This was an incredible trail and experience! My husband and I came at a good time when it wasn't too crowded - 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon. We parked at the lower parking because we didn't realize there was other parking up higher. No worries. We hit the trail and I am so glad we brought our hand bottles. You must either have hand bottles or a Camelbak full of water to do this hike. Also plan for about 2 hours. It took us 53 minutes to get up, and 46 to get down. But since we had dinner reservations for 6:30, we couldn't stay at the top for more than 2 minutes! I would have loved to look around more. It will take longer if you have younger children or are not in good shape. I like Patricia's comments that you need, "Strong legs, strong arms, strong will, strong lungs and strong joints" to do this hike. There was boulder hopping from time to time as well as a chain link that you could grab to help you climb up the rocks or down. Its that steep of an incline. But certainly we had an amazing time and once my knees recover, we'll be doing it again!