This was back in early spring but it was surprisingly hot — high in the mid-80s. Most of the trail has no shade at all and there's no escaping the heat. We left half- past eight in the morning and it was already hot by the time we reached the exposed portion of the trail from the Mount Lawlor saddle. The first mile or so from the trailhead up to this point follows a wide and easy-to-follow trail with only a few hundred feet of elevation gain. From the saddle the single-track trail goes around the side of Mount Lawlor for about two miles before it turns into the steep final 1.2-mile ascent to the peak. The elevation gain along this last mile or so is about 1100 feet with the slope in some sections reaching 45 degrees. This is the most strenuous section of the trail and the loose gravel and small boulders that you need to scramble over don't make it any easier. Then there are maybe three false peaks that you'll go through first before you finally reach the real Strawberry Peak. But the spectacular 360-degree views from the top make this not-so-easy hike all worthwhile. On a clear day, you can see downtown Glendale, the LA basin with the prominent LA downtown skyline, Long Beach harbor and as far as Catalina Island to the west. And, the San Gabriel Mountains to the east serve as a perfect backdrop to the great views below. My three suggestions for this hike — lots of water, trekking poles and real hiking shoes with hard soles.