We arrived to the trailhead around 8:30AM (Sunday). At that time, the parking lot was mostly full with several cars already parked along the road, although I expect it was mostly from overnighters/climbers because we did not see many people going up. On the way back, there were significantly more hikers coming up, but it wasn't what I would consider too crowded especially compared to other, more popular trails.
This was my first time hiking this trail, and I was blown away by the views at the end. Seeing the glacier so up close was amazing! Also, the wildflowers were a spectacle after getting out of the woods.
Some things I would recommend keeping in mind:
- The road: it is passable and we saw a many low clearance cars up there, however some of those potholes were really bad and I would not drive my own low clearance car up there. I admire those who are able to :)
- The stream crossings: they weren't too bad when we went, I think only the one over Kulshan Creek had some spots where you had to get your shoes wet because of lack of rocks above water. I had waterproof hiking shoes plus poles, and did fine even if balance is not my greatest suit. With that said, they can be tricky and it is really easy to get at the very least your feet wet, so I'd recommend having a plan on how to handle that.
- The trail itself: it was harder than what I had thought based on elevation listed here, in fact I tracked something closer to 1800 feet via GPS tracking, and I see that other locations / guidebooks list something along those lines. It is not the hardest trail ever but I was expecting a gentle hike and instead it was fairly steep in places.
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