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| Sunshine on the Hardy Creek Trail |
Getting There
Take WA-14 from Vancouver, WA east toward N Bonneville.
After passing Cape Horn and the trailhead parking lot, the skies were so dark past Stevenson. I decided it was a Hamilton day.
Just after Doetsch Ranch you'll see the Ranger Station on the north side of the road just before the Beacon Rock parking lot, then another road across from the bathrooms. The road winds up the hill for a bit.
The Hike
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| AllTrails map |
Length: 7.82 mi
Elev. gain: 2,323 ft
Moving time: 3:16:08
Total time: 3:39:07
Avg pace: 25:06
Calories: 1,974
Yet Another Hike At Hamilton (YAHAH). I really need to find another trail like Hamilton Mountain. Just kidding! I love this hike and it's a great workout. It's my 5th visit to the Park this year, last year I hiked here 11 times, and 15 times in 2021.
During the drive out there, the rain and fog was persistent. I knew the trees would give good protection. The lower part of the trail was pretty muddy. Hilariously, I saw 7-8 Huskies from about 4 different groups. There's a damaged foot bridge just above the parking lot.
The tree that has been down for awhile just past the turn for Hadley Grove has finally been cleared. Crews recently repaired the trail near Rodney & Hardy Falls so I'm guessing they knocked that one then.
The next few sections were on-par with previous visits. There's no snow until near the top, i.e. the last 1-2 switchbacks.
At the summit, a group was hanging out. The top was socked in so no views.
I put on microspikes and headed along the ridge to the Saddle. This is the first time I'd done the loop since Nov 6. The parking lot had around 10-12 cars but I really didn't pass anyone on the trail after the summit until reaching the parking lot but did see a couple hikers from a distance, one at the Saddle with a dog and another near Hardy Falls.
For some variety, I took Don's Cutoff Trail. The snow on the Upper Hardy Creek was pretty light. I finally took off the microspikes before I reached the Equestrian Trail.
On the Hardy Creek Trail, the sun came out.
When I got to Rodney Falls on the return trip, I took the old switchback trail near the stairs. I gave up after 4-5 switchbacks. Not exactly sure where it goes because it's not marked. Possibly an animal trail though it looked like humans had been there. I wondered if it was an unofficial route to the top of Pool of the Winds.
