Beautiful hike up the cliffs side and down the loop on the equestrian trail to hardy creek trail. The loop is a great way to go with the shorter steeper section on the way up then a nice gradual descent. Views of the Columbia river gorge are excellent

Awesome trail! Views definitely better on the way up than at the summit. There are some overlook spots just off the trail that are a little sketchy (narrow trail with sheer cliff drop) - be smart and safe when snapping pics of the gorgeous Columbia River! We hiked on a Sunday afternoon and were able to find parking in the upper picnic area lot (which only added a short distance to our overall mileage and well worth it). The trail was not too crowded and the amount of people definitely thins out past the waterfalls. Almost everyone wore masks when passing. We did not do the loop; we went down the same way we went up. 

We hiked the loop. We took the more difficult route up - go straight instead of turning left at the intersection with the Hardy Creek Trail. Be prepared for a good thigh workout and scrambling in a few spots on the way up. Great views from multiple locations. 

We arrived at the trailhead at 10:00 on a Friday to an almost full parking lot - probably 5 spaces left out of 30 (?).  Coming from Olympia it was nice to see that the 120 or so miles south of me led to some flowers and trees being further along in their spring time show than I've seen around here.  We saw many violets, trillium, spring beauties, and twin flower; the highlight was a Calypso Orchid right off the trail.  The waterfall is really flowing with a lot of water right now; be careful around the viewing area as it was very slippery.  We continued on up; views were spectacular on this sunny day.  We reached the summit after several switchbacks and more good views.  Not wanting to come back down the very steep, rocky, scrambly sections of the trail we decided to come back down the loop and enjoyed lunch and the views at a rocky ledge marked by a pole.  Walking back down via the loop is very nice and gradual on a combination of old road and good trail.  We had 3 or 4 downed trees to cross along this section - none of them difficult.  Make sure you have a map or know your intended destination as there are 3 or 4 intersections that are signed, but if you don't have a picture of the route in your head or on a map it would be easy to get off on the wrong trail.  

Arrived at the trailhead around 8:30 to just a handful of cars in the parking lot. The parks maintenance crew were repairing bathrooms (roof) but portables were open and stocked. If you are doing this hike for wildflowers you are a bit early. Several weeks I would guess for peak viewing. If you are doing this hike for conditioning and the views it is a great spring choice. Don't let the beginning of this one fool you. The path is wide and covered in dirt and needles. I chose the traditional route up passing the cut-off to Hardy Creek. To the waterfall it is lovely. (Don't miss the short walk up to Pool of the Winds). After this point the terrain gets a bit more challenging and the trail is a climb all the way to the summit.The trail itself is in good condition. No blowdowns or obstacles on the way up. There are some steep places and some water over the trail in spots but otherwise in great shape. On a clear day the peak views are great from the tiny summit at Hamilton Mountain. Rather than go down the way you came up I'd suggest taking the trail to your left (when you are facing Mt Hood) back down. This trail takes you over a ridge with great views and down through the forest. There are more blowdowns here but nothing unpassable and it's much easier on the knees. The directions here on WTA are spot on. With my wandering going down I logged around 8 miles with 2100 ft of gain. A beautiful snow-free hike to get some elevation and the views of the Gorge going up are spectacular !

More photos on my blog linked below. 

https://insearchofthevery.com/2021/04/06/trailshot-tuesday-15/