This was the first weekend since the Maple Springs Gate opened again after the recent storm in January, so I wanted to take advantage of what I thought would be the lower crowds along this road/hike. Took the 7 mile off road drive up in my truck to the trailhead and began the trek to Santiago Peak just before 9. It was a windy day, but also a sunny one to start. Perfect conditions in my opinion, one that is much better than what would be during a hot summer day. On the way up, only saw a few mountain bikers and trail runners and 2 dirtbikers. This is exactly what I wanted, to go early and avoid the crowds. Spent some time exploring the telescopes of the Mountains and the Sign before heading back down. At the peak, it started to get cloudy, windy and cold really fast and it remained like that for most of the way back down. On the way down, took a detour to Modjeska Peak before finishing up this 11.52 mile hike back to the car. I've heard that this was a non as favorable hike due to the crowds of OHV's and Bikers, but I thought this was a fun one and the offroaders weren't too much of a nuisance in my opinion (but also because I off-road myself)! Overall, I rate this hike a 8/10 and thought it was really fun!