Arrived a little bit before noon on a partly cloudy Monday.  The parking lot was mostly full but still had spaces available.  This is a short, very steep hike with no real views until you get close to the top.  Even though it was a weekday, we saw a steady stream of hikers on both the ascent and the descent.   I was surprised to come across several wildflowers that I had not see before although I suspect that at least some of them are non-native.  Views at both of the paraglider launch spots were both quite rewarding, although the clouds blocked the Mount Rainier view today.  We did not get to see any paragliders take off but there were a couple making preparations as we enjoyed a short snack at the top.  We also found some delicious, ripe thimbleberries just behind the very top of the trail!  The descent took nearly as long as the ascent due to the dry, steep and rocky trail surface - I was very happy to have my trekking poles.  Apart from the views, I also enjoyed the small wildflower garden adjacent to the parking lot which is currently bursting with colors!

4.5 miles, 2 hours 45 minutes, 1,700 feet elevation gain

Great day on trail. Parking lot was full by 8 AM. Along with the small street parking bit.

Trail was busy, lots of people out. No obstacles.

Highlights: wildflowers and thimble berries

Reset the hiking pack earlier this week and forgot snacks and water (first  time ever). Managed to find one 500ml water bottle and somehow botched that up too by spilling more than half ( bottle fell down from pack). Not the ideal day to hike with as little water as that. Lesson learnt. Was also running on click 1 pm to 4pm Bellevue to Bellevue. barely made it back

The beautiful stone steps sure were a workout! The trail was well-maintained with lots of logs and rocks along the way for a quick break, which was perfect for my 11 year olds and 8 year old to catch their breath on the way up. The view was gorgeous, even on an overcast day. we parked at 620 with only a handful of other cars, but by the time we came down around 9 the lot was full. Worth the early rise!

That elevation gain was no joke. This is not the hike for someone (like me) who has been slacking on going to the gym lol. The view at the top was beautiful but hard to see from all of the sweat in my eyes.