Being this was my first trail half, I can't speak too much on comparative difficulty. Plenty of road halfs and fulls, but never a trail half.
I admit a certain lack of preparedness for the usual trail trappings: switchbacks, sudden elevation changes, some uneven terrain. After some quick adjustment it wasn't half bad!
The trail wasn't closed, but also wasn't too busy at the time. The horses (and their respective leavings) were an obstacle towards the end.
That all said, it was an amazing event! The start/finish line space was well organised, some decent vendors on site, free continental breakfast pre-start and hot dog/hamburger bbq post-finish all came together nicely.