This was my third time hiking to Strawberry Peak and it gets easier every time. The first 2.5 miles are very relaxed with only a modest elevation gain and took a bit leas than an hour. The last mile is steep and slow with lots of rocks requiring big and careful steps. Hiking poles are great on this section both up and down. The views were very clear from the top (which you reach after a few false peaks). The way down is slow the first (steep) mile but then it’s just a casual stroll back to Red Box

There were only a handful of hikers today and the parking lot was surprisingly empty at 7:30 am. It wasn’t too hot and there were no bugs at all. Overall a very pleasant and pretty easy hike.