I was on this trail with WTA a few weeks ago for a work party and today decided to see where it went. I found out it went up and up and up. Trail itself is in really good condition until you get within 1 mile of the view point. Some spots have a lot of vegetation creeping in and the last half mile you’re hiking up a drainage ditch that is rocky and steep but slow and steady we went and were rewarded with amazing views of Baker and Shuksan.
The bugs at the bottom section are not too bad and you’re walking in really nice shaded area. This was certainly welcome on a very hot August day. As you ascend the bugs get buggier and after you leave the forest and are mostly in the tall vegetation they become really annoying. Once close to the top mosquitos and the like are replaced by even more annoying flies. I’d recommend a nice lightweight long sleeve shirt for when you get out of the forest section. My wife put on hers and she found it made a real improvement to her enjoyment.
My GPS says it was right around 4 miles from the parking lot to the viewpoint with about 2500 ft elevation gain. It was a good slog and we were wore out once we got back to the car. As you probably already do, bring your water. There are a few trickle streams along the trail you can collect but at this time of year they are not exactly rushing.
Overall this was a great trail to explore and the view was simply amazing. Most of the hike is under the shade of trees and the tread is in great shape for 90 of the hike up. ***Note to WTA. There are two trees that have come over the trail below where Jerome led the last work party. ***
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