Little Larch Mountain and Mount Molly sit near the east end of Capitol State Forest. To the northwest rises Capitol Peak, the second-tallest in the state forest after Larch Mountain. Then to the north is the third-tallest, Rock Candy Mountain.
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Little Larch Mountain and Mount Molly at a Glance
Access: Road C-6000 & D-4900
Round Trip: 3 miles
Elevation Range: 900′-1320′
Gear: none
Route Info: Joanne Najdzin
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
A Rainy Day Hike
We almost didn’t go out today because of the lousy weather report. But after it updated to late morning rain, I thought we’d avoid it by starting early. Then it changed to showers before noon as we left the house. We couldn’t win!
The C-Line put us on C-6000 before driving past the gate to the road fork. Then we took a nap in the car as it started to rain cats and dogs. As it turned to drizzles an hour later, we rushed up the road through the logging area.
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Little Larch Mountain Summit
All in all, both peaks combined only gave us a total of three miles of exercise. I would’ve maximized the trip via the bike paths if it weren’t for the moody weather. Soon, we took the summit trail and reached the top in half a mile.
It rained again, so we stayed under the summit sign and quickly scoped out the area. But glad the clouds had lowered to reveal the decent east views. We also briefly saw Capitol Peak before it went back into the mists.
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Mount Molly Summit Plus Exit
We backtracked through C-Line to the gated D-4900. Walking through the forest with the target-shooting sounds wasn’t at all pleasing. Soon, we saw the logged-out summit and walked a short way to the muddy top.
Views were nearly panoramic since logging had taken out most trees. East lowland hills remained visible while it stayed cloudy to the west. We visited long enough for selfies before the wind gusts booted us off the top.
See more trip photos here.