Hamilton Mountain Trail Closed

[Don Nelsen]

Well, there are ways to do this. Here is a GPS track from about five years ago of a loop I did. Lots of options to summit Hamilton but that was not my goal. There were lots of possibilities as I traversed the east flank of the peak though they were all very steep. I could not do the south face without serious tech gear but it should be doable given that.

DN

Hey Don, neat, where did you park on this outing?

I think the easiest route would be to park at Beacon Rock then bushwhack up to the abandoned cabin beyond the powerlines then on to the road to Hardy Creek Trail and go either way.

--Paul

Hi Paul,

I parked just north of where the map says "Mobil Home Park" and went SSE clockwise along the power line route and up the talus and moss-covered area to the cliffs. There were some really difficult sections but nothing you couldn't do with ease!! The down climb back to Hamilton Creek was really steep but again, a serious off-trail trekker can do this. (Fording Hamilton Creek this time of year would be a serious problem though.) I did this hike with Dan Huntington on 9/19 2011.

dn

[Chip Down]

I could not do the south face without serious tech gear but it should be doable given that.

I wouldn't try it even with technical gear, but there are actually a lot of fun scramble routes I want to check out in that area. I think they can be linked up to a summit route on the south side, but even if they all dead end I think it would be a fun day. Reasons I haven't yet: Stupid job. Damn weather. Too many other things to do in the gorge.

Oh, and I know nothing of this abandoned cabin. Maybe I'll run into it someday.

[kepPNW]

I think the easiest route would be to park at Beacon Rock then bushwhack up to the abandoned cabin beyond the powerlines then on to the road to Hardy Creek Trail and go either way.

That's a great alternative. I like to just go all the way across to the Hardy Ridge trail, go up the far side of that, back down past the boot and over the Equestrian Bridge, then find my way over to Hamilton. No way to "discover" the "closure" until you're on your way back down, then.

Oh, and I know nothing of this abandoned cabin. Maybe I'll run into it someday.

Just past the powerlines, on the normal route up Hamilton, watch for a bit of a scramble up to the left.

• 

[miah66]

Uh-oh, now this thread has drifted into "off-trail exploration" territory!

[BigBear]

For an alternative route to Hamilton Mountain, how much distance does the equestrian route add to the hike? I know it's not a scenic alternative, but it would be easier to access for Hamilton and Hardy without worrying about who owns the land east of the state park.

[BigBear]

The equestrian route is the gravel road that comes in from the west and meets the loop at the Hardy Creek Trail. The trailhead is off of the road that proceeds north from the ranger station along SR-14 (across from the base of Beacon Rock).

[kepPNW]

For an alternative route to Hamilton Mountain, how much distance does the equestrian route add to the hike? I know it's not a scenic alternative, but it would be easier to access for Hamilton and Hardy without worrying about who owns the land east of the state park.

Piecing together a few different tracks, it appears the shortest route from the Equestrian TH to Hamilton summit would be about 4.25 miles. You'd hardly be adding anything (total ~8.75), if you made a lollipop by either going up or coming back down the front side.

[romann]

Always wondered what was the purpose of that cabin? Maybe someone's homestead on a parcel surrounded by state park (now it's FS parcel).

[Eric Peterson]

Always wondered what was the purpose of that cabin? Maybe someone's homestead on a parcel surrounded by state park (now it's FS parcel).

The Garmin based mapset I compiled a bunch of years ago uses early 2010's BLM data. Yellow = private, dark green = USFS and light green = state.

Not always surrounded but not sure of the exact timeline, I bet beag knows though

[kepPNW]

Always wondered what was the purpose of that cabin? Maybe someone's homestead on a parcel surrounded by state park (now it's FS parcel).

The Garmin based mapset I compiled a bunch of years ago uses early 2010's BLM data. Yellow = private, dark green = USFS and light green = state.

Skamania County GIS confirms the dark green parcels (actually three within that quarter section) are owned by "USA" (doesn't say specific management agency), and that the yellow areas are still privately owned.