Took this one on with my three dogs based on review of ample shade, but it's 50/50 shaded at best. Road to the trailhead isn't something I'd attempt even in my Outback, so we added another mile to our hike to park on the groomed road. Trail is in bad shape, with ample thorn and sticker bushes to walk through. My. shins are torn up, and I spent an hour tweezering stickers out of my shoes and socks after the hike. I'd have been lost without my AllTrails route downloaded. The upside is no other hikers on the trail at all. We saw a skunk, a frog, some deer, and came within 100 yards of a HUGE bear around mile 2. !!! We had just stopped to video the leaves of some cedars fluttering in the breeze so were being quiet. 30 seconds after we started moving again I see a HUGE bear rump about 100 yards ahead of us. He noticed us at the same time and took off in the opposite direction. whew! After staying put and making a lot of noise to be sure no others around, and pulling out my bear spray just in case, we carried on and had no further sightings. We hit the peak at 4.4 miles, and it is a very nice view! Lots of notes in the logbook - we missed missed meeting another group by one day. After a short break for pictures, snacks, and water... I realized we were out of water!! I'd brought two liters, but it took us 3 hours to summit, and with the exposed sections the dogs were thirstier than usual. I beat myself up about this the whole way back, but we took it slow, with ample shade breaks, and everyone was fine. Some panting, but nothing major, and I did have water waiting in the car. Always an adventure! Bring more water than you think you'll need, and I recommend long, loose-fitting pants and gaitors due to all the thorns / stickers you have to walk through. Some really nice sections, though. Downhill is stepper than it felt going up and my toes were getting smashed in my trailrunners, so recommend hiking boots instead. I recommend this trail for seasoned hikers. Effort was moderate, as noted on AlllTrails.