I’ve had three knee surgeries, so I grabbed a walking stick at the start of the trailhead and it really helped me with the steep, rocky parts of the trail. The trail isn’t too narrow, so it was less awkward when crossing paths with people going the other way.

The views at the summit of the valley and surrounding mountains were gorgeous. When I was at the summit, I spotted a gigantic Harris Hawk descend from a neighboring peak to hunt over the valley below, it was a magical moment. And I was investigated by a very cute little Mount Si chipmunk on the way back down.

If, like me, you have old leg injuries, I would still recommend this hike, as long as you wear the right hiking boots and take poles or grab a stick.

The trail was smooth for the most part but there were some very rocky areas that had me climbing more than hiking because of how short I am (5’3) so be warned about that! Other than that it was a breezy trip and took about 3 hours with a nice snack break.

Hugely late but wanted to document a very nice after work hike I did with a friend last week.

We headed out from Seattle at 6ish, to avoid the heat, since we had picked the hottest day of the year (so far) to hike. Luckily we had carpooled, because even late in the day during the week the main lot was quite full.

The trail is in pretty good shape, with the notable exception of a giant eroded rocky section toward the beginning...its a good lesson in how sightlines can affect trails...the trail seems like it used to switchback across this rock face, but years of people cutting the switchback has effectively erased the trail and eroded away all the dirt near a large tree sitting at the top of the rock section.

With that exception, the trail is in great shape, and looks like it got a lot of work done in the many years since I have been there.

We hung out on the summit and chatted while the sun set and then headed back down in the semi-dark. Luckily we had enough light that we didn't need to bust out the headlamps.

I did pick up a green LL Bean tee that I left at the trailhead...assuming it has since been picked up.

The trail here is so well maintained. It’s wide and easy to follow. Parking lot was full at 9:40 am. Hiked with 10 and 7 year olds and they did great. We did the hike in 3 hours having lunch at the top. The 10 year old got stung by a wasp on the way down so just reminder to pack a first aid kit with ibuprofen for pain relief. I had an ice pack in a mini cooler that helped. Trail is quite shady even in afternoon when it was hot. Kids report that the hike is a berry blast. Lots of huckleberries, some blackberries, sparse thimbleberries and salmon berries all the way to the top. Overall, family friendly hike with nice views at the top and not too hard.

We happened to arrive at the overflow lot as someone was leaving so we snagged a spot right away. The privy is a biohazard, proceed with caution.

This is usually our go-to hike during winter, so it was nice to experience the trail in the summer heat. No obstacles, easy to follow as always.

Expect crowds on the weekend. However, the crowds significantly thinned out as we headed down at 3:45PM after enjoying nearly an hour of sunshine at the summit.

Bugs were not too bad, but beware ants if you choose to sit and relax at the top.