Rode Esmeralda yesterday, 9/4/19 with a friend. Didn't see a single person the whole route. Glad that I brought my full suspension bike this time because it is a pretty loose, rocky climb. (the first time I rode this on my hardtail)

The trail is pretty dry, lots of shallow creek crossings on the climb up. Make sure to bring plenty of water. The climb is rocky & technical in places. Bring a jacket because it may be colder and windy at the saddle, when you reach the top, since it's just over 5800 feet in elevation. The descent from the saddle is dry & loose in places. The De Roux trail is great, but dry/loose in places also & fortunately a lot of the horse dung was old & dry. Towards the bottom of De Roux there was some brush growing into the trail, but not too bad. Parking at the De Roux campground is a good idea, make sure to bring a NW Forest Pass to park.