I attained Red Mountain on a very hazy day due to wildfire smoke from B.C. The hike up the Commonwealth Trail is fine and beautiful. I replenished my water (2 qts) at Red Pond and headed up a clear bootpath that lies between a campsite and the little path down to the pond. Going up Red is interesting, but slow and cumbersome. Lots of loose rock, and you have to be careful not to lose the "trail" in 2-3 places. It's about 45 degrees most of the way. The summit is very nice, lots of deeply stained orange and red rock (iron oxide). The views in all directions are spectacular, even with the haze.
2900 ft gain, 8.4 miles, 8:30 hours.