The trail was very busy and the hike was nerve wracking from a COVID point of view. I was disappointed to see so many younger people without masks. Honestly, I would say it was 50/50 on whether people had masks or not. If I were older, had pre-existing conditions, or were around vulnerable populations, I would wait until next year to do this hike.
The road to the parking lot is fine. I'm putting the "road rough but passable rating because there are large holes all over the parking lot that can be annoying in some types of cars.
Arrived at the trail around 11am. The parking lot was very full but not overflowing like at other trails around this time of year (i.e. Snow Lake or Franklin Falls). The hike was harder than I expected but well worth the effort, and the weather was perfect.
It took us about 3 hours to reach the top, spent about half an hour at the top and then 2-2.5ish hours back to the parking lot. This was with a few breaks for snacks and water. The trail ascends almost the entire time, so be prepared. In retrospect I would've brought a packed lunch instead of trail snacks.
Birds and squirrels(?) at the top get very close to people and are obviously used to picking up food from hikers, so keep an eye on your food while you're at the top!
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