The road up to Mount Catherine is rough, but any vehicle going slow enough should be able to handle it. There are some potholes, and some areas where the dirt/gravel has been washed away showing bare rock. We were in a suburu, and it was a little bumpy, and we took it slow, but didn't have any problem. 

The trailhead isn't even really a trailhead, just a place where the road is a little wider, with the trail leaving directly from the road. It follows what is clearly an old logging road for a bit, then connects to a very rocky trail up the mountain. There was one blowdown on the trail that was a little tricky to climb over, but it wasn't bad either. The trail is short but steep, with some views of the mountains around on the way up. The final push for the summit is very very steep, but not too long. 

There are signs of an old air beacon on the summit, which can be a tripping hazard, so watch out for that. Otherwise, the views of Rainier, Snoqualmie Pass, and the surround mountains are stunning. 

3.22 miles round trip
1319 elevation gain 
1:50 total time

The road getting to the trailhead is mostly in good shape, but there are a few sections with large potholes, short segments of large rocks to negotiate, and a few foot deep ruts that you wouldn’t want to drop a wheel in. There are also a few mud patches but I had no issues in a Subaru Forester, albeit a bit slower than on some other forest service roads around.

I arrived at the trailhead around noon and found three other cars there. There was easily space for 2 or 3 more, so the space for 3-4 cars listed here is more like 6-7 cars. 

The trail is in good shape for the most part. There is one fairly large blowdown directly over the trail at the bend in a switchback at 4100’ (see photos). It does take some negotiating but it can be climbed over without too much difficulty. 

Otherwise I had no issues on the hike. It was a fairly warm day but the views were fantastic from the summit. The mosquitos are out in force though - my shoulder blades and elbows are absolutely covered in bites. You can’t stand still for more than about 60 seconds or you’ll get swarmed. 

Car to car for me was about 2.5 hours (with about an hour spent at the summit). Garmin shows 2.7 miles and 1,234 feet of elevation gain. A great bang for your buck!

Did this hike with my son on a Thursday and encountered no other hikers.  The trail is in good shape, though a couple of trees block the path - one large one required some agility to climb over as there was no way to crawl under.  The last twenty feet of steep scramble is aided by a cable and isn't too tough.  Some ants joined us for lunch at the top, but not a big deal.  The views were awesome!  There is a geocache box under a tree at the top; the log book inside is fully used.  This was a really good and challenging "moderate" hike for a recent retiree looking to get more into peak seeking!  

First time here, the drive to the trail head was ruff, We have a Nisssan NV 200-

It did well, but pot holes and ditches get kinda deep ( but i live in Ballard so i'm use to it-- haha)- it was fun dodging and navigating around the dips and holes- with steep cliffs out my peripheral vision - well,, very  dangerous + fun!   But @ the trail head dead end to cars... I mean you can go if you want  but...we didn't or any others that had 4 Wheel Drives.  ..Snow covers the road you need ski's or at least boots- it's really nice- We are going back but a little more prepared!~ D & N