What a gem this hike is!
When I arrived in the parking lot, the lower lot was full, the upper lot had only one or two spots left. I was getting there around noon, so definitely recommend getting there early.
I first hiked up to Rodney Falls before going the short distance back down to take the fork out to Hamilton Mountain. From the TH to the falls, it was immensely populated with people - groups of friends, families, doggos, etc. Lots of whom weren't wearing masks, so it made me a little weary. When I got to the falls there was a group of about 9 young teenagers goofing around maskless and doing a mini-photoshoot by the falls, not allowing others to view it. At this point I opted to move to the fork in the trail ASAP.
Once on the Hamilton Mountain trail, I only encountered a few people here and there in passing. I had the trail to myself for long periods of time. Once I reached the loop, I chose to do the trail counter-clockwise opting to take the switchbacks on the way up, and the horse trail on the way down. It was a lot, but I am glad I did! So many incredible views of the fog rolling through the mountains and the sun beaming through. I was swooning. Once I reached what AllTrails said was the "summit" I was a little disappointed because there weren't any views. There was a trail through some trees - I only went a short way down, I'm not sure that it went anywhere.
After I had a snack and chose to go down the opposite trail that I came up, I rounded a corner and was rewarded! There's a little plateau that opened up and beautiful views of the river, dam, mountains, clouds, and more. Spent a moment appreciating, then came back down. I'd recommend the counter-clockwise up for a challenge and rewarding views after the summit. I ran down the horse trail as it was wide and spacious. Then quickly ascended to join the main trail and back to my car. In total, it took about 4 hours with two stops, and visiting the waterfalls.
PS - It was very very (very) muddy. I got mud all over my shoes, pants, etc. Be prepared to get dirty :)
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