Mount Willey Trail

Conquered this hike yesterday! Starts out as a moderate grade then becomes quite steep the last mile. Micro Spikes a must at the higher elevations. Beautiful views at the 2 outlooks near the summit.

Moderate hike with some steeper sections in the final third. There were ladders going over the steepest sections. The summit itself is entirely wooded with a small cairn. However, there is a nice outlook right before the summit itself. Most of the hike was icy/packed snow, so micro spikes are definitely recommended.

Went yesterday. Started out on Ethan Pond Trail and then went up Mt. Willey. Summit is a pile of rocks in the tree lines. There's was very little snow and ice on the ground. In the first 1.6 miles, lots of fallen leaves. The section after has the snow/ice. It was a good hike. Moderate in the beginning and steep near the top. You have to climb up roughly 6 man-made ladders. Because of snow and ice while climbing them.

Very nice hike. We started by going to the waterfalls, which were great. Then headed up to the summit. Which has a very scenic lookout just before the peak. I would say it was a moderate trail which has wooden stairs/ladders over the steepest sections. Not a ton of long overly steep shoots.

Beautiful start to the fall with this hike. We stared on Ethan Pond Trail, and then climbed to Willey. I will say that we were disappointed of hikers comments using numerous resources that it is dog friendly. We sadly had to turn around once we hit the ladders (probably another half hour left to the top) because our 80 lb, very athletic dog just couldn't do it. I would not recommend bringing your pup unless you plan to carry them on the ladders. We will be back without him to summit this beautiful mountain!

This trail was very steep! And very difficult! Slippery on the way down! The view at the top was amazing but this is not for beginners!

Was not an easy hike by any means. Accessed the Willey ridge trail from the Ethan Pond Trail. Like previous reviews the last scramble all 1.1 miles seemed to never end. If only we hadn’t been socked in the clouds today, then maybe the strenuous climb would have felt better. Despite my frustration with the challenge I feel accomplished and tried my best to enjoy the climb. This is a climb for those who are ready for a challenge!!

I also wouldn’t classify this as an easy hike. Between the gradual but steady steepness and rock scrambles, this would be more fairly considered a moderate hike. We started at Willey House to Kedron Flume to Willey Range Trail.

It took us about 2 hours to hike up and about 1 1/2 to get down. Slippery in a lot of spots but the reward at the top was well worth the tougher than expected conditions. Would definitely recommend this hike!

Would not classify this as easy or moderate at all. I would consider myself a fairly seasoned hiker and found this trail to be harder than several of the trails up Washington or Jefferson. The trail starts out nice with a steady incline, levels off for a bit but then gets very steep. For only being like 4200 feet this mountain never seemed to end, and when it did the views were not worth the work. Lots of small loose stone on the trail made descending difficult. Would not recommend for beginners or anyone without much experience.

Summited Wiley this morning around 11:30 via the Ethan Pond Trail I wanted to get Field and Tom as well, but the cloud cover was still pretty dense. Beyond the cairn, around the next bend to the right, it was pretty much pea soup. As of today, all the streams are still easily crossed, but the posthole danger is very high, especially on the snow bridges over the streams. The first two sections of stairs were an easy walk-up, but I could have used an axe or two on the upper ones, as they were still ice-covered. All in all, beautiful trail, nicely maintained!

This is a beautiful hike, especially in the winter time. I had no view at the summit due to whiteout conditions but the trails were just as beautiful. I took the Kendron Flume trail to the Willey Range trail. The trail is quite a challenge in the winter so be sure to bring micro spikes or crampons and a ice axe!

Beautiful hike, the birds on the summit will fly into your hand if you give them a snack. Great view from the top.

A great day hike! The last mile gets a little steep and unforgiving, but the view is well worth the sweat.

This is not an easy / moderate hike. The description should be fixed before someone that shouldn't be on Willey hurts themselves because of the incorrect information. the trail also needs maintenance to be " well maintained"

Just hiked Mount Willey trail earlier today. This trail is easy to moderate to start (Kardon Flume trail), then it gets more difficult as the later half of the hike to mount Willey is done mostly through water run-off rock hiking. This is a steep incline trail and not for beginners on a day when the trail and rocks are wet. Great view from the top, not too busy and a few nice Mountain water run-off.

I would consider this a difficult rather than easy/moderate hike. The fact that it is noted as being easy in the description is surprising. We completed this hike August 2017 and it was a pretty steep climb up after the first mile and had my heart racing most of the time. In addition, if you're scared of heights, the ladders can be intimidating. The hike requires a high level of fitness given that it's likely you'll need to use your quads, hams, biceps, triceps, and generally full body to complete the hike in a reasonable time frame. On the way down, I had to often use my upper body strength to climb down or maintain balance. I did nearly slip/fall a handful of times but caught myself on my hands each time thankfully. In contrast, the last hike I did was White Dot Trail @ Mount Monadnock which is tagged as hard yet is significantly easier than this hike. All in all, I enjoyed the challenge and the view lookout near the top was good as well (there weren't many views otherwise).

The Ethan pond trail portion of the hike is a breeze. The willey range trail is tricky from the moment you cross it. It is very steep and very rocky. The ladders and stairs are super useful (if only there were more of them.) There is no signage indicating that the willey range trail continues onto field so you just have to go with it if you're planning on doing all three together.

starts off easy then u go straight up for about an hour. nothing technical but not for the out of shape folks. I bagged Field and Tom while I was up there then came down A-Z trail to AMC and hitchhiked back to Willey Station Rd. Would not do again since no views until top then just a small lookout. virtually no views at all on Tom and Field.

Day started out nice. Quickly started drizzling and turned somewhat foggy. Not fun while wet and slippery. Also, not the best views. Cool birds (Grey Jays), that fly right up to you.
My fiancee and I wouldn't hike this trail again; anytime soon.

Steep, rocky and wet. Stairs were cool and the view at the top is spectacular. No large open summit but there are 2 small overlook spots with gorgeous views of the valley.

Although it's a short hike, it takes longer to reach the summit. The first one half a mile is slightly incline and get flat for a mile. The last 3/4 of a mile is super inclined. If you are hiking this trail during this time of the year, make sure you carry microspikes. And I don't recommend this trail for newbies. Wonderful view from the summit. Cute birds atop.

Definitely an intense steep hike, more than you would think, however, the views are well worth it! Short trail but seems much longer and still took about 4-5 hours round trip to complete. Birds at the summit will land on your hand if you have food it was really cool! I definitely recommend this hike to anyone who has some experience! If you hike it this time of year then micro spikes will be needed as there was plenty of ice and snow in most parts! Also very wet about 80 percent of the trail

NOT for the inexperienced hiker. Took my fiancée and I about 3 hours just to reach the summit.. many steep spots as well as some old wooden ladders. Long walk back if you're super tired like we were. The whole day took 5 hours total for us. Start with a smaller trail if you're just starting out or aren't super physically fit :p

Decent hike and it only took us an hour to summit Willey. There are a couple views and only one of them is any good. Wooded peak but a good start if you want to get Tom and Field as well

I really enjoyed the hike to Mt. Willey. This was my wife's first "real" hike, however, and she (and honestly I) would not classify it as relatively easy. At the very start there is a decent grade, but it doesn't last super long and levels out for a long while. But about 0.25 miles or so before the wooden steps, the trail gets very steep. Not good for an inexperience hiker. The steps are well maintained and definitely helpful but I can see how it would be scary to climb. After that it is very steep the rest of the way up. Needless to say my wife was a bit perplexed why I chose this as her first hike. At the overlook point, there is a beautiful view but the summit is a bit underwhelming. Not much to see going up and only 2 real viewpoints at the top. For the amount of exertion used that last mile or so, I was hoping for something a bit more eye-catching. All in all a great hike for people who know what they're doing. Don't bring the noobs.

Great hike, the mountain has a way of making you feel close to the summit when you still have a ways to go. View at the top was well worth the trip.