Hamilton Mountain is located on the north side of the Columbia River Gorge. This side is quite similar to the south side (the Oregon side) although vegetation is a bit different and hills seem steeper. Part of the differences is due to more sun exposure on the north side, and actually that’s why it’s better to hike on the north side in this season, unless you want to be really cold. The trail starts with a descent hike that passes a couple of falls, one of which is carved in to the rock (not easy to picture). The trail meets an intersection where you can take the longer back road or the shorter, more difficult trail on the front. Taking the back route, takes you away from the river and into the mountain. Is a dark, very covered trail without interesting views. This trail would be great for downhill biking! After a long walk, the trail turns back and heads back in the direction of the river and meets a ridge where you can either continue to other trails, or take the ridge to Hamilton. This ridge was very windy, but the views were worth it. The peak in Hamilton is not very interesting. It only offers a partial view of the Gorge and descent views of the mountains in the back including Table Mountain (You’ll see in the pictures the reason for the name). I took the front trail on my way down. This route offered much better views of the river, dams and steep cliffs on the back. Pictures don’t show very well the size of these rock formations, but trust me, they are huge. The peak of Hamilton is on the top of the rock formations. We took a side trail on a ridge that was quite impressive. It gave us a nice view of Beacon Rock and Hamilton or our back.
Hamilton Mountain, November 11th
Hamilton Mountain is located on the north side of the Columbia River Gorge. This side is quite similar to the south side (the Oregon side) although vegetation is a bit different and hills seem steeper. Part of the differences is due to more sun exposure on the north side, and actually that’s why it’s better to hike on the north side in this season, unless you want to be really cold. The trail starts with a descent hike that passes a couple of falls, one of which is carved in to the rock (not easy to picture). The trail meets an intersection where you can take the longer back road or the shorter, more difficult trail on the front. Taking the back route, takes you away from the river and into the mountain. Is a dark, very covered trail without interesting views. This trail would be great for downhill biking! After a long walk, the trail turns back and heads back in the direction of the river and meets a ridge where you can either continue to other trails, or take the ridge to Hamilton. This ridge was very windy, but the views were worth it. The peak in Hamilton is not very interesting. It only offers a partial view of the Gorge and descent views of the mountains in the back including Table Mountain (You’ll see in the pictures the reason for the name). I took the front trail on my way down. This route offered much better views of the river, dams and steep cliffs on the back. Pictures don’t show very well the size of these rock formations, but trust me, they are huge. The peak of Hamilton is on the top of the rock formations. We took a side trail on a ridge that was quite impressive. It gave us a nice view of Beacon Rock and Hamilton or our back.
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