Camp Hamilton Trail

6/1/2020

This trail is a bit treacherous because it travels along the cliff edge. It is visible from the top of the main hill road, although most people do not notice it. (Don't look for the trail while driving!)

Getting There
Park on the wide shoulder along State Road 502 before you reach Eastgate Industrial Park. This is along the north (canyon) side of the road. Go through the fence and follow the trail right (east) toward the tip of the mesa. The trail continues down the right (south) side of the mesa and around to the north into Pueblo Canyon. There are many bike trails in this canyon, but continue heading straight north. When you come to a drainage you will wind right around a fenced resource protection area. At the bottom of the canyon, you will come to a road. Today the trail ends at the road in the bottom of the canyon.

A set of switchbacks start at eastern tip of Los Alamos Canyon, descending into Pueblo Canyon. The red line shows two of the switchbacks at the trailhead at the tip of Los Alamos Mesa. Photograph and Caption by Robert Dryja

If you want to find the ruins of Camp Hamilton, you will have to do some bushwhacking! First, when you come to the road at the bottom of the canyon, turn left. Walk on the road up Pueblo Canyon (west) for about 200 yards. On the right side of the road you may see a cairn or a large tree that has been sawed into pieces. This is where you turn right (off of the road) and head north. You will cross a ditch. The remains of the cabin are located between this ditch and the sludge injection field that is surrounded by a fence. If you reach the fence, walk along the south side until you spot the site. Just a warning- there is very little left of the cabin! To find out what happened, click below.

Read More Camp Hamilton History

Camp Hamilton, 1942. Photo courtesy of Los Alamos Historical Society

History Nugget
The Cabin was built by F. Coomer in 1918 as part of his tourism business leading tourists to the tent rocks located further west in Pueblo Canyon. In 1926 the Hamilton family donated funds for the Los Alamos Ranch School to purchase the cabin to use as an outpost for camping. The trail from the mesa top to the cabin was built by students of the Ranch School.

Imagine building Camp Hamilton Trail!

Explore/Notice
1. The rectangle pit near the trailhead. (This was part of an outhouse believed to be used during the Manhattan Project Era.)
2. Before heading down into the canyon, look north from the top of the mesa and see if you can spot the cabin. You may need binoculars!
3. Pick marks on the walls created by the tools used to build the trail.
4. Rocks stacked to create walls along the trail.

If you find the cabin remains . . .
5. Notice the cabin construction. How were the logs put together?

7 Comments

Bill Knight

7/18/2020 02:36:40 pm

Wow. I didn’t see the trail going down into the canyon, only where it connected to the Canyon Rim Trail.

Robert A Dryja

8/3/2020 09:47:15 am

One end of the Camp Hamilton trail is at the very eastern end of Los Alamos Mesa. There are several commercial buildings a short distance from the eastern end. Park in this area and then find your way to back side of the buildings to locate a trail that leads to the eastern end. A fairly steep set of switch backs are the start of the trail. The hiking becomes much easier as you go further toward the canyon bottom, on the way to the Camp Hamilton log cabin ruin. You will cross the Pueblo Canyon creek to reach the cabin and it may have water in it.

8/3/2020 06:20:45 pm

Thx, Robt. I will try again. We will b n LA this wkend. I would really like to find it.

8/8/2020 09:13:36 pm

I found the trail down into the canyon today. I don’t know how I managed to miss it on my past attempt. I went down the switchbacks and ended on the canyon floor. I did see the pit in the pictures. But at one point another trail went off to the left and I continued straight ahead. Shortly thereafter another trail went to the right, but again I continued straight ahead. Eventually the trail appeared to be going up on the other side of the canyon. I also so bike tracks so I assumed I was no longer on the Camp Hamilton Trail, nor did I ever come onto a road. I ran out of time, but I would still like to find the remains of the cabin. Any help to do so would be appreciated.

8/9/2020 11:58:34 am

Me again. 3rd failed attempt to actually find the remains. Help. Made it to the road. Turned left, about 200 yards I turned right onto another short road to the ditch. I crossed it. It just turned into a thicket. So I continued right along the ditch. Did see a road and bridge road that way. I did see a fence around there. I assume you cross the ditch and head right/East?

Liz Martineau

8/10/2020 03:23:33 pm

Cross the ditch and continue heading north. If you come to the fence that runs around the sludge injection field, follow it. The cabin sits just outside (south) of this fence, so you should be able to find it by following the fence and continuing to look south. I will see if I can find the GPS coordinates.

8/10/2020 07:20:16 pm

Liz: Thanks!! When you say follow the fence, would you be following it to the East or West? How far is the fence once you cross the ditch? And how far are the remains once you reach the fence? Thanks
Again, Bill

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