I did this hike a while back in high school. It was a fun one. I was amazed at how beautiful the view was. You ascend up a normal trail. Primarily forest then you begin up the rocks and have vast sweeping views of the Columbia River. Excellent hike!

Early morning hike to summit from parking lot across from beacon rock. Flush toilets,drinking fountain,nice day camp kid area. Passing pool of the winds. Ok for kids to Rodney falls. Constant ascent up w some eroded areas and overgrowth nearer the top. Someone has stolen the summit sign. So direction gets unclear. Spectacular views from top. Great weather and cool enough despite gorge temps being 90.

So we did end up going to Beacon Rock State Park, though we didn't climb the rock. While the rock was impressive from below, and I'm quite sure the views are awe inspiring, the rain was coming down and we didn't really want to be so exposed. So instead we crossed the highway to hike Hardy Creek. The camera didn't join us on this one so we were able to live in the moment a bit more. There are two major falls on Hardy Creek, Rodney and Hardy. It's got a little bit of an incline, and there was some mud on the path, but it's only a 1.25 mile hike to Rodney Falls. Hardy Falls comes first, however, and the view of it while brief, is impressive. Somewhere just short of a mile the trail makes a bend and you can see Hardy's fully cascade. Continuing on the trail brings you to a rather steep and slippery turnout to a view from the top of the falls. It's short and worth the detour to get a sense of how high the falls really is. The big payoff, however, is Rodney Falls and the Pool of the Winds. Rodney Falls by itself is impressive. While not particularly tall, it has significant volume and multiple beautiful cascades on its lower course. But for the money, take the short climb to the base of the first cascade. Here you find the Pool of the Winds. Get up close to the rock and stick your face over the railing. A blast of air and spray quickly teaches you how this place got its name. It truly feels as if all wind is born here. I've sauntered a lot of waterfalls. I've been up close and personal with many of the Gorge waterfalls. This one is my all time favorite simply because of that magical blast of air. Most people seem to end their trip here. It makes for a nice 2.5 mile hike, only 800 feet in elevation and is easy on the munchkins. It's a little sad because there is so much more to walk and so much more to see. Crossing the bridge over Hardy Creek takes you around the ridge to the east. Not far the trail splits in two. Going straight takes you to Hamilton Mountain Summit and left takes you back to Hardy Creek. We opted for Hardy Creek since it was less difficult, we had BC with us, and we weren't really sure how much more rain we wanted to slog through. There are a few view points along this route that provide great views of the Gorge and Bonneville Dam. There was also a very surprising view of Beacon Rock. The surprise is how small it seems when you're level with its summit. The trees on the Hardy Creek Trail are plentiful. After the first major turn to the north, there really isn't any more view to be had but the peace and cool are well worth the walk. There is an old slide across the path just past the 2 mile point but even from there, the view isn't much. At 2.6 miles we rejoined Hardy Creek. From here you can patter to the equestrian trail head, around to Hamilton Mountain, or go back the way you came. Since the maps at the park sucked and we were unsure how long the Hamilton route would take us, we opted for the last. This was probably the wisest move considering the weather. We returned to Rodney Falls for one last spectacular view and beat feet for the car. The 2.6 back was significantly quicker than the first 2.6. In all, we tracked home a ton of mud and some great memories and mental pictures of the Pool of the Winds. If you go by, stop and make the run up the hill. In my book it's more bang for the buck than Beacon Rock.

This hike is gorgeous and the trail is very well maintained. There are some steep places if you take the "more difficult" trail so be prepared in advance but it's so worth it for the views of the Gorge. We did a loop from the parking area up the more difficult side of the trail, across the ridge, and back down the difficult side. From the top of the Mt on a clear day you can see Mt. Hood. We didn't see it because of the clouds but we still got spectacular views of the Gorge and it was worth every step! Parking was a bit of a mess later in the day so go early to secure your parking place. It's worth it!

finally some sun breaks and a holiday got me and about a hundred other folks on the trail today. Parking lot sign said "full" when I arrived at 1:30 pm but several spaces had opened up. The lower lot at Beacon Rock was also very full. I headed up a wide well-graded trail a long mile to the falls. Spectacular! With all the snow we've had this year it was in full force. Trail is moderately muddy often and very muddy occasionally. From there I took the counterclockwise loop to the peak, which I recommend. This route is steeper and rockier but has much more wide open vistas of the Gorge, meaning your rest stops are full of views. The summit of Hamilton Mountain comes on you abruptly. On a totally clear day I'm sure Hood is staring you in the face but not today. I wonder if you might see Adams to the Northeast on a clear day. Today, with the sun and clouds, just great views of the gorge, Bonneville Dam absolutely gushing water, and you could see the high water levels of the Columbia on all sides. Heading back down Hamilton the other route, you soon come to a wide open saddle with more views. From there it's down a wide, former road to a turnoff, then down some muddy switchbacks to the trail junction above. Great hike I never knew about! No snow or bugs today.