If solitude is what you crave in nature, look no further. I did this on a Tuesday with perfect weather, partly cloudy and in the 70s, and I did not see a single solitary soul.
I'm used to the ferns on the west side of the Cascades, so it was a nice change to see all the grasses instead. I haven't been to this area before. It was lusher than I expected for being so far east. Very green the whole way. The forest opens up into meadows a couple of times. It also gives way to some amazing views. The wildflowers that are blooming kept me entertained the whole way. I thoroughly enjoyed this hike.
It is apparent that bikes use this trail a lot. The main thing I noticed from that is that the trail had a somewhat of a "U" shape to it. It kind of pushed me into a knock-kneed position a lot of the time. It's minor. My feet and knees were fine with it, but I could see if you had some issues that could be an irritation.
The end does that thing that so many trails do. "Oh, I'm there! Great." "Oh. The trail keeps going. OK." "Alright, the top is over there." "Wait. OK. I guess it's that next one over there." "That's not it! WTF!" I'm still not even 100% if where I stopped was the official end, but it was beautiful, and my legs were done.
Enjoy this hidden gem!
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