I’m so happy this was our first summit because the entire hike really impressed me. Yes, it was a challenge for us, but I would gladly hike this again and again. It’s not too far from home, about an hour, and as long as you get there early enough for the parking, it’s free to hike. The next closest spot to park is Lily Lake.

We always seem to start our hikes right around dawn which is great because I love watching the sunrise on a hike.

I thought we were pretty brave doing this hike so early into our beginning hiking stage, but the summit keeps us motivated. Lily Mountain’s summit is 9,786 ft and the trail to the top was around 2 miles point-to-point, so 4 miles round trip. One of the most enjoyable parts of these mountain hikes is that you finally get some shade. Most of our previous and flat hikes were out in the open.

We had some fun taking photos on the way down. This was such a lovely trail with so much to see.

I definitely recommend this hike if you live nearby!