Being from Colorado, we read beforehand that this was a strenuous hike, and we scoffed. "Scoff!" we said, "We shall see about that." And then we started hiking, and my girlfriend said "it's not really hiking if you're just walking up stairs." There was more scoffing and pshawing. Then we turned a corner and saw basically a wall with a handrail that we were supposed to climb, and she stopped all that mocking.
This is some serious hiking, at least on the Echo Canyon side (I didn't know there was another trail). It was a lot of fun, trying to pick out the best ways to get up the various hills. I, like many others apparently, sustained some minor injuries, all on the way down. Basically knee scrapes and cuts from not quite lifting my leg high enough when climbing over rocks. Really, it's nothing to worry about if you take your time and plan your moves, unlike those lunatics who run up and down this.
The view from the top is great, and you can really see for miles in every direction. The houses right below are some of the most ridiculous mansions I've ever seen. We went at about 4pm, and the summit was not too too crowded.
It's a five star hike, but a star comes off for the parking situation and the lack of markers on the trail. We ended up having to park at the Barry Goldwater Memorial a little ways away, because for some reason this area has no street parking. And we did find ourselves slightly off course a few times during the climb. Never anything that took a whole lot of time to remedy, but kind of frustrating when you are climbing and climbing and then there's nowhere to go. Overall though, this is one of my favorite hikes/climbs I've done, anywhere.