The lot and the maintained section of trail

I arrived at the lot around 5 am. It was empty. The bathrooms are open, pretty clean and stocked with TP.

Wanted to get an early start on this one to beat the crowds. This was my first time up Storm King, and I was excited as I love a cliffy scramble.

The first half of the trail is easy, just some nicely graded switchbacks up the mountain, gorgeous old growth trees. The forest is really coming alive, heard so many birds, including several grouse.

The Lake Crescent viewpoint is really pretty, I'd say that's a good stopping point on the trail if you are afraid of heights but still want a nice view.

After the viewpoint the trail continues for a few more switchbacks in the woods until the sign signifying “End of Maintained Trail”.

And wow, the rocky ridge after the sign is so much fun, there are a few narrow points, and the views really start to open up. Good footing, nothing too crazy.

The ropes

I am not sure why ropes are strictly necessary here, the grade isn't that steep. But there is fall potential. I opted to scramble the rock adjacent to the ropes, more solid footing(but right along the cliff edge). The main issue is loose material on the rock making it easy to slip. If you really fell there is potential to slide a long ways down.

The grade for the first rope section is the steepest, but still not too bad, can't be more than 40% grade. The first rope section is the longest, and the steepest.

After that there are more ropes, but they really aren't necessary, there aren't more super steep slopes that would warrant them, but I guess it's nice to have.

I think that the ropes are there more because of the loose dirt and rock that can be easy to slip on, rather than the actual difficulty of the climb or the steepness of the grade.

The final scramble up to the top is barely a scramble. You can just run up.

Over all I'd say that for this final scramble/ropes section if you've done any scrambling before it's no big deal. This is light class 2. If this is your first time on terrain like this, just take it slow, and bring gloves if you plan on using the ropes(rope burn isn't fun). I would not recommend anyone who is afraid of heights continue past the end of the maintained trail.

Also the loose rock material would be a problem if multiple people are climbing, you don't want to send a bunch of gravel down on someone, so space out plenty between climbers.

The Top

I see why this trail is popular. The rocky top and the view of Lake Crescent are truly stunning. I was alone. Got up in an hour, and had th top for an hour(no other hikers showed up! Pays to start early).

I just took the time to enjoy the view, have a snack, take pics and scramble around the rocks.

It is definitely a great hike, so if you are up to the scramble check it out.

The Return

After I descended the ropes is when I ran into other hikers. Probably passed 20+ people heading up as I was heading down.

After I got back down to the lower trail I added on Marymere falls before heading back to the lot.

The lot was almost full when I returned. Lots of people showing up to enjoy the trails and the lake.

Overall this is a fantastic hike. Great views, and it does have some pretty fun terrain. I'd say a good beginning scramble if you want to get a taste for it. Don't go if you are afraid of heights.

Use the directions from this app!!! Google steered me wrong, but the description of how to get there is mostly accurate. The Ranger station sign for Marymere Falls is also the entry point for Mount Storm King. Easy hike up to the top. Can be intimidating if you are afraid of heights. Would not recommend this hike with children.

This hike is so breathtaking!!

I hiked this on 4/13/23. We started kinda late around 11am. The hike is fairly well maintained, hats off to the trail workers to maintaining this! Its a gradual and continuous accent through the forest and its pretty covered hike that minor showers didnt bother us. 

Towards the end we get to the ropes part where there are about 2-3 sections with ropes. The folks who set the ropes did an amazing job to keep it well paced with stopping points. Its a little scary, but actually quite sturdy to leverage the rope to climb up - its not a vertical climb simply small stones that dont provide the best support to hike in absence of rope.  Once you are done with the rope section, you simply scramble up the rocks at the end to see the breathtaking view of lake crescent. There is enough space up top to stop and snack before heading back down. 

Climbing down on the rope path is kinda scary, atleast for me, but my partner pointed out rappelling technique which made it super easy - basically climb down using top but still facing the top of the mountain (instead of your back to the top in usual climb down).

I highly recommend this hike, the only down side is it made all the other hikes in that area feel not as special.

First time going on this hike and was very easy to find with all the signs and directions.

Definitely a steady incline as mentioned  and was one of the best hikes I've been to. As you get on top along the rock trails are the best and have ropes to help you go thru the steep mt side, def utilize them!

Little bit of snow but no problems going through it with regular hiking boots. 

The trail was muddy, and there is some snow from the ropes. There were some snow in the beginning of the trail, but it was just a little bit that all melted away when we were descending. Micro-spikes were not necessary but having them helps specially when you descend. The trail became muddy on the way back.

As you may know the trail is steep and there are 3 spots that you need to use the ropes. This part of the trail is unmaintained. When we got to the peak it was super foggy and we could barely see the view but there is a lookout just before you get to the end of the maintained trail and it was clear. That view was spectacular!