This was a nice stop on the way back to Seattle from the Hurricane Ridge area. We originally wanted to do Mount Ellinor, but the cloud cover over the mountains convinced us to try this lower-elevation hike instead. It's a short but steep trek up to the summit, and the views at the top are worth the effort.
We hiked up the trail and walked back down on the road to save our knees. I'd recommend this strategy and would do it this way again. The trail is basically a series of switchbacks zig-zagging directly up the hill. It's shaded and well-maintained, but there's not much of a view until close to the top. In contrast, the road passes by a couple of nice viewpoints. However, you have to contend with the longer distance (3.9 miles on the road vs. 2 miles on the trail) and watch for cars passing by.
Upon reaching the summit via the trail, you arrive at the north lookout, which offers views of the Olympic Range and lowlands below. Due to the clouds, we couldn't see much of the mountains. At the south lookout, we got a sweet view over Hood Canal, though the promised view to Mt. Rainier was clouded over. Better luck next time!
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