Today’s hike was to the top of Mount Molly, or what I have chosen to assume is Mount Molly. Capitol Forest’s online map doesn’t even show this peak, but my paper map does, which really confuses me because it’s supposed to be the same thing. Searching for the Mount Molly trail online seemed to be impossible. I kept finding the “Mount Molly Loop” which isn’t even on my paper map, ranging from 6.7 to 8.3 miles, depending on the source, and, from what I could tell, wasn’t even near Mount Molly.
Capitol Forest is popular for ATVing. Most of the guides online are for riding directions and kept referring to the Mt. Molly trail as a "good riding loop." Despite all this, I was convinced there was a way to the top.
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| click for larger view of map |
On my paper map, it shows the closest road to Mount Molly was the D4000, the first left turn off the C-Line when you enter the forest. After a short drive on the D4000, the road is intersected by the Waddle Basin West trail, a popular ATV trail that passes by Mount Molly, at least according to the paper map. There are a few pullouts to park the car nearby, so we parked and started hiking the Waddle Basin West (WBW).
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| click for larger view of map |
We had to step aside several times to let groups of ATVs fly by, but they always waved or smiled at us. Technically, the trail is for both hiking and ATVing, so whether your on foot or not, it's best to keep an ear out and pay attention.
Here’s where it got tricky. After a mile or two, the WBW trail intersected with an unmarked gravel road. If you headed left, it was a dead end. If you headed right, it turned into D4900. Heading straight continues on the WBW. Soon after, though there is a fork in the trail (ultimately joining back together). If you look to the left of the fork, there is actually a very hidden third unmarked trail, hidden by a bunch of fallen branches. Don’t worry if you miss this (we did!). There is another option.
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| The first fork in the trail |
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| To the left of the fork are fallen branches. This is actually the secret Mount Molly trail! |
We followed the left fork, merging back to the WBW soon after, where it got a bit more rocky and started going downhill. Thinking it was time to turn back after going down the hill a short distance, I suddenly noticed another unmarked trail, a straight shot up! It was a bit steep; I had to use my hands to get me up the initial start of the trail (the reddish dirt definitely helped make it a noticeable trail if you’re looking for it). Then the trail started getting littered with deliberately cut trees. The trail is still obviously there, you just have to step over and wade through a bunch of branches. I kept joking that we were headed straight for a meth lab but Kevin made a good point: although the trail is unmarked and tricky, if it was leading to something like a meth lab, they did a terrible job of hiding it properly.
This trail takes you to the summit, but there are no lookout points. Before you know it, you’re heading back down. There is a point where we found very old cement blocks embedded in the trail, proving that at one point, this was a designated trail. Not sure what happened. It still seems to be relatively maintained for the most part (very little overgrowth), besides the initial littering of deciduous trees.
The trail eventually forks again. We took the left fork, realizing it exits out into WBW trail, right by the fork mentioned earlier. Not sure what direction the right fork would have taken us, since we decided to head back at that time. Maybe someday I'll go back and find out!
I have no idea how long the trail length was as a whole. I’d guess 3 or so miles. But the great news is that there IS an unmarked Mount Molly trail. It makes me wonder how many other trails there are like this in Capitol Forest.
