Personally I'd consider it steep, but the altitude influences that answer. The switchbacks (and there are many of them) aren't all that bad and the backside is definitely an incline but it's nothing drastic. There are other sections with quite a few stairs however, and the lack of oxygen coupled with a pack makes every step a lot more work than it would normally be.
There's almost no level ground - you're heading uphill pretty consistently the whole way.
