As always, trail is in great condition. No snow and steep as usual. Great for a day hike if you’re trying to get some elevation in fast.

Mt Walker is one of our favorites during the shoulder season. Today was no exception. Spectacular views at the top (we hiked to both the north and south viewpoints). 

We chose to hike the road and had it all to ourselves. I’d recommend the road if you are looking to take your pup as it’s wide and has a mellow incline. 

Gate was locked at Hwy 101 so I joined the 9 cars parked just outside the gate at 1:00 in the afternoon. I went up and down the trail, just joining the road for the section between the two lookouts. I saw 8 hikers, one dog, one spruce grouse, zero troublesome insects, zero places where people had cut switchbacks (yay, people!), one wad of abandoned toilet paper (boo! C’mon, people!) and at least four volcanoes, from Baker to Adams with additional peaks in Canada and maybe a glimpse of Mt St Helens. The trail was in excellent condition, although to this non-wheelchair-user, the short wheelchair accessible loop at the south viewpoint seemed a little brushy and there was the start of a washout that could become a problem. The description of the trail as “steep” is accurate, especially as a (very) early season hike - the hike was far enough and steep enough that I feel like I’ve been somewhere. 

There was snow from where you park your car outside the main gate to the very top. You get more inches the higher you go. We had our microspikes on but other hikers didn’t and were just fine. The trek down can be slick. Fell a few times but it was on snow so it didn’t hurt. The hike is already a hard one so just know with the snow added on it can make it a bit more difficult. We only went to the North side view. Too tired to continue to the south. But other hikers said it was still really nice over there. Make sure to have extra layers and stay warm out there!✨