We arrived a little before 7am on a Sunday morning to an almost full parking lot. The weather was forecast to be sunny and warm with a high of 81 degrees. The hike up was pretty steep the entire way with only a few sections of downhill or flat and was very exposed for most of the way up. The hike begins on a service road and becomes really interesting (in my opinion) when you connect with the Black Mountain trail about 2 miles from the summit where it goes to more of a single lane route. There are lots of spots to take photos of the surrounding area and we were lucky enough to get a clear day with very little wind. The last two miles up to the summit is steep and was challenging for me and the group. We made it a little after 9am and enjoyed a 30m break at the summit. The route down was much harder on the knees and there were sections we jogged as it was easier than going too slow. It was getting really warm after 10am so I recommend getting it done early. It took us about 5 hours to complete the hike (including the 30m stop at the summit) and I think we were hiking on the quicker side. I would plan 5-6 hours. Glad to get it done as it was on the challenging side. My feet and legs are sore today!