We did this as an afternoon hike after traveling from Seattle that morning. The parking lot is small, but we were able to find a spot around 1:30 pm.
This hike starts with a slow, steady incline. You soon come to a log bridge across Granite Creek. Follow the path through dense forest for about a mile and a half. You'll come to a water crossing that isn't too challenging this time of year, but be mindful of a few slippery rocks.
After crossing the water, you continue up on a narrow, overgrown path through native foliage (I spotted a few remaining salmon berries) and you'll soon come to a clearing of wild flowers and start to see the path up a rocky granite section.
This is where the real climb begins, at about the halfway point. You wind your way up the pass in between two peaks. It's rocky and uneven, but certainly manageable. This section is also all exposed so have plenty of water and sunscreen.
When you approach the summit, there are several offshoot trails. Make sure to follow the path to the right for a few minutes to get a spectacular view of the surrounding peaks and green valley.
We sat an ate a snack for a few minutes but found the flies quite annoying so didn't sit still for too long.
From start to finish, it took less than 4 hours including the 30-40 minutes we spent at the top.
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