Trip Report
Rock Candy Mountain
Good workout close to home, but not particularly scenic or pleasant, and definitely not a wilderness kind of experience.
Nancy Lloyd
- Fri, May 15, 2020
- Rock Candy Mountain
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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Started at the Rock Candy Mountain trail at about 9:45. Connected with the North Rim #1 trail, then hung a right onto what used to be a continuation of the Divide Trail N. The trail at this junction heading SW is now, sadly, a totally cleared rock-filled logging road. The photo above was taken looking in the opposite direction of our route, but that is what we walked on to the junction with the Rock Candy Mtn. Rd., about 0.7 mile. Many stacks of tall, cut trees with branches still attached lay on both sides of the road. It appears that another logging operation in the area is planned for the near future. I can't imagine another purpose for this destructive road.
The rest of the trail was very rocky, rutted, and quite muddy in places. It is heavily used by ATV's and other motorized bikes. We did not encounter many today, but I'm sure weekends would be busy. The riders we did see were polite and we had no trouble. One ATV approached us from behind as we descended a narrow stretch of trail. We had to step off into the brush so the rig could pass us safely. We heard a few gunshots in the distance. Capital Forest is also popular with target shooters.
Overall, it was a nice day out. 6 miles rt, 1800' gain. This was my second time hiking in Capitol Forest, and likely my last. Here's a couple more photos:
There is a decent viewpoint below the summit, but no views from the summit. Here's a view of a clearcut through a clearcut:
On the summit:
