I wanted to catch a sunset so decided to head up Mount Walker around 7pm. We parked outside of the gate because I wasn’t sure how long this would take or if anyone closed the gate at sunset. There is a small parking lot further past the gate maybe a quarter mile down the road right where the trailhead is.

The trail is pretty much straight up the whole way, but definitely not as much incline as a hike like Storm King for example which can be pretty relentless. We only passed one person hiking the entire time and saw a few people at the view point who had driven up. Spotted some trillium and calypso orchids along the way. Not sure how long it took us to get up, but we spent about half an hour at the top and got great views, but no colorful sunset like I was hoping. Next time! The hike down is pretty hard on the knees. Lovely hike and the trail is well maintained.

I pulled up to the lot just before 8am and was the second vehicle there. The trailhead is easily accessible from the 101 for any car, with only a small section of potholes to avoid. The trail is quite steep from the very beginning all the way to the top and is well maintained, the only obstacles being one tree that was easy to step over and some patches of ice on the trail I had to be mindful of on the way down (it's probably melted by now). The rhodies are getting leafy but no blooms yet. What a treat the view at the top was, with the snow-capped peaks to the left and more of a valley view to the right. While trekking poles aren't 100% necessary I'm glad I brought some as they saved my knees on the way down. I do recommend arriving early if you like solitude - I encountered 2 people on the way up but countless others on the way down, and the parking lot was full when I returned. It took me about 2 hrs. 10 mins. round trip. This is a good training/slightly more challenging hike as you gain ~1000 feet per mile on the way up, probably not the best choice for my first post-injury hike but I have no regrets! I plan on coming back on another clear day to enjoy the view again.

Arrived at the trailhead at about 9am to only a handful of other cars. The gate up the road was open, for those who would like to skip the climb and take in the view. The parking lot was over full with people parking down the road when I returned to my car at 1:30pm. 

Made the trail a loop (~7.6 miles rt) by hiking up the trail and walking down the road. There was some snow and a few slick spots within the last tenth of a mile and at both viewpoints. The trail itself is well maintained, very steep in places; which could make it tricky if it's raining. The road down has some views you don't get from either viewpoint and they're worth seeing, but it's not worth the ~5 miles it takes to get back down. Just take the trail and then drive back up; now that the gate is open. 

Lovely, vigorous hike for early spring!  The mulitudes of greens made up for the fog at the top!

Fun hike! Took it slow and made it to the North viewpoint to see the Olympic range. There was plenty of fog at the South viewpoint but still worth checking out. Come with sturdy hiking shoes and poles!