This report is only on Silver Peak but I have a video link of the road that it shares with Mount Catherine below.
Beautiful day on a stunning trail! Muddy with a few scrambles but not too hard compared to the payoff, road is quite rough though. The final climb felt like climbing a rock pile where everything moved and required some flexibility for a few very large steps. The video is of the hike and there is a video of the drive in the link below that.
Road/Parking: Worse than I expected but very doable in a small SUV (~6.8" ground clearance). It threw a bit of everything at us, large potholes, water filled potholes, bumpy rocky sections, and narrow sections with two way traffic. No TH map or facilities. We got there around 9 on a nice Saturday and there was plenty of parking at both Silver and Catherine, but Catherine was a disaster when we left and some people parked leaving barely enough room to sneak by.
Trail: PCT section was pretty good and easy to follow. There were a few muddy sections, a couple rocky sections to navigate, and one tree to climb over. There were nice views right at the beginning, then you dip into the trees for a bit with views every now and then. Fall colors are popping and so are a few fungi. There is a rock stack marking the turn off for Silver Peak just after an open rocky talus area.
Right when you turn onto the Silver Peak trail there was a right and left option. I would go left because right takes you into a talus area where the trail isn't as obvious. The trail stays pretty easy to follow but there are a few side trails, splits, and ambiguous sections so a map would be a good idea. There was a bit of sloshing around in the mud (not deep) and rocky areas, with one scramble that was easy but did require my hands. My dog managed it alright. The views and colors in this area are great and just keep getting better.
Finally you break of of the trees and hit the short but steep summit climb x2. This is the part where our god stopped having fun and it wasn't long before we had to pack him. The first section is almost entirely loose rock, the large kind that usually don't more far but enough. Nothing is exposed, but a tumble on the rocks would hurt. At the top of that section there is a short dirt reprieve, then more climbing on rocks. They were a bit more solid in this sections, but required bigger step ups. Don't forget to looks over your shoulder, there are incredible views everywhere!
At the top you are greeted with mountain views in ever direction and the distant drone of I90. There is a good amount of space to spread out and find a place to rest and take in the scenery. Usually we make really good time on the way down but on this one we might have actually been slower on the first down section because of the terrain.
Stats: 5.8 miles, 1880 ft elevation gain/loss, 3.5 hours moving, 4.5 hours total. We are moderate paced hikers who hike weekly.
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