I did this hike on Black Friday a couple years ago and didn't make it to the top due to the conditions and struggling to find the correct route amongst the myriad logging roads. This time the weather was perfect and I had charted a route on Gaia GPS to make sure we didn't get lost.
We parked at the turnout just up the road from the trail. We didn't see any signs requiring a Forest Pass. About a half mile up the trail, a truck passed us going up the hill. We ran into it again a bit later once it had parked - there were three men that looked like they were going hunting, said something about finding turkeys for them. We didn't see them again but the truck was still there once we were headed down and we heard some gun shots.
Going up the road is fairly unremarkable, rocky and steep in places, but easy to navigate. The first part of the actual trail is also fairly easy to navigate as there are only a few spots with trees down; this section can be steep at times as well.
As you near the top, the trail gets harder to follow due to many trees down across the trail and we started getting into some snow. Generally, if you just keep going up you'll get there, and once you get to the top of that hill, go to your right. However, I found Gaia to be very useful in this section so I would recommend using that or some other GPS app/device.
We enjoyed the view (quite the view!) from the top for a bit and had our lunch. It was pleasant except for the swarm of gnats that were all over me and my pack - not sure if they were after my food or what because they seemed to leave my hiking companion alone. I came away with a few bites but I wasn't wearing repellant.
The trek down tested my knees/quads but it was a nice change from the cardiovascular workout we got on the way up. Make sure to take lots of water since there is nowhere you can refill and it is somewhat exposed at times.
Specs from Gaia: 7.5mi, 4hr, 2488ft
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