Safety first: While this trail does not traverse extreme avalanche territory, in winter, you should check NWAC forecast and I would not recommend to do this trail in mid/late winter season unless you have avalanche awareness training and also training how to move on steep snow slopes. The first two thirds of this trail ascend up a steep slope via switchbacks, and when this is all snow covered from the bottom, this trail will become dangerous in my personal opinion.
I decided to try to get up Rock Mountain since it was a bluebird day yesterday, winter season is early and it's been freezing without snow for the past week, so I figured that there won't be much snow in the lower parts, and in the upper parts, where there is snow, avalanche danger will be low. This hike is a proper leg burner - 2/3 of the ascent is up a steep slope via switchbacks that are basically all the way up. If you are a masochist looking to get your butt kicked, this is a good opportunity.
There was mixed intermittent snow/ice and exposed ground up until 5K feet, so just boots and microspikes were fine for the initial section. From then on, the snow started to get deeper. I had gambled that there wouldn't be much snow altogether, so I didn't bring my snowshoes, which was a fail, because at 5.8K feet, postholing to my waist, I decided to turn it around after a lunch, being worried that if I keep postholing further up, I might not have enough energy to get back (there aren't great glissading opportunities to get back down).
Overall, on a clear day in early winter, this is an awesome scramble/hike, and I will try to come back next fall/early winter with my snowshoes. I would be careful about doing this in mid/late winter: the switchbacks will be snow covered so you will have to straight up the slope and the slope is pretty steep, I would not be keen on the exposure.
Parking: I parked off US-2 on the shoulder. Don't try to drive off the shoulder into the snow, I did that, and got stuck and had to dig out my car's wheels from the ice/snow mixture.
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