Cutthroat Pass via the Pacific Crest Trail — Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023

Hands down the prettiest place we have ever slept 👏

I’ve been wanting to get up to the North Cascades for a few years & we finally made it up there this weekend to see what all the hype is about the larches. My mom, 13 mo. old daughter , & I arrived at the trailhead a little past 9:00 a.m. after a 4.5 hour drive.

No lie, the highway was lined with hundreds of cars for probably 2 miles. We snagged a spot only .4 miles from the trailhead thankfully. If you’re looking for solitude, this is not the hike for you - we passed hundreds of people heading up the trail.

At about 3 miles into the trail we got our first glimpses of the golden larches, and now I get the hype. This trail was gorgeous with all of the fall foliage (pics don’t do it justice). We snagged a perfect camp spot overlooking Cutthroat Lake & looking out at the mountain range.

The night was a little chilly but we were comfortable & cozied up.

Sunrise was unreal (again, pics don’t do it justice). We got up around 5:00 a.m. & got to enjoy the sunrise spectacle while drinking coffee. We packed up camp and had a leisurely hike back to the car.

This is a fantastic trail for backpacking! I was carrying 80 lbs with my daughter and both of our things so the gradual incline of this trail was in our favor. We will definitely be back, but on a weekday to try and avoid the mass crowds