Little Giant Pass — Friday, Oct. 6, 2023

TLDR: beautiful hike that was worth the pain, but just barely.

As others have mentioned, this is a difficult hike in part due to trail navigation, bushy/overgrown with trail sometimes obscured, many many many downed trees, and a very steep latter 1.5 miles. The river crossing at this time of the year was not very bad, I just brought sandals with me and waded through, water came up to my upper calves. The downed trees were mostly easy to traverse, but one in particular was very close to the edge and I can easily see someone slipping.

All that being said, when you are finally approaching the last 1-2 miles, the views open up, beautiful fall colors surround you. The view from the top with the colorful carpet of fiery red blueberry bushes and a smattering of larches on one side, and Napeequa valley with some icy peaks dominating the other, is absolutely stunning,

It took me 7.5 hours including ~45 minute lunch, pictures, etc. I’m a moderate level hiker. 4 hours up, 2.5 hours down.

All in all, I’m glad I did this hike, but I do feel like there are many beautiful fall hikes in the north cascades that are more accessible. This hike definitely had fewer people and thus nice in terms of avoiding large crowds. Would recommend it if you are up for a challenging hike and wanting more peaceful experience for fall foliage. Not a “larch madness” hike, but they are present.