll have a stop at Albion Falls, and a roughly 5km glide down the Escarpment Rail Trail. Back in the Heart of Hamilton, a wide variety of food and a craft brewery awaits.

You can check out the route's itinerary on our website [here](https://waterfronttrail.org/trip-ideas/great-lakes-to-greenbelt/itinerary-escarpment-country-cruise/).

This fully signed route follows sections of the Greenbelt Route, Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and two of its signed connector routes. For examples of the signage you'll be following, see the gallery below. For more information on the Greenbelt Route and Ontario's Greenbelt including more recommended itineraries, visit [greenbelt.ca/cycling](https://www.greenbelt.ca/cycling).

Share your trips with the **#greenbeltroute** and **#waterfronttrail** hashtags. We'd love to hear more about your experience!

# Route

**64.5 km**

**Terrain: Paved and Unpaved Paths, Roads.**

**This route follows the loop counter-clockwise.**

## Day 1 tips and notes:

* Start from @poi[Bayfront Park Parking Lot](16622681), which offers free parking. There are also @poi[washrooms](16622682), and some @poi[food stops](16622716) available at the park, included locally-famous Hutch's. 
* @poi[At the 15.3 km mark, be aware that **there is a very sharp turn on the road.**](16622690) Reduce your speed and use caution as you begin cycling along Mineral Springs Rd. 
* At @slice[17.3 km use caution, as you’ll be scaling a **long, steep hill along a winding road**](d,17262.5,17732.4). 
* If you need a rest stop, you can use the @poi[Robert E. Wade Ancaster Community Centre](16622694) at 20.6 km. The community centre has parking, washrooms, and sports facilities. 
* Use caution 23 km into your ride as you reach the @poi[Wilson Street Roundabout](16622698). This is a **busy intersection**. 
* @poi[**Make sure you’re well stocked on food and water before leaving Ancaster**](16622706). The quiet rural riding ahead of you doesn’t have any nearby amenities on the route. If you’re looking for somewhere to stock up, you can check out the @poi[Wilson Street Power Centre](16622695) at about 23.4 km along the route. It has coffee, food, a dessert bar, and groceries, among other things. 
* 37 km into your trip, **use caution as you cross @poi[Highway 6 as it intersects Chippewa Rd W. This is a very busy, uncontrolled intersection](16622699). Wait for a gap before proceeding**. 
* You’ll be @point[turning left off Chippewa Rd E 39.6 km into your day, onto the rail trail](d,39631.12). This turn is easy to miss, if you hit Miles Rd, you’ve gone too far!
* At the terminus of Arbour Road, follow the @poi[pedestrian bridge](16622701) across the Lincoln M Alexander Parkway.
* On the northern extents of arbour road, you'll turn left, following the route through a @poi[local parking lot with](16622703) pleasant creekside views and onto a rail trail. You'll follow the rail trail down the escarpment and into Downtown Hamilton.
*  The @poi[Mohawk 4 Ice Centre](16622704) is a large 4-ice pad hockey arena which has parking, a restaurant, and concession. It’s at the 51.9 km mark if you need somewhere to stop. 
* @poi[Pier 7](16622714) and @poi[Pier 4](16622715) both offer some amenities along the route on the tail end of your ride today if you need a quick food break or a washroom.

#
Here are some good places to stop along this route:
*  @poi[Hutch’s Harbourfront](16622716) is right next to the start of the route in @poi[Bayfront Park](16622681). It’s a great place to stop for ice cream to either start or finish off your ride (or both!)
* 2.5 km into your ride you can stop by @poi[Cootes Paradise](16622717), which offers a scenic view of the water and the nearby Royal Botannical Gardens. 
* @poi[Westdale](16622683) is a veritable gauntlet of great eateries, with a ton of food options including dessert bars, bakeries, a pub, fast food, frozen yogurt, cupcakes, a chocolatier, and 3 coffee houses. 
* @poi[The Osler Gateway](16622686) has several eateries, fast food locations, a grocer, a Baskin Robbins, and 2 craft breweries nearby. 
* Just under 11 km into your ride, if you need a quick rest stop you can turn into the @poi[Sanctuary Park Parking Lot](16622687), which has public washrooms. 
* @poi[The Dundas Valley Trail Centre](16622689) is the heart of the Dundas Valley Conservation Area. It includes fountains, restrooms, a concession, and an interpretive centre and an inactive steam locomotive, making it an ideal rest stop should you need one. 
* Just off the route around the 13.8 km mark is the @poi[Hermitage Ruins](16622692), scenic ruins of a 19th century manor partially restored. It’s only a short jaunt off the route, and it’s a beautiful place to stop for a rest and a snack. 
* Not far from the @poi[Hermitage Ruins](16622692), you can find the @poi[Griffin House National Historic Site](16622691). This is a historic 19th century homestead that offers interpretive walks and tours. 
* You can access the @poi[Hermitage Gate House and parking lot](16622693) 16.7 km into your ride. The gate house also serves seasonally as a small museum. You must pay to park or have a Hamilton Conservation Authority membership per vehicle. This is also the most direct access to the Hermitage Ruins. 
* @poi[Carluke Orchards](16622696) can be found at the 30 km mark of the route. This orchard lets you pick your own apples and has a bakery to get some delicious treats for now or for later! The market is typically closed on Mondays.
* @poi[Splittsville](16622705) 49.7 km into your ride has some food concessions (and glow-in-the-dark bowling) if you need a rest stop or want to vent on some unsuspecting pins.
* Just after crossing the @poi[pedestrian bridge](16622701) across Lincoln M Alexander Parkway, you’ll come to @poi[Albion Falls](16622702). This is a scenic spot to stop for a rest and a view. 
* 59.5 km along the route, @poi[King William Street](16622709) has many unique eateries to enjoy. The route also follows a historic railway that was once considered as an alternative to the Welland Canal.
* Just past the 61 km point, you’ll reach the local craft brewery, @poi[Collective Arts Brewing](16622710). You can check out their website [here](https://collectiveartsbrewing.com/).
* At the 61.9km mark, you can visit the HMCS Haida Historic Site and see a retired Tribal-Class Destroyer. The Haida is occasionally open for tours See [here](https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/haida) for more information. 
* Right next to the @poi[Pier 7 Parking Lot](16622714), you can visit @poi[Williams on the Waterfront](16622712) for coffee and desserts, and right next store is @poi[Scoops Ice Cream](16622712). With your ride winding down towards the end of your day, this is definitely worth a stop. 
* Pier 4 has @poi[public washrooms](16622715) available if you need them near the end of your ride.

#
After passing Pier 4, you’ll be less than a km away from the end of your ride as you return to Bayfront Park, right along the water.

**Congratulations on completing a 64.5 km ride on the Escarpment Country Cruise!**

# Resources

[The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail](https://waterfronttrail.org/) is a charity that enhances, expands and promotes routes and trails like this in partnership with communities and other organizations, such as the [Greenbelt Foundation](https://www.greenbelt.ca/cycling). To support the wayfinding and expansion of these trails, consider **[Supporting Us](https://waterfronttrail.org/donate/)**.

## About the Great Lakes to Greenbelt Watershed Cycling Network
Stretching over 3600 km, [the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail](https://waterfronttrail.org/) connects 155 communities and First Nations along the Canadian shores of the Great Lakes region. The 475 km [Greenbelt Route](https://www.greenbelt.ca/cycling) spans seven regions, nearly two million acres of protected Greenbelt lands, from Northumberland to Niagara.

With generous support from the Greenbelt Foundation, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust is leading work to develop a [Lake Ontario Watershed Network](https://waterfronttrail.org/lown/) of signed routes that link the two extraordinary trails to protect, connect and celebrate Lake Ontario’s watershed. Today there are over 1300km of signed connections, and [9 cycling itineraries](https://waterfronttrail.org/trip-ideas/great-lakes-to-greenbelt/) creating a green net throughout the Greater Toronto bioregion.

For more information on the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail including free downloadable maps and itineraries visit [waterfronttrail.org](https://waterfronttrail.org/).

For more information on the Greenbelt Route and Ontario's Greenbelt including more recommended itineraries, visit [greenbelt.ca/cycling](https://www.greenbelt.ca/cycling).

Escarpment Country Cruise

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