Mount Lillian

Mount Lillian rises to 6,100 feet in the Wenatchee Mountains above Blewett Pass, offering a moderate summit hike through a patchwork of surviving old growth and the ghostly remnants of the 2012 Table Mountain Fire. The trail begins inside Ken Wilcox Horse Camp and climbs through alternating stretches of living forest and burn zones where silvered snags frame long views of the Teanaway, the Enchantments, and Glacier Peak.

The standard route follows Trail 1601, but the upper section has degraded significantly since the fire. A better option detours onto jeep track 4W312 at the 0.6-mile mark, avoiding the worst of the loose, dusty tread. This wider track reaches a rocky viewpoint before connecting to the Tronsen Ridge Trail. From the junction, the summit requires another 1.5 miles of climbing on steep, slippery terrain where trekking poles earn their keep.

Fall brings the real draw here: larches. The Blewett Pass larch zone catches golden color in mid-October, and Mount Lillian delivers without the crowds that pack Lake Ingalls. Trip reports consistently describe solitude on the trail. The forest road approach (FR 9716 to FR 9712) is rough and rutted, adding an adventure layer before the hike even starts.