Hamilton has many large steel stairways allowing pedestrians easy travel between the upper and lower city. But there is also an "unofficial" staircase that was hand crafted by a single person.
Simply known as "Uli's Stairs", this stairway has caused controversy with city officials. Fortunately the city has left the stair to be, with only a few warning signs being posted to reduce liability. The stairs are slightly more challenging to traverse compared to standardized metal or cement stairs, but they are no more difficult than hiking along the nearby Brice Trail for example. And there is a real artistic quality to them, and a false sense of age (to me them seemed to be much older than they actually are).
These stairs can be accessed from the escarpment brow, near the corner of Fennel Ave East and Mountain Brow Blvd; however there is limited parking in that area. The stairs also cross the Escarpment Rail Trail and the Bruce trail, both of which provide a convenient access point.
The following is taken from the Hamilton Spectator, April 10 2007
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The stairs are a work of art, painstakingly and lovingly etched into the side of the escarpment in east Hamilton.
The little-known man behind them is Ulrich, otherwise known as Uli. The brains and brawn behind the steps, a self-appointed curator, he wants to feed the birds, pet the dogs, clean up the litter. But he shuns any recognition for all the work he's done.
He just wants to be left to work on the stairs, where he toils about two hours a day. This year he's even added flower beds with daffodils and tulips.
But city officials see Uli's 305 stairs as a pest and even worse, a risk to public safety.
Despite all of his free service, officials posted two big warning signs earlier this year, not just telling Hamiltonians to be careful, but telling them to not use the stairs at all.
But what stairs are they supposed to use?
At issue is how Hamiltonians are able or allowed to get from the lower to upper city in the east end.