The park has reopened for day use so I made the drive. The campgrounds are currently closed but there is an open parking lot at the end of the park's main road, just past the last campground. It is a nice bonus to have a clean and well-lit bathroom, with running water, at a trailhead.
The access to the rock is not signed but is easily found from the parking lot (look for the dog walking signs and bag dispensers). From the lot the first ten minutes or so are soft sand. At the base of the rock the trail turns to large scree, rough but walkable. After a couple of minutes a little rock scramble is required. (Easier up than down for an old guy like me.) Beyond that the trail is steep but walkable until you reach a saddle between the two halves of the mesa. My ascent took less than 20 minutes. I turned south (left) at the saddle. Once on the top the clearly defined trail disappears. Stretches that look like little more than game trails can be found occasionally but even though I worked very hard to tread only on rocky surfaces and avoid plants I felt like I was tromping a meadow.
Circling back to the saddle the trail to the north side of the mesa is clearly defined and remains so around the top. I probably should have headed that way first.
The views are spectacular. I counted five different varieties of flowers blooming and saw the usual collection of northwest wildlife (deer, marmot, and a small snake). There was one brief moment on the south end where I walked thru a swarm of gnats. Other than that there were no bugs. Perfect weather: mid-70's with a light breeze at the top.
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