Hamilton Lake
Photograph © Bob Nichols 1994

The Hamilton Lakes are gorgeous, or at least the top one is. It's a relatively shallow snow melt lake, clear and cool, but not too cold for swimming. On the edge where you come up from the valley, there are good camping spots, the rest of the lake is surrounded by fallen boulders and heavy foliage. We spent two nights there, relaxing after our rough first two days. I did a little exploring up by the waterfall at the far edge, a wonderful little expedition including some small boulder climbing, my favorite! We had pretty good company there, a boy scout troop and a wonderful couple who joined us on our second night and followed our path the next day.