// PLEASE BE SAFE AND PREPARED. Met so many people today that were ill-prepared for the trail and the weather. At the least, plan your hike, download a map of where you're going and check the weather. Although I encourage you to get outdoors, also know your limits. //
Went on Saturday morning at 8am. ~2mi to the summit, quick pace and it took me about 50 minutes to get there. Coming down was just a bit faster at 40 minutes but had to stop many times and either wait for people or let people through, the crowds were getting larger.
Trail condition: 2/5 Wet for the most part with lots of loose dirt and slippery rocks. Going up, I opted to not use the ropes because the ground was relatively stable. As the morning progressed, it got a little more wet, and coming down I had to use them as an assist. Tip for those who've never used a rope, face the mountain coming down (backwards), it'll be easier. One minor blowdown that's easy to go under. No bugs, but tons of birds at the lookout spot. Don't feed them! Sun came out with a rainbow just as I summitted, otherwise it was rainy.
Trail difficulty: 2/5 Easy most of the way. I was prepared to be scrambling at the rope section but ended up not even using them. To be honest, the hardest part for me were the switchbacks at the very beginning.
Navigation: 5/5 Easy to follow the trail without map. After 0.5 miles, there is a sign to turn left on the Storm King Trail.
Parking: 4/5 Parking lot is large and there was ample space for everyone. I don't know if it is enough during peak times, but you could park elsewhere, and it would add a little mileage to the loop. Road is paved in all the way, no problem for any car.
Features: 3/5 The forest walk was very nice up until I caught up to other people. Good elevation gain in a short distance and got lucky with the view today. The ropes are interesting and make this hike accessible to more people. Could see Lake Crescent very well and you had great views of everything else. Lots of different singing birds around. The groups at the top didn't stay long and I was fortunate to have it to myself for about 20 minutes. Coming down, the clouds rolled in, and the view was gone.
Family friendly: 2/5 Family friendly to an extent. I think the trail itself can be done by grown children (I've seen a few going up on my way down), but there is lots of loose soil and they need to be supervised. I would not recommend at all when the weather is wet like today, the rocks and ground are very slippery.
Overall: 4/5 I don't like to do popular hikes due to the amount of people on them. I waited to do this one when the weather was going to be like today. I hoped for less people, some low clouds over the surrounding mountains, and that's almost what I got. Sun shined through to a clear view of the lake, with a rainbow to top it off. Timing was perfect, and the weather was cool. Very glad to have done it but probably wouldn't return.
Comments