Arrived just before 0730 to a full lot. We didn't have to park on the highway, thankfully! 2 vault toilets with no TP, so make sure to be prepared! This trail was relatively easy for us. The trail is well graded, with the first two miles being the most flat. Even though the parking lot was full, we really didn't run into too many hikers on our way up. Around 3 miles in the larches start to show up, along with some switchbacks, but they don't seem bad because of all of the beautiful views! I hit 5 miles as soon as we got to the pass. It took us 2 hours to get there with a moderate pace and lots of stops for pictures. The smoke was pretty bad today, unfortunately. Once we started coming down we ran into lots of backpackers, day hikers and dogs. We clocked 10 miles round trip and just over 4 hours.
Are you wondering Cutthroat or Maple Loop Pass? We did Maple Loop Pass last year, but both agreed that we enjoyed Cutthroat more. But, why not do both?! Definitely arrive as early as possible. As we left today, cars were parked in no parking zones which made it difficult to drive out while avoiding hikers and potholes. The highway was lined on both sides with cars for both trailheads for almost 1 mile. If you can get down here on a weekday, it may be better!
Happy fall hiking 🍁
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