Beautiful day to catch the last of the Western Larch show with Moose the mountain pup. No problem getting to the Swauk discovery loop trailhead. Did the Swauk loop counterclockwise. Larches were just passed peak but looking great. Some minor amount of snow on the trail. After that loop hike, I drove up the forest road NF9712 until the amount of snow became too sketchy around 5100ft, so I parked and then hiked up the road the couple miles to Diamond head. Great views up there.

Be careful not to drive too far up the road without proper equipment. Luckily I was able to help get an SUV in front of me unstuck with my traction boards. Snow on the road walk, but never needed to use the micro spikes I brought. This is a great late October/ early November hike.

Pretty drive today. There was one car in the lot when we arrived around 1:00 and we saw a pair of trail runners in the second half of the hike. Vault toilet at the TH, road good for any car.
The trail is in great shape. We went CCW and enjoyed the views, despite some clouds and smoke. There are a couple of trees down that aren’t hard to get over.
Plenty of golden larch. A little past prime but still nice.
There is a prescribed burn on the north side of Blewett Pass, as you drive towards Hiway 2. It’s a little alarming to see patches of smoke and flames as you drive by. The approach to Wenatchee was super smoky. Might be a bad idea to come this way if you’re sensitive.
Happy Halloween!

I got to the trailhead just before 9. There was one other car with a pair of women and their dog I would encounter again later. The vault toilet is open but not stocked. I chose to head east up to Swauk Meadow Peak. The view from the top (there's a bench!) was lovely, with the distant peaks dusted with snow, and larches dotting the forest. Wisps of smoke from a nearby fire, which I hear was prescribed, rose over a distant ridge.
The trail was frozen solid most of the time, but not slippery. On the west side of the peak was a blowdown that was awkward but not impassible.
I didn't do the whole loop, but on the way back, I ran into the other women, who had done the western loop. They noted it was beautiful and had great views and lots of larches, so I think we each got what we needed, and felt okay not doing the whole thing.

Wow, who knew there were so many larches that were so easy to view? The larches are at peak right now, and they are beautiful and everywhere! I feel like the descriptions of the hike don't do enough justice to the views, especially from the hill at the east end of the loop. Diamond Head is beautiful and also larch-lined, and to the northwest there is a nice view of the Enchantment mountains as well.

Light snow on Forest road, parking lot and trail. Made for beautiful contrasts with blue skies and light clouds on this crisp autumn day.  Three cars in lot.  Saw one other person hiking ahead of us. Larches were at peak and they are at every turn, near the trail and we n the distance.  Great little trail.  Perfect for stretching legs on a road trip