We did a three day back to back set of hikes in the North Cascades for the express purpose of ‘chasing the golden larches’. Day one, Thursday 9/5: Maple Pass Loop – beautiful hike, photographer’s nightmare, mid-day blue skies with no clouds – afternoon temp 68. Day two, Friday 9/6: Goat Peak Lookout – fabulous short hike with stellar larches and thank God, some clouds – afternoon temp 55. Day three, Saturday 9/7: Blue Lake off Washington Pass – praying for clouds, some blue sky and snow – got all three! – starting temp at trailhead 37, ending temp at trailhead 38, and it snowed on us on the hike and socked in just after we left. The three days of hiking were instructive how fast the weather can change at this time of year. Do bring layers and be prepared for wind and snow. All hikes delivered on stunning natural beauty and golden larches!
We left the parking lot at 9:52 am with plenty of spaces left and started up the trail clockwise. Since a lot has been written about this hike I will only add a few additional impressions. The clockwise route is not that steep in my opinion and it breaks out to views fairly quickly. As you approach the switchbacks up to the pass there is an expansive panorama of golden larches and every few steps I just stopped with my mouth open. The scenery is that good! I think the views are spectacular from the clockwise side up to the pass and not surpassed by the views from the other side. They’re all great. We paused for lunch and more photos at the pass and headed down over Heather Pass and back to the trailhead. As we descended we passed what seemed like hordes of hikers coming up the counter-clockwise route. The parking lot was packed and overflowing down to Highway 20 and there were additional cars on the highway. Go early.
I took two virtual reality spherical panoramic photos. They provide a cool immersive experience of the alpine views from Maple Pass, so check them out. Here is the link to view them in a pano viewer at 360cities.net. Be sure to click the full screen icon as you roll over the upper right of the photo for best viewing.
Maple Pass, Ridgeline Vista, Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest, WA State: https://www.360cities.net/image/maple-pass-ridgeline-vista-okanogan-wenatchee-national-forest-wa-state
Maple Pass, Hikers Rest, Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest, WA State: https://www.360cities.net/image/maple-pass-hikers-rest-okanogan-wenatchee-national-forest-wa-state
I wore my Suunto Ambit3 Vertical GPS watch to record the hike and then made a movie with the Suunto Movescount app. It provides a sense of the hike in three dimensions from an aerial view. Take a look. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9pASyOKoyc
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