We did this hike as a sunset hike, arriving to the trailhead at 6:05pm, and taking several breaks on the trail we arrived just at sunset around 7:30pm. If you are doing this hike as either a sunrise or sunset hike I suggest allowing yourself extra time to drive the dirt road to the trailhead as it took us longer than anticipated with all the potholes and the washout than we had anticipated. I do have a high clearance SUV. As others have stated, a high clearance vehicle makes it easier due to many pot holes and a few washouts but I do think that if you have a moderately high sedan that you might make it if you took it carefully. The parking lot is more of a dirt pullout and is quite small. On a Tuesday night at 6pm when we arrived, there was only one other vehicle parked at the trailhead.
The trail starts out with a consistent gradual incline and eventually you'll hit some switchbacks- the switchbacks are tough! The switchbacks might be exposed to the direct sun and pretty hot depending on the time of day you go. There were lots of ripe berries towards the top and the sunset was gorgeous! On a weeknight we had it all to ourselves. We used headlamps to go down the trail and didn’t have trouble, but it did feel intimidating at night! The descent is a bit slippery only because many of the rocks are covered in a thin dusty layer. A gorgeous hike! More about this hike and another few lookout towers nearby at my blog page below.
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