Wow! Great hike. I'll definitely do this one again.
***Executive Summary: Be careful not to miss the turn to the FS road. Road itself passable. Minor potholes requiring some slowing down but overall not bad. Ample parking and outhouse at trailhead. Trail in great shape overall with minor obstacles to step over/around. View at top spectacular. Not crowded. No bugs in September. Highly recommended hike.***
Left Kirkland at 8:30 am. Arrived at trailhead at 10:30. The turn off to the FS is heading toward Stevens pass is immediately after the sign saying FS 6066 as indicated in the "getting there" description. There is no signage in the early part of the road but a quick GPS check told us we were in the right place. Dirt road had some potholes that required us to slow down but wasn't that rough. There were only two cars in the ample parking lot when we arrived. Outhouse is in good condition.
The trail itself is in good shape. Very few rocks and roots. It's a pretty steady grade until a short steep staircase just before the summit and a mini-scramble (2 steps) at the top. Totally doable with my old knees and trekking poles. There were a few small streams in the early portion of the trail but I had dry socks with waterproof low tops. There were a few logs across the trail that could be easily stepped over or around. The trail is mostly shaded up until the last 100 yards or so.
The views at the top were amazing. It was quite foggy when we arrived but the clouds broke moments before we reached the summit. It was a spectacular day to be above the clouds and watch the scenes actively changing.
We only saw three people and one dog the whole time we were on the trail. This one doesn't appear to have been "discovered" yet.
Round trip took us 4.5 hours including a 30 minute lunch break. Very nice day hike. This was my first time on this trail but it won't be my last.
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