This is a strenuous hike with a lot of elevation gain to a false summit, then elevation loss, and then elevation gain to the true summit. This is not a hike for the casual person, and it's almost a must that you wear hiking boots. Especially coming back down, the steepness and the slippery sand and gravel can make slipping a very easy thing.
The payoff for all this hard work is the view. The view of Las Vegas and the Spring Mountains to the west. The view of Lake Mead, Rainbow Gardens, and Lava Butte to the east. Any direction you look will be wonderful and you feel like you're on top of the world.
This is a cool weather hike. You certainly don't want to be doing it in July when it's in the 100s.
I was conflicted about whether this should be a 4 or 5 star rating and I finally decided on the 5 stars. The view makes this hike "as good as it gets" in spite of the work to reach the goal.
I have added some of the photos I took when I did this hike on February 18, 2008 to give you an idea of how steep the two road sections are.