We went in Mid October, the trail was in good shape even though it had rained the day before. This was a good as it kept the trail dust down, it wasn't as bad  as it could have been. Most of the trail is through a brush forest- its nice to travel through- better than the fully exposed trails on the coast.

I took two dogs, and while some of the trails was through shaded brush forest, much of the trail is exposed which was hot for the dogs. I took 3 liters of water and went through all of it. The last push to the summit is tougher, but the trail is a fun one overall. This is a hot one, even in October. Some other hikers said they saw a snake, but we were lucky enough to not meet any critters. This was a fun one.