Overview:
This is a wonderful climb in teh Columbia Gorge with great views from the many cliffs and ledges near the top of Mt. Hood, Adams and the Columbia River. There is a side catwalk trail you can take along the way and even a beautiful waterfall with bridge viewpoint. I don't want to give away too much as being surprised is always better. Bring a camera!
Tips:
Directions:
Take the Washington State Highway 14 east from Vancouver and take the access road from Mile Post 35 near the Beacon Rock State Park rest area. This will be open in the summer time but not in the winter. In the winter you'll need to park at the rest area and it will add nearly a mile round trip to your hike. Parking is free.
A beautiful waterfall with a bridge on the trail to view it from. Just past here at a trail junction of two trails take the right one which will bring you up a ridge directly to the top of Hamilton. You will return on the trail on the left.
You'll have a great view down towards the Columbia River and Beacon rock from the top of this 2,480 foot mountain. From here head north down the north ridge for a loop hike back to the parking lot.
Here you will leave the forest service roads and head back into the woods for the return.
Pictures in this guide taken by:
Photo by Michael Schwern, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license., CheeseMonkey, grmaculsay, tjackson, Danl