The trail is as advertised, steep and with little in the way of scenery. This is the kind of hike where the effort is the reward, especially on a socked in winter day. It was also eerily quiet as I was the only person around until I arrived within a quarter mile of the trailhead on my return. All said however it was what I wanted, a short hike with lots of effort close to home.

The trail was in good condition, even with the Friday windstorm. There were only a few branches blown on the trail, nothing I could not kick aside. According to other reviews, and some hand editing on the trailhead sign, the junction with the Mt Zion trail is further than the 1.6 miles indicated. My GPS showed 1.59 miles at the junction so it seems dependent on your unit.

There was very little snow on the trail, the only real accumulation was at the summit and even then it was limited, only a few inches, it was cold and the wind blowing though! I had no need for gaiters nor microspikes though I was heavily dependent on my trekking poles, particularly on the steep and slick descent.