We hiked here at 6pm on a Sunday with only one other group. Most of the 5 mile gravel road is in pretty good shape for a FSR, until about 1.5 miles before the trailhead where there's really sharp rocks and deeper than normal pot hole divets. We opted to park there because I wasn't confident in my cars tires, but we saw 3 higher clearance cars navigate it fine.
The 1.5ish miles to the trailhead was actually a pretty nice warm up, slower grade and some views of the pass along the way. We were able to run down it on the way back, too, so it only added about 40 minutes to our trip. The actual hike was pretty steep in some parts, but overall easier than I was imagining. And the pay off is well worth it, 360 views and mount rainier peaking out. The rope section to the summit is not bad (pretty short), and that's coming from two people are pretty scared of heights. I would definitely do this one again.
Comments