Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail (Brantford)

Activities: Free Admission, Handicapped Access, Hiking, Cycling, Snowshoeing, Cross Country Skiing

The Hamilton to Brantford Rail-Trail is Ontario's first entirely off-road, interurban hiking and biking trail. The Hamilton Region Conservation Authority owns and maintains the trail from Hamilton to Jerseyville, and the Grand River Conservation Authority owns and maintains the trail from Jerseyville to Brantford. Trail users can enjoy 32 kilometres (20 miles) of completely resurfaced trail on the abandoned roadbed of the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway (TH&B). The railway, affectionately known as "To Hell and Back", provided transportation to communities along its route from 1894. It was officially abandoned in 1988 as a result of a landslide and completed as a Rail-Trail in 1996.

The Hamilton-Jerseyville section of the trail begins on the west side of Hamilton, near McMaster University and follows the scenic Dundas valley for 18 kilometres (11 miles) to Jerseyville with a long steady climb from kilometre 3.5 to kilometre 12. The Jerseyville to Brantford section is newer and constructed in 1996. The entire trail length is surfaced with stone dust. Posts mark each kilometre from the Hamilton end, and some benches are provided along the trail. The Brantford end of the trail crosses under Highway 403 into Brantford, and connects with Brantford's Gordon Glaves Memorial Pathway through the city. Remember to take plenty of water as there are no stores along most of the route.