By:
Submission
Beautiful views of surrounding trees and landscape at the beginning of the trails, but be prepared for some climbing and not much views around at the second half of the trail. The hard work is rewarded by breathtaking views from the top of the Looking Glass Rock. Going back is easier. The most part of the trail is well kept, however there are some spots with falling trees blocking your way. Overall 5 points are for the great views from the top and good exercising.
A moderate switchback hike with several sloped rock faces. The sunset was amazing but the forest got dark fast. The best was watching Peregrine Falcons flying back and forth to feed their chicks. Will surely return!
Absolutely gorgeous hike with amazing views! Pretty dense hike through the forest with some tougher terrain near the end. My 4 year old handled the entire hike really well! I also carried my 2 year old in the pack. So glad we did it and it’s a ✔️ on the bucket list and next time we go everyone will be hiking. It was TOUGH carrying a 2 year old for almost 7 miles. The slope at the lookout it pretty steep so be safe! Also because of 2 young kids it took us 5 hours from start to finish.
Ok, so the view at the end of the trail is outstanding!, and that's why I'm giving it 5 stars. But the trail is otherwise uninspiring at this time of year (late September). It runs through mostly dense forest and it's relentlessly uphill for nearly 3 miles. I would call it hard work with nothing to see. Still, when the trail finally breaks out into the open, it's awesome!
Wonderful trail. I would definitely hike his again. There are definitely some tricky parts with lots of exposed roots as tripping hazards. The length of the trail is pretty long with lots of elevation gain so it's a solid workout. We had lots of people asking us how much further the end was etc. It's a suitable trail for experienced hikers or any adventurous beginners. I would hike with my friends here but not a great hike for anyone less coordinated or less able to handle elevation gain. I wouldn't recommend this trail if you've never hiked before since it's on the moderate side of difficulty. There isn't any rock scaling or anything like that, but it definitely is not an easy hike either.
That being said the trail is gorgeous and there is a ton of forest scenery. The only real lookout point is from the very top, but it is very rewarding. The summit is a great place to stop for a snack and enjoy the view. Lots of people on this trail in the afternoon when we went and we had to park pretty far down the road. I was stung by a wasp on this trail as well - not sure if this is common for the trail or a one off, but I was glad I brought my first aid kit on the hike. I didn't provoke the wasp at any point - just hiking along and then out of nowhere was stung. Many people had their dogs on the trail as well if that's something important/concerning to you.
Happy hiking!
