The hike was quite quick and easy. There is absolutely no water on the trail. Thankfully we brought plenty of water for ourselves and the two dogs. We were the only people on the trail that we saw today. The bugs were an annoyance, but not overwhelming. We could see Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood. Obviously we could see Mt. St. Helens. A great hike if you want to see all of the mountains at the same time.

My husband and I drove down to the area near the trail head on Saturday 3/7/15, and camped in a spot just down the road. The road itself was very easy to navigate. There were potholes, so watch your speed, but it's totally do-able in a 2-wheel drive car right now. We started up the trail at about noon the next day (Sunday 3/8/15), and it was AMAZING!!! We huffed and puffed up the initial switchbacks, and finally got up to the first meadow area. There was a small snow field that is easily crossed, though trekking poles help. The views from here were awe inspiring. Mt. St. Helens was spectacular, as were Rainier, and Adams. From a little farther down the trail we could see Mt. Hood, and... hold on... wait for it... Mt. Jefferson! It was so clear that we could see for 117 miles! We hiked in shorts and tee-shirts. We were the only people on the trail. It was the perfect hiking day.

This is February? Seriously? Drove to the trailhead at 3300 feet and not a lick of snow. In fact no snow until about 5000 feet on this trail--and then it was only about one foot deep for 200-300 yards. This trail leads to lots of grassy meadows and lots of elk droppings. It was wonderful being in grassy meadows. In February. at 5000 feet. In sneakers. Wow.

We had a beautiful, sunny day for a very enjoyable hike in the technically-still-summer-but-starting-to-look-and-feel-like-fall time of year, which I can attest is a great time of year for this hike. The trail is good quality and in good condition for the entire length, alternately dirt/dust and small gravel that looks like it could be pumice - no rocky or otherwise difficult sections of trail so it's pretty easy on the feet and ankles. I was glad I was wearing my hiking boots because it was quite dusty and there were plenty of loose small rocks/gravel flying, but it could be accomplished without problem in sneakers or good athletic sandals. The first portion of the hike is a climb through lovely forest with occasional peak-a-boo views. There are a handful of switchbacks and some portions that have what I would describe as steep grade, but it's mostly a nice moderate, constant climb. After most of the climbing is done you reach a small meadow area with clear views of Rainier. Continue about 1/2 mile to where the real ridge opens up to panoramic views of Mt Adams, Mt St Helens crater (though only over another ridge, so the entire mountain and Spirit Lake are never visible), and Mt Rainier. Stunning! The meadow shrubs were turning red along with lots of bushes with bright orange and red berries (not any edible varieties) to enjoy. Took about 1.5 hours up, paused for an hour at the top, and traveled down in about 1 hour. We encountered two backpackers just exiting the trail as we were starting and just a handful of others while we rested at the ridge, but we mostly had the trail to ourselves. Fine hike for our pug, who did great throughout the shady first portion, but was hot at the top under the sun and dusty by the time we made it down.