Hiked Mt. Walker today and barely survived the strenuous steepness! 2 miles up with 2000ft elevation gain was a bit much for this recent ex-Texan, but a few breaks on the way up and we made it. Definitely need to work on hills more, but the view of Seattle, Mt Ranier, and birds at the top was worth it.

Did another hike up Mt. Walker yesterday morning so thought would share some more pics and a short report. Beautiful morning. Gate still closed at Hwy 101, so parked there and walked to the trailhead (~.3 Miles).  6 cars at the gate at 8:30 am.  Unlike a hike up on Dec. 23rd, there was no snow at all. Temperature was almost Spring like (had to UN-layer!!).  Great day and views. Passed a LOT of folks going up as I was coming down.  Got back to my car at ~11:30 am and counted ~40 cars at the gate and along Hwy 101.  Excellent January day to be outside!!

The road is closed for the season so just parked outside the gate and walked up the road to the trailhead (will be on the right and it’s wrll marked). The trail is in great condition, no obstacles and completely snow free all the way to the summit. I continued on to the north viewpoint and then decided to take the road down to get a few more miles in. 

Totals: 7.73 mi and 2175 ft gain

While its true that taking the road down in the winter might be a way to avoid the steeper grade of the switchbacks, keep in mind that you are doubling the distance (from 2 to 4 miles) and you will also be on a road which is a mix of pavement and gravel. If you are doing it to save your knees/back, I wouldn’t recommend it since I think the harder surface makes it worse. 

After a night of celebrating, friends and I were eager to get out for a jaunt New Year's Day. It was a frosty morning, but warmed up relatively quickly on the trail.

The route up Mount Walker is a pretty steep and steady incline, so be prepared! There was some snow as we reached the top, but it wasn't bad. At the top, there's some nice areas to wander around and see various viewpoints. We hung out near a side where we had a gorgeous view of Mt. Rainier and the surrounding region.