I have lived in Washington for 32.5 of my 35 years of life, but it wasn’t until this year that I finally saw the golden hue of the larches. It’s well known amongst the outdoor community that these trees are sacred, and because they only shine bright for a limited time, people flock from all over to find them. One of the best spots to find them in Washington is in the North Cascades.
There are a few trails up north best known for larches, and this year my pal Caitlin and I knew we had to make the trip to see them. The North Cascades are a minimum of 3.5 – 4hrs away by car, so this had to be an overnight trip. When I told Duncan the plan he wanted to come too, so the three of us found a dog friendly place to sleep (Caitlin brought her pup), and made the plans.
The drive there was beautiful, and we stopped along the way to see Diablo Lake, a popular overlook on the North Cascades Scenic Highway.
We stayed in the town of Mazama, 20 minutes away from the popular hiking area. Likely the most popular trail in the North Cascades is called Maple Pass. People line up for miles along the main road for this hike (we saw the masses driving in), and it’s said that during larch season there are upwards of 2000 people who visit…DAILY.
While I would like to do this trail one day, we opted for another trail that we knew would be less populated. We chose to hike to Cutthroat Pass, a 12 mile climb that meets up with the PCT. After our long drive north we checked into our cozy accommodation, and stopped by the local market for an overpriced dinner.
Caitlin and I ended the day with an evening walk, followed by a few games of UNO.
After a mediocre night of sleep we woke up around 0530 with the plan to be at the trailhead by 0700. The trail was just around the corner from where we stayed, and we arrived to find the parking lot mostly empty. It was a frigid 33 or 34 degrees and I worried I would regret wearing shorts, but there was no turning back now. “Be bold, start cold” is a motto I live by through the end of October.
The first two miles of this trail are relatively flat, and lead you to Cutthroat Lake. We stopped here for a quick breakfast break, and then continued on. The first half of this trail was so/so. Nothing to write home about, but I knew there had to be expansive views eventually. The climb was gradual, and no one ever felt like they were overly fatigued. Eventually the forested canopy opened up and the colors started to change.
The sun came out, giving us one last bluebird hike before the autumn rains.
When we finally found the larches it was like finding the golden ticket in a Wonka bar. The recent trail reports mentioned that the trees were not at peak color, but none of us had any complaints about the colors we saw. We ooed and aaed at the beautiful surrounding view, and when we made it to the pass we spent a long while enjoying the massive mountains that engulfed us.
Caitlin and I had a summer full of hiking, and we both decided this would be somewhat of a final hoorah before slowing down for the season. Neither of us plan to stop hiking all together, but the weekly or bimonthly planned hikes are on pause until next season. Last October we ended our hiking season with a trip to the North Cascades as well, and this is certainly a tradition I plan to keep.
Our hike back down was even more beautiful as the lighting changed with the midday sun, illuminating the yellow trees brighter than before. We saw some people as we came down (including a handful of bikers), but overall our choice for a less populated hike was a success. We made it back to the car 6.5 hours later, and drove the 4.5ish hours back home.
These further hikes make for long days, but the reward is always worth it.
And just like that, hiking season (for me) has come to a close. As I said before, I still plan to hike sporadically throughout the fall and winter, but I plan to transition back into running for these colder months. It’s been two weeks since we embarked on this adventure, and the weather has taken a turn. I’m ready to put some cookies in the oven, socks on my toes, and sip coffee with a good book.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Q: If you live somewhere with four seasons, what is your favorite thing about autumn?
Blissfulbritt 
34 thoughts on “Cutthroat Pass, North Cascades”
pausesandclicks
I had never heard of the larches before but just yesterday saw a FB reel of someone getting married in front of them! Thanks for sharing your hike with us!
Brittany
Back to back days of larches! What a beautiful backdrop for a wedding.
mariezhuikov
What a gorgeous landscape! In MN we call larches tamaracks. I guess they’re the same thing. Our mostly occur in bogs.
Brittany
Ooooh interesting! I hope one day to visit a MN bog!
Thistles and Kiwis
Beautiful colours in nature. We do have four seasons here, but quite different to where I grew up as lots of native plants stay green all year round.
Brittany
I love the colorful changes, but we also have a lot of plants that stay green. Mostly trees. I love that too.
Sheree
Stunning
Brittany
I agree!
Rootchopper
I rode through the Northern Cascades in 2018. Mazama was an absolute zoo, swarming with LOUD tourists. I camped 6 miles outside town behind a barn.
When I saw Diablo Lake the next day I was blown away.
Too bad the larches weren’t turning.
Brittany
It was a ghost town when we went! Too funny. We traded the zoo for the larches I suppose.
Rootchopper
My ride to the barn featured incredibly strong headwinds too. Mazama and I are not friends
Rootchopper
“We traded the zoo for the larches” sounds like a song lyric
Brittany
LOLOL. 🤣
Diana
Beautiful! Honestly, the red tundra plants might be just as pretty as the larches! I’ve never seen larches in the fall but it’s absolutely on my to-do list.
Brittany
I agree about the red, all of these colors together are amazing.
Duncan
It was a gorgeous hike, and overall a wonderful experience, I was thrilled to be a part of it and hope we have plenty more in our future!
xoxo
Brittany
I’m glad you wanted to go. 🙌🏻 XXoO.
Roy McCarthy
Would the Native Americans have held the larches as sacred Britt? I’m actually impressed by the number of people who do trail hiking. It’s not what we would normally imagine your average Murican doing 🙂
Brittany
Of course the Native Americans would hold the larches sacred! They respect the land far more than most of us.
Is there an alternative to trail hiking? I suppose most Americans get a reputation for being lazy, but I think it depends which area of the country you’re looking it. The northwest is relatively active I’d say! Lots of us folks getting outside. But overall compared to other countries we certainly need improvement for the population as a whole. Lol.
Atheria
Beautiful pictures once again. Thank you for letting us live vicariously through you. 🙂
Brittany
Thank YOU for sharing in the adventure from afar.
Arctic Hare!
I don’t think I actually knew The Larch was a real tree! My brother and I quote that little quote form Monty Python every now and then, but I for some reason thought they made up the name. :,D Looks like a beautiful hike and a fun time ^_^
Brittany
Haaahaha! This is so great, I’m glad you now know they’re real.
gpavants
Hi Brittney,
Love the images. Battle the cold! Had that this morning bike riding. But you plugged through. Enjoy that while you are young.
Thanks, Gary
Gary Avants Forbear Productions * *garyavants66@gmail.com garyavants66@gmail.com
Brittany
Yes! I know I’ll always warm up after the first mile.
stewedpears.com
Always amazed by the colours in your photos and enjoy finding the locations on google maps – very much travelling vicariously 🙂
Brittany
I love this!! That’s so fun that you do that, thanks for sharing with me. 🤗
Tasty Cue
Wow where you stayed was beyond beautiful. Almost makes me miss the PNW. Almost.
Brittany
Almost!? LOL. I can’t imagine not living here. I admit the rain gets old sometimes, buttttt I love it here.
Amy
Your photos are absolutely gorgeous!!! The way the light strikes the trees is simply stunning, but knowing nature, I’m guessing the scenery looked even more incredible in person. What a special last hurrah for this year’s hiking season! ♡ Stay warm and bake ALLLLLL the cookies that your heart desires! 😉
Brittany
Thank you friend, always means a lot coming from such an excellent photographer like yourself! The scenery definitely looked better in person, but I’ll savor these photos as reminders.
Amy
Awww you’re too sweet… You’re making me blush!! 🥹 Photo memories are some of the best kinds!
niall
We have larches here that change with the Autumn but nowhere as yellow as that! Ours go a dull orange that looks great mixed among the evergreen Spruce but I’d love to see those bright yellows in real life 😍
Brittany
Ohhh wow, a nice orange would be beautiful too. I hope to see the Washington larches at PEAK next season.