Hughes Mountain
Hughes Mountain is a mountain on Hughes Mountain Conservation Area. This mountain has a huge glade on the summit with great views. What makes it even cooler than just a regular glade is that the glade has 1.4 billion year old rhyolite.
Distance: 1 mile out and back
Difficulty: Easy
Scenery: 4 Stars
Distance: 1 mile out and back
Difficulty: Easy
Scenery: 4 Stars
The trailhead for Hughes gives you no idea of the wonders in store for you. You start your hike on a mowed grass path leading through a field. You pass a small stock pond and enter the woods.
The path winds gently up the hill below some rocky outcroppings. Then, the trail swings up to the rocks.
The trail makes a short steep climb up in between two large rocks. From here on up, the trail is totally different. You will wind upwards through scenic glades and rocky outcrops with some great views behind you.
After some great hiking, you will burst into the huge summit glade. It doesn't look to neat from down here. Continue up the hill, hiking on rhyolite and grass up to the summit. Its actually quite a long hike from when you get out of the trees. The higher you go, the better the views are. The summit is almost totally covered in the columnlar rocks called Devil's Honeycomb. As you climb, look back and rember where you entered the glade; its easy to get turned around in the huge expanse.