As a few of the previous reviewers mentioned, following GPS will take you to someone's private driveway behind the park. It is easiest to park in the Jim Whittaker trail head parking lot. It's small, but will fit about 10-12 cars. I arrived at about 11AM, and hit the trail shortly afterwards. I did the loop counterclockwise, and was pretty impressed with all the new bridges and boardwalks. The trail was pretty decent as well. There were some muddy patches, but they were all manageable. WTA is correct, there is no view at the top of Wilderness Peak. It makes for a quick hike close to home though, through a lovely forest peppered with glacial erratic boulders, hanging ferns, cedar, and firs.

Beautiful hike through the forest. The trail was muddy and it was raining but the trees kept most of the rain from reaching hikers. The trail is in great condition, esp the boardwalks and bridges.

This was a repeat of a hike I did just over three weeks ago, on January 14. This time I enjoyed the company of my hiking buddy Marin who is visiting from New Mexico. It was a beautiful sunny day to be out on the trails, and the moss and ferns seemed even greener than before. Doughty Falls, just off the Deceiver Trail, was still running high and we timed our hike so the falls were illuminated by the early afternoon sun. We enjoyed negotiating the narrow catwalks that cross Shy Bear Marsh and the marsh along the Whittaker Wilderness Trail. And we appreciated the many large, mossy glacial erratic boulders along the route. In spite of additional rain, the trails still are in excellent condition with very little mud, and the few blowdowns are easily stepped over. The bridge across Wilderness Creek, just upstream of the junction with Gombu's trail, has been completed, and is brand new since my January hike. There were a few other hikers out on the trails today, but it did not seem at all crowded. No large wild critters appeared for us.

Trail was great! The trees shielded us from minimal rain. Shoes and pants got a bit muddy at parts but 95% of the trail was fine for hiking!