8 miles from my house but 45 minutes to get there.  That should tell you a little about the trip up there.

At first I parked at the wrong parking lot (Sierra Azul).  Parking lot is up the hill and on the left, not right.  I went on a Monday, so parking was a non-issue and the views from this lot are so pretty.  I spent about a good twenty minutes here before crossing the street and getting started at noon.  This hike was so nice and shady.  It was cool the whole time and I never broke out into a heavy pant.  Pretty strange considering that you are staring high up at your goal tower.    No one on the path till the late afternoon on my decent.  Plenty of bushy tailed squirrels to keep me company though.

All things considered this was an easy 7.7 mile hike.