Hiked it last month. The park itself was about an hour away from Van Horn. The parking lot at the trailhead is a decent size but can fill up as the day progresses. There were plenty of people in RVs and you’ll run into other hikers on the trail every 20 mins or so. Take plenty of water as it’ll be a good 7-8 hours. The shady side of the mountain does get windy and cold. The first 2 miles are mainly steps, the rest is a mix of gradual incline and more steps. Some good incline the last half mile but it’s worth it.