I've lived in the Phoenix valley for just over ten years now and have wanted to do this hike for a while. I live on the far east valley and never felt like driving an hour to a hike. I've changed my feelings after hiking Cholla yesterday. I loved it!
I found it to be pretty easy. Please keep in mind that I do cardio and/or weight training almost every day. So, that probably helps a lot. However, I would think that just about anyone should at least try this. Just know when it is time to turn around.
Coming down was much harder than going up. Make sure you wear the appropriate hiking shoes and not just worn tennis shoes like I did. You really need something that grips the ground. Those boulders are really slippery.
I did feel a little nervous about scaling rocks on a steep incline, but once you start doing it, you realize how easy it really is. Just a caution, beware of stupid people- the ones that run down steep jagged and slippery portions of the trail. I saw two people almost slip over the edge yesterday. They ran down a section that the rest of us addressed with a crab-crawl.