Very well maintained trail and suitable for dogs. We had a 7yr old with us and he did pretty good. Its pretty steep at times but worth the workout once you see the views. Took us about two hours to get to the north viewpoint which happen to be clouded in so we walked over to the south viewpoint for lunch and enjoyed the sunshine. The gate is currently open so you're able to park at the trailhead or if you're going for just the view, you can drive up to the top.

This is one of those trails that I thought I might never get around to hiking, since it's a long drive out to Quilcene for a relatively short (2 miles each way) hike, plus there's a road to the top which makes the effort unnecessary. Glad I finally did it anyway! I was staying in the bustling metropolis of Quilcene, WA for work and decided that the weather was just too nice to not get out for a hike (besides, there really isn't anything else to do in Quilcene, which is neither bustling nor a metropolis). Even though I've been to the summit of Mount Walker several times via the Forest Service road, I figured that doing this trail would provide some worthwhile exercise in the limited amount of time that I had available. The trail starts across from a small parking area just a quarter of a mile beyond the gate at Hwy. 101 (gate closed seasonally), and climbs steadily upward right from the get-go. The entire trail is within lush second growth forest, and there are no views to be had until reaching the viewpoint at the top. That's ok, however-- the forest itself is quite beautiful and peaceful. After leaving the road at the bottom of the mountain it is not seen again until/unless traversing between the North and South viewpoints at the top, and I didn't encounter any other hikers on the trail at all on this gorgeous Thursday afternoon. There were a few folks who had driven up there who were quite surprised to see a very sweaty, out-of-breath hiker emerge from the forest, though! This trail is in excellent shape: no obstacles, washouts, or other impediments at all. I did have some difficulty keeping my footing on the the loose surface gravel while descending (fell on my butt a couple of times, and nearly did so many more!). Better footwear (I was wearing worn-out Keen sandals, 'cause that's all I had with me) and trekking poles would have helped significantly in this regard. Fantastic views from both North and South viewpoints at the top, and the entire trip took me about 2.5 hours (a little more than 1 hour up, a little less than one hour down, and about half an hour at the top, including time at each viewpoint). Great day :-)

As a beginner-intermediate hiker, I would say this is a challenging trail. The trail begins its incline right away and there are only very brief moments of relief on the way up. Because the trail is only 4 miles round-trip, that means you climb 2,000 feet in only 2 miles. I've done a couple hikes with 2,500 ft elevation gains, but the trails were also around 7-8 miles round trip, so the elevation gain is a bit more gradual. We were also hiking with a 4-year-old little trooper who did his best to hike some of the way. Haha that mostly ended up in him riding on people's shoulders most of the way up. This is probably a bit too challenging for little ones to hike up. The trail is beautiful, though, and very well maintained. You are under tree cover almost the entire time you are hiking. Two amazing view points await you at the end of the trail. The trail ends at the North View Point, where you can see Mount Constance and the gorgeous landscape below. From the South View Point you get great views of Hood Canal and you can even see Seattle off in the distance (if it's a clear enough day of course)! Overall great hike! Also, if there are some people in your party who aren't into hiking, they can drive up to the view points. It's a nice option in case anyone wants to see the views, but can't/won't hike.

Steep, but short. Payoff was great.

Whooeeee. This winter was a "good food & rest" one - my wife and I carried ourselves and more pounds than we care to reveal into our first hike of the season: Mount Walker. The trail description was as accurate as can be: 2000' in 2 miles - pretty steadily up. My perception of our ability to comfortably cover 2000' in 2 miles was as inaccurate as can be. First off - the trail is in AMAZING shape. I can't think of a single trail, particularly a relatively steep one, that is so lacking in ankle-busting camber and is also nearly rock and root free. Several were jogging the trail - this trail is perfect for that (well, coming down might cause the occasional quad blowout due to incline, should you have to stop unexpectedly quickly). Great job WTA & associates. Second - the forest scenery is gorgeous. It's mostly lodgepole pine, but there are smatterings of douglas fir aspen, and other trees with rhodies, ferns, and other beautiful plants interspersed throughout. There were few gaps in the forest as we climbed - and then the only distant scenery was the Hood Canal. The climb was very steady, and pretty #$*&ing steep (20 to 25% grade a good portion of the way). A very well maintained road runs from just below the trailhead to the top of Mount Walker. My guess is that it would be a tad frustrating seeing cars at the top after hoofing it for an hour or so up a pretty steep incline - but we didn't have to experience that, as the gate was locked at the bottom of the road. Many were hiking up the two mile trail, and returning via the 4 mile road in order to avoid pounding the knees too much. We elected to hike back down on the trail. To be sure, the quads and knees felt it - but the slope is SO steady and the trail so beautifully created/maintained that the extra punishment that comes from off-camber, rock-strewn, and/or rooty trails was nearly non-existent. 1 hour and 45 minutes to get up - about 50 minutes to get down (I did say we were pretty badly out of shape). The views at the top are outstanding - and fortunately, the clouds lifted today giving us spectacular views of Constance, the Brothers, Mt. Baker, Hood Canal and the Puget Sound, and much more. There are two viewing stations - one right where the trail emerges onto the summit (north station), the other is an easy 1/2 mile level hike south (along the road, which - should you choose to continue - leads back down to the trail head/parking area). It turned-out to be a great first hike for us - inasmuch as a relatively short hike kicked our tails. So, ... our work is cut out for the weeks and months ahead: watch what we eat, exercise, and keep hitting the trails. No photos, as my wife hasn't yet shared them - will post later once she gives them up. Son, ... old and fat is no way to go through life.