Hiked with our 10 month old, two friends and their 10 month old and our dog. The parking lot is clear of ice. The trail is ice covered after the boardwalks in fairly large sections. The steeper hill up to where the horse trail joins is an ice slide. Almost went down it coming back. We hit up both view points doing a larger loop and Enjoyed the variety in trees, the gorgeous views and the ability to hike safely with some friends who are not hikers. Everyone had fun and got some fresh air!

Very pretty with a dusting of snow. My dogs were a little jumpy today. Sounded like fireworks or target practice nearby.

At 30 degrees there was a thin layer of snow and ice on much of the trail mixed at times with mud patches. We were fine in boots without poles or micro spikes. Great day for hiking. Saw several other groups of people but had western view trail mostly to ourselves.

Friday, December 30, 2016: arrived at the trailhead at 12:30 pm for this last hike of 2016. This is hike #3 of my hiking rehab after my October 20th high ankle sprain. Plenty of parking spaces although the trail was a popular spot today because the sun was out and it wasn't too, too cold. Lots of mud, of course ... lots, but when you're wearing the proper shoes you can slosh through the muck and not care in the least, like we did. I used poles because of my ankle but the elevation gain is so minimal, the casual hiker has no need for them. Ruby, my stepdaughter's puppy, enjoyed herself. It was the perfect hike for her as we only hiked approximately half of the 10 available miles.