In a nutshell: gorgeous mountain views (including Rainier), lots of wildflowers blooming, bear grass is everywhere making it look extra magical, lookout in good condition.
This is my third year / time doing this hike, as it is most definitely a favorite! The WTA directions to the trailhead are accurate, and as an added bonus, some of the unmarked roads are now clearly marked! This makes getting to the trailhead much easier. The road is gravelly and has some pothole-y areas, but by driving slowly, my Mazda6 made it to the trailhead and back without issue.
The trail is in good condition, but this path does do a lot of steep, narrow climbing before it kind of levels out. I have a major fear of heights and still did this hike without issue or special gear (this year I did it in running shoes), but it's worth noting just in case you're someone who gets vertigo easily. Luckily, the steep narrow part does not last very long so hang in there!
The journey is: wide forest road, open clearing to take in the views, a steep narrow climb, a wider trip through mountainside meadows (my favorite part), a narrow walk through forested meadow, and then you come out into the rocky area where the lookout sits.
Coming back down, I just had to sit down a few times but it is very doable.
I took two friends along, one of whom has knee and back issues, and aside from the aforementioned steep climbing part near the beginning, she found the hike extremely enjoyable. Both of my friends loved the variety of terrain we passed on the way to the lookout tower, commenting on how you get a lot of beauty and interest in such a short trek. We even ran into the two lookout volunteers as they were coming back down, and they were very friendly.
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