Hamilton Mountain Loop

Trail Description

When considering close proximety to portland and a rewarding march up a hill, you can\'t beat this hike. I did this trail in early Febuary with a friend. This trek starts off on a well traveled path while crossing under power lines and through a somewhat uninspiring first mile. The trail finally pays off when it crosses hardy falls, rodney falls, and pool of the winds, all very nice falls. The trail begins its loop shortly after the falls. We elected to take the easier left route, having not hiked in a couple months. This route takes you through a mysterious deciduous forest that feels more like the appalachians than the cascades. After a couple of miles the trail meets up with an old road. The road winds up the hill to a nice open ridge, a perfect lunch spot and grest views of table mountain. Although this looks like the top, the trail will fool you a few more times before it reaches the summit of hamilton mountain. The way back down scrambles along a sharp ridge of aburpt cliffs. This is a great place to be during a sunset, but not after dark.