This hike is a beast. A beautiful beast, but a beast nonetheless. Yes, you gain a good deal of elevation in the first two miles but it doesn't get much easier after that point. Be prepared for 5+ miles of hard work. There is a steady incline the entire way, heading up through various beautiful terrain.
You know you're at the 4 mile mark when you reach the river crossing as the forest opens up (right now it's just a dry river bed). From there, you cross the river and climb up through some dense switchbacks of native foliage and wildflowers before coming to a much more open area with even more switchbacks. There won't be much shade from this point on, and this is where we saw a black bear. It was far enough way and didn't seem to pay us much attention.
As you continue up, each turn will make you think you've reached the top, but you haven't. Even when you see the lookout, you still have about another 10 minutes to walk through mostly flat area. But there is a final climb to the top.
The views on all sides of the summit are spectacular. You have the gorgeous blue Diablo Lake to the south and are surrounded by beautiful peaks on all sides. The summit was chilly and quite windy so it's helpful to have a jacket or long sleeves for resting and eating a snack.
Going down was no picnic either. I found having poles helpful but we saw plenty of people without them. It's a popular trail and there are some areas on the trail that are difficult to pass, so just be mindful of that.
I'm a frequent hiker and found this to be one of the more challenging hikes, but the stunning views from 6,000 feet were worth the pain. We took our time going down, so all told we were on the trail for about 7 hours including about 30 minutes at the summit.
Have plenty of water, snacks and sunscreen for the journey!
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