We did a one night trip with our 3 boys (5, 8, and 11).
The drive: the first mile is fine. It's the 2nd mile that has potholes (one big one close to the parking lot) and rocks in the road. 5 cars in the lot on Saturday and 4 parked at random spots on the way up. Only 2 cars in the lot when we left Sunday.
The hike: the mileage on WTA is wrong. I didn't have my Garmin this trip to verify for myself, but there is a new sign posted at the trailhead and you're looking at 3.5 miles to the lake or 7 round trip. With overnight backpacks on (and holding to the speed of our 5 yr old), it took us about 4 hours to get up to the lake and just under 2 to get down.
Yes, there are switchbacks, but the elevation gain is constant and the dirt is dusty/ slick in some spots. Trekking poles were helpful. Even after the fork, you are gaining elevation, just milder.
All that said..
The positives:
We all made it up! We just took it at whatever pace was needed and had snacks/treats along the way.
The bushes were starting to show some fall colors. Pretty!
It was SO quiet. We only saw 6 or 7 other hiking groups over 2 days. We were the only group camping there on a Saturday and had the lake to ourselves. The lake is gorgeous and the bugs were almost non existent.
We saw a few bats over the lake in the evening and a rubber boa on our way hiking out.
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