Hamilton Branch Trails

A lot of controlled burned areas and downed trees today. Not as pretty green forestry to see while hiking. Still had a great hike.

It took us 1:18 to complete, although my husband is tall and has long legs, so if I was alone I think I would’ve taken a little longer Overall a good trail, I would just be cautious of the roots and hilly terrain, we both were close to face planting a few times. Also, the road leading to the trail is all stone, and does not have the best traction.

Nice but repetitive

It's a well-maintained and marked trail. There had been a recent controlled burn of the area so it was actually bleak-looking. I'm sure it's a pretty walk when "greened up." Probably won't hike it again only because it's really more of a biker's domain. Had to pay attention for oncoming bikers in both directions. Great trail for bikers.

It was long! Kind of difficult for me because it was my 3rd hike today! (4-7-2021) Couple of nice views of the lake. Someone had picked up 18 large bags of trash along the trail. And left them along the way, I’m assuming, for someone to come by with a wheelbarrow and cart them out. You can tell the bags have been sitting for a while. I did not see one other person on the trail today.

Nice little trail in the woods. Kind of boring. No views of the huge lake nearby.

Beautiful trail. Well marked. Moves along the lake and also deep inland. Saw deer, squirrels, sea turtles, birds, Blue Crane. Not an “easy” trail. I would mark it as “moderate”. Lots of hills, tree roots, mud, rocks and steep slopes. Not flat and easy.

Deer, Hawk seen

Nice and peaceful on a warm Sunday. I was the only one parked at the trailhead around noon. The trail must have been rerouted in the past. See attached photo for the current path. I looked to see if I could find the old trail but only saw one old trail marking. Key Bridge is gone and is being replaced with a modern bridge.

it’s a good trail for what it is. it’s too close to the road for my liking, and you could hear cars on the entire trail. some mud and down trees but nothing difficult to cross. very well marked.

Great sun down views nice trail - we loved it

quick Sunday hike. we didn't attempt to do the whole thing.

Started at West Dam Recreational Area and hiked towards Petersburg and back for 7.5 miles. West Dam Recreational Area has restroom facilities to use before you start the trail. From West Dam TH to Lake Springs Loop TH is 2.6 miles. At Lake Springs TH, you have the option of doing the loop to Lake Springs Recreational Area (1.8 miles) or continuing on to Petersburg TH (3.8 miles). My two friends and I decided to continue on to Petersburg. There is another restroom facility at Lake Springs TH (port-a-john style), as well as a parking area. After hiking almost 4 miles, we decided to turn around after snapping a few photos on the water. The trail we hiked was spacious, fairly flat, and cleared off enough for bikes to pass through. We could view the lake on several sections of the trail but the trail was several yards from the water and the reason why we decided to walk the shoreline on the way back. There were several birds we could hear and one hawk sighting, as well as tree frogs. Overall a good, clean trail to get out in nature. The only negatives I would say would be the sections of the trail that were close to the road and hearing the road traffic, and a lot of cut tree throughout the trail. I am interested in going back and picking up the other parts of trail. It appears Petersburg to Wildwood Park (9 miles) is closer to the shoreline. Additionally, I would imagine the trail will look differently during the other seasons and can’t wait to see it then.

A few muddy spots. Overall, pretty good

beautiful, easy to moderate difficulty, close to augusta. Only blemish is all the clear cutting along parts of the trail.

Good trail. We hiked on Saturday and didn't met anyone on the trail. Beautiful and calm.

well kept, clean trail. it rained the previous 2 days, so we expected muddy trails and some slipping, but it was actually pretty dry and had great views. Planning to pack in a picnic next time! easy in terms of it being relatively flat, but it was long enough to be tougher than some other local trails.

Great lil trail. Well marked. Small amount of muddy areas, but nothing out of the norm for a wooded trail I feel. My dog loved it