Took my 12 year old and my 2 year old to this hike. Because the hike is pretty popular, I decided to start late (or even better, start early), but you know with kids and the weekend chores, I chose to start late at around 2 PM.
Road: I think the drive on the forest road to the trail head was around 7.5 mi and the road conditions for the last 0.7 mi was the the worst part with ruts, potholes, rocks, etc. I'd say any vehicle can make it but high clearance is recommended. The parking lot was a good size but it was still busy when we came.
Trail: The mountain looked intimidating and I saw so many switchbacks as I drove closer to the trailhead but it's actually not that bad. The switchbacks were not too steep. Yes, some parts were eroded and rocky but the hike was still managable, even with a child carrier. I could see why there were signs posted to remind people not to cut switchbacks.
Wildflowers were still blooming and early fall colors were showing. I think the colors will look better in a couple of weeks.
We met quite a few families with young kids and hikers with dogs. For less than 4 miles round trip, this hike offered a great view over the Cascades, Sauk River and Mount Baker.
If you want to make the hike longer, you can also include the hike down to Sauk Lake but we skipped that as we started late.
Bugs were almost non existent because of the breeze that day but there might be bugs at the lake.
I'd say it's also a great place for a quick sunrise or a sunset hike and it's definitely a great hike for families with kids.
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