2000 ft elevation gain in 2 miles was pretty daunting, but the rhodies in full bloom and amazing views from the top made it worthwhile. 

We got to the trail head around 9:15 and the parking lot was already packed. Took about an hour and a half to get to the top going at a slow speed. Trail was awesome but the hike is pretty steep if you are a beginner. Bring lots of water for the summer hikes. The view is worth the thigh pain!

Got up early to beat the heat, and started on trail at 7am...saw nobody on the way up, and only two people at each viewpoint.  On the way back down, we passed several people heading up.

The trail is well-maintained, and relentlessly up!  The views from both lookouts was lovely, and the diagrams showing the peak names was nice to have.

Great workout on a gorgeous morning!

Beautiful trail and hike today,  Good general report given by person prior to mine.  Rhoddies are budded up and should be blooming soon.  Only one in bloom nearer to the bottom of the trail.  Must hike again in 2 weeks or so.  Great workout for other summer planned trips.

The road to the Mt. Walker trailhead is well marked and right off of Highway 101, so it is super easy to find. The road actually takes you all the way up to the viewpoints at the top, but we decided to take the steep climb up instead. We arrived about 9AM and there were only a few cars parked in the lot, but by the time we got back to the bottom (around 12:30PM), the lot was full and people were parked along the side of the road as well - so show up early!

The trail is in great condition; there is some loose gravel/rock but if you're wearing hiking boots, it shouldn't be much of an issue. The trail is shaded the entire way by tall trees on either side of the trail until you hit the viewpoints. You take switchbacks the entire way up the side of the mountain for 1.8 miles, climbing 2000 feet (it is very steep, prepare for burning legs and lungs), until you reach the first viewpoint (the North Viewpoint) where you see sweeping views of the Olympics on the west side and up to Mt. Baker on the north side. Enjoy those views and then head east on the trail for about a half mile to get to the South Viewpoint where you have sweeping views of Hood Canal, Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Adams. There is also a restroom at the parking lot right next to the South Viewpoint (there is not one down at the trailhead, so plan accordingly).

Since the climb was so steep, we decided to hike the road down instead of the trail. It was much kinder on the knees but it doubled the mileage on the way down so our round trip mileage ended up being 6.7 miles total. There was more sun exposure on this route and we also encountered quite a bit of car traffic heading up and down the mountain on this road.

Overall, a great hike with amazing views! I will definitely be hiking this one again.

We also stopped in Quilcene at the 101 Brewery at Twana Road House for lunch after the hike - they have some awesome burgers, sandwiches, and beer. I would highly recommend it if you're hungry after your hike!