A grueling afternoon stroll, with a nice payoff at the top. This is an unusual trail in some ways, because you can drive straight to the top for a nice, clear view of Hood Canal and its surrounding areas (including Seattle, hazy on the horizon). But the constant and unforgiving incline on the short hike up makes it feel like a real reward when you reach the top -- and a real achievement after you've sprinted back down. The second-growth forest along the way is gorgeous, with tall trees and a dense understory.

Note that the trail leads up to the North viewpoint. The South viewpoint is, in my opinion, the better of the two. Getting there requires a short, easy road walk -- just stay alert to traffic. There are bathrooms at both viewpoints.

We arrived around noon and snagged one of the only parking spots left. There were several big groups on the trail and a steady stream of visitors at the viewpoints, but not too busy overall. The trail is in great shape. There is one tree down that can be easily stepped over.

Some rhododendrons are blooming, as are columbine and sugar stick. We passed a pair of very unfriendly Douglas squirrels and were greeted by a family of overly friendly gray jays at the top.

Just another quick jaunt up Walker, getting a quick workout. Last week I didn't wander over to the south viewpoint, but I did this time. The privies at both viewpoints are open, and at least the one I checked at the northern outlook was stocked with TP. Trail is in excellent condition. Parking goes quickly, so an early start is helpful, but there seem to be opportunities aplenty to create overflow parking, too, including down along 101.

started around 6:30 AM saw a few people. The start of trail basically is straight with very little flat. It was muggy and hot so I was very glad I brought my super light walking pack . I had sweat dripping down my back for 2 miles .

We got to the north viewpoint around 8:10 am the view was beautiful however there were tons of bugs that came out of no where.

We then hiked a very easy 1/2 mile to the south viewpoint that had a stunning view where we could see Mount Rainer and the Olympics. We were very lucky because clouds were starting to come in .

We rested for a few minutes and then had an easy hike down following the forest service road.

It was nice and quiet because I imagined if we went down the way we came up we would have run into a ton of people starting up. We got back to car around 10:15 AM.

We really timed this hike well because the rain started to come in with clouds which meant the view was going away.

Great way to finish out May.

Work those glutes! Started around 3pm. Overcast. Great conditions, light foot traffic on the trail. When I wasn’t mouth breathing birds were aplenty to be heard and some seen! Do not feed the birds! Just know going up is the easy part!

Mount Walker is a quick, but rough, ascent with some nice views at the top for those who venture forth. The trail has plenty of switchbacks, not too many roots/rocks and is generally pretty easy to traverse (besides the incline). Stopped and enjoyed the view at the North side which was partially covered but still gorgeous. We didn't walk over the road to the South side so I can't speak to the views there. Sprinted down to the bottom after enjoying the views at the top.

While you can totally drive up to this view, I think the hike is worth it.