Also: more squirrels then mosquitoes in February! The parking lot had plenty of space on a Friday at 7 am. I ended up taking the clockwise version of the trail, starting with the upper winter Creek trail above the parking lot (Skipping the asphalt section). It was an absolutely gorgeous hike. Lots of shade, which was good, because it was already warm. Never used my fleece; hiked in a t-shirt. I ended up drinking about 3.5 liters of water (you can refill on top though if needed – even though the cafe is closed). There is a nice bench about 2.5 miles from the top (on the Creek side of things) which was lovely for a break, and more scenic then Mt Wilson. The brief section trough the burn area was eerie: blackened stumps, no shade at all and suddenly is was weirdly quiet. On the way back I used trekking poles to take some weight of my knees and add some stability for the switchbacks to Sturtesvant Camp. The section between Sturtesvant campground and the trailhead is the least scenic: too many structures, too many people. I considered looking at the falls, but there isn't much water, unfortunately. The trial was easier than I had expected and I had no soreness at all the day after. Plenty long and plenty of climbing (my Fitbit clocked in at 414 flights of stairs), so this is not an easy trail, but compared with Baldy/San Jacinto, which I hiked last year, there is much more oxygen at 5600 ft. It took me just over 6 hours actual hiking and I added two lazy long breaks, back by 2:30 pm.

If you are hiking the trail counterclockwise, as many people do, at about halfway down the Winter Creek you can take a slightly longer southern branch of the trail. Much prettier and you avoid that nasty exposed section of uphill asphalt at the end. Almost all of the trail is easy to find. Still, take map/GPS; you don't want to get lost there. Happy trails!