Although the site was quite nice and the exercise was good, I doubt I would do this hike again. It simply lacks a lot of what I'm looking for when I set out to hike. The impact of a large number of visitors was clearly visible with litter, graffiti, and short cuts aplenty. A staircase is obviously needed when there are so many visitors but I'd much prefer a rougher setting.
This particular hike was relatively short at less than 2 hours with plenty of stops for photos. However, it was definitely challenging because of the huge number of stairs. The route up follows closely along the left (West) edge of the falls and offers some great views. There was an alternate route back down which didn't offer a view of the falls but did offer a few nice vistas and much more peace and quiet since most people take the same way down as up.
When you first start the climb you are greeted by the following sign. No big deal 175 steps doesn't sound too bad.
But by the top of those 175 I was feeling it. I was hot and bit winded. From this stop a nice view of the falls appears.
I was stopping here. My halfway point was at the top of the falls. The following sign is a LOT scarier after climbing the first 175 steps.
The next 425 weren't easy at all. About 2/3s up I thought I was going to puke my guts out. A brief rest did a world of good and I continued to the top. There isn't much of a view of the falls from the top because they drop really quick. The following shot is from the start of the trail heading back down the other side.
