The trail is a challenge for most hikers since it gains 1020 feet in elevation in only 1.2 miles over mostly rocky, boulder strewn terrain as seen in the photo above. Most hikers take frequent rest breaks on the trip up and then see that others do, too, as they hike back down and observe others resting on their way up.
Mile marker posts mark your progress every 1/4 mile, and the final several hundred yards are carved out of the cliffside and require dozens and dozens of big steps to climb, as seen above. A hand rail is firmly embedded in the rock to provide assistance and a more secure feeling as you climb quickly and finally get some open views after traversing the dark, shadowy, densely treed trail. In fact, photos like the one below of Ellen by one of the many cascades the stream descends, turn out quite dark since little sunlight reached the trail.
Finally, vistas. The trail follows a narrow cleft in the mountain, and the first views come when you finally reach the top, 1000 feet above the trailhead.
This magnificent 1.5 acre lake was created by a geologic fault which caused the lake bed to fall away from the valley floor above. The lake's edge or rim is formed from travertine, dissolved limestone material which is deposited by the water onto rocks and logs.
Ellen walks a fallen log out into the lake, which in the middle is 25 feet deep.
Here is a closeup of the waterfalls refilling the lake.
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