Couple inches of snow, easy to hike in, very windy at the top where the trees are less. Only went straight up and straight down, did not do the loop as the snow was starting to come down hard.

Great day for a hike and a perfect way to see the Gorge.

The hike is really straightforward, well-maintained and easy to follow, but not necessarily easy -- you gain a lot of elevation in a pretty small amount of time.

Unfortunatley, the very top of the mountain is really overgrown so you don't have much of a view, which makes the hike pretty anticlimactic. However, you can see Mt Adams from the top which does make it worth it. If you're planning to stop for lunch, I would definitely recommend stopping at one of the rocky outlooks on the way up.

We decided to just go back down the way we came versus doing the loop trail, which is shorter, but the rock/dirt did give out a few times coming down. The other benefit was being able to stop at the waterfall on the way back -- we took a dip in the pool and filtered some of the water, which was a great way to end the hike.

Overall the hike took us about 2.5 hours with plenty of stops and going at a pretty casual pace.

Hiked a clockwise lollipop loop through Beacon Rock State Park starting from the Hamilton Mt TH using the Hamilton Mt Trail, Hardy Creek Trail and Upper Hardy Creek trails.  We avoided the summit this time to venture deeper into the park.  The trails were in good shape except for long sections of the Upper Hardy Creek Trail (the portion that parallels Hardy Creek) that were very overgrown.  The outhouse just before Don's Cutoff was in excellent shape and fully stocked. Lots of ripe berries along the Upper Hardy Creed ridge.  Plenty of solitude once you leave Hamilton Mt trail. Some bugs buzzing but not bad if you keep moving.  9 miles, 2,200 EG.    #HikeaThon

We did not go up to the mountain top, but thoroughly enjoyed the short hike to the Pool of Wind/Hamilton Mountain Trailhead from the Beacon Rock State Park upper campground.

Mostly mild, well-traveled trail with some up and down, including short sections of platformed/staircase-like climbs.

The view points are well defined with guardrails and wooden bridges that help you get a good view of the waterfalls and immerse yourself in the valley with the sound of water. Tranquil. 

This short hike fit well in the morning before we departed after spending a couple of nights at the campground. (Campground check out is 1pm.) The trail right out from the upper campground went through woods most part and the morning breeze in the woods were very pleasant and helped kids stay engaged. We did not have any issue with bugs/mosquitos during this morning hike.

The waterfalls, especially the Pool of Wind is beautiful! Kids were super intrigued with the Pool of Wind, the formation of the waterfall.

Just did this hike with my pup. Wonderful waterfall headed up, a good spot to cool off. Beautiful views on the gorge-side up the mountain, but unfortunately a TON of bugs at the top of the summit (and no views due to overgrowth), which is a bummer. Went on a hotter day and we essentially jogged at the summit to the connecting loop on the other side of the mountain to avoid the bugs, which was through quite a bit of overgrowth as well. Cool water hole if you take the loop back down on the horse trail. I don't think many folks take this route as we were all alone, which was nice on a crowded weekend. A word of caution, this is a tough hike so keep that in mind even with your animals. There are also areas towards the summit that are really rocky/jagged, which was a little hard on my dog's feet, especially after hiking straight up for about 3.2 miles. Packing booties may not be a bad idea.