This was my third year in a row doing this hike and it never disappoints. Larches are peaking and should still be great next weekend. Trail is in excellent condition and the eye candy is magical and lasts for miles.

Honestly, this was the most beautiful hike I've done in recent memory. The larches were mostly turned with a few still lime green. It was a perfect day to hike: sunny, clear skies, high 30s - low 50s. 

My friends and I got to the trailhead just before 8am and the parking lot was busy! We parked on the side of the drive up to the parking lot and those spots were about half taken by the time we got there (including some folks who had frost on their windows... obviously camped overnight). 

We got kitted up and started out. It was definitely chilly to begin with (I run hot, so a headband and vest did the trick) but I quickly warmed up. Even at 8am, the trail was busy. Lots of people passing each other (sometimes back and forth with us!), some on day hikes, some thru-hikers. It was busy but it didn't feel too claustrophobic like some of the super popular trails around Seattle or more popular larches spots. 

Lots of folks with pups (including us) and were super well behaved with the other dogs and their humans. Much better interactions than other trails I've been on! Although I will say: dog owners, please hike out with your full dog poop bags. Sure, it's better than leaving it unbagged, but leaving the bags dotted on the trail is poor form. 

The PCT is so well maintained. I've hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail in New England, and this is so superior. It was a relatively gentle hike compared with other hikes I've done in WA, which made for a really pleasant hike catching up with friends. There was just one section (when you first encounter the larches) that I noticed my breathing get noticeably more strenuous but we were so busy taking pictures and admiring the view that we didn't care! There are also a few stream crossings that are really doable without getting your shoes wet. 

You start in the forest and eventually around Mile 3.5 (don't quote me!), you see the larches open up. It's like nothing I've never seen before. The larches with the blueberry and/or huckleberry bushes (I think) turning red was stunning. The pictures don't do it justice. Snow capped peaks, bright blue sky, the fall colors... gorgeous. My Garmin was pretty accurate with distance. We got to the pass at just under 5 miles and stopped for what has to be one of the most beautiful spots on earth for lunch. It was so pleasant that we stayed for about an hour to soak up the view and the sun. We took a quick hop up to the highest point above where we ate lunch to get an even better view before coming back down. 

With lots of stops, a nice leisurely lunch, and an easy pace, it took us just over 6 hours. It was definitely a lot busier on our way down but the parking lot was quiet and tons of people were parked on 20 for about half a mile on both sides of the road. All in all, an amazing day out with friends and worth every second of waking up at 3.15am! 

Did an overnight just below cutthroat pass from Sept 30-Oct 1! Perfect timing for the larches, they will likely only be out for another week like this.

If you are planning on staying overnight, make sure your sleeping bag and layers can handle it… it got to about 19 deg F overnight and everything we had froze over. Snowed a bit on Saturday as well.

There are plenty of spaces near the pass to pitch your tent, please try to avoid the areas with vegetation because it really does damage the plant😔 plan enough time on your trip just for this!

Elevation was very gradual, and the views were stunning. Perfect fall weekend!

TLDR: Great moderate trail with incredible larches starting 3.5 miles in with less crowds than Maple Pass. Hiked for ~4 hours with lots of stops for photos.

Arrival: Arrived at TH 9:30am, admittedly later than hoped but a cougar sighting the day before led to a bad nights rest. Got one of the last three spots along the road inside TH parking lot. Dirt road once off HW20, easily passable in Prius. Many cars already lined HW20 around Cutthroat and Maple Pass exits. Based on how many people were on Cutthroat Pass trail - most of the cars at TH were likely Maple Pass hikers - saw several groups park there and walk across highway to Maple Pass.

Trail Conditions: Overall a great, well maintained trail. No section was too narrow for both feet and for passing other groups. There were a few creek/water crossing but at this time of year they posed no issue and it was primarily just walking over stepping stones. The footpath had some roots and rocks. It was fairly smooth through the whole trail with steepest switchbacks were once you entered the larches and headed up to the pass.

Larches: Amazing! Ranged from golden to lime green and still turning over. Guessed they were 70% towards full prime and would imagine in the next week many of them will be golden. Large grove in last 1.5-2 miles of the hike with a couple nice backpacking sites and great views of larches on surrounding basins.

Hikers: Plentiful but certainly far less crowded than across the highway at Maple Pass. Stretches of trail with no one else around. Only 1-2 large groups, no children. Lots of dogs, most on leash or well-behaved OLA. Many people were backpacking, passed one large group of PCT hikers.

Weather: Sun had been forecast but had overcast skies and light snowfall (did not stick) starting around 3 miles and up. Low 40s with light wind.

Wildlife: No large wildlife. Pika came out to squeak at us amongst a rock field we stopped at midway for snacks. Plentiful squirrels, chipmunks, heard a woodpecker, and saw a flock of Clark’s Nutcrackers near backpacking sites in larches. No bugs.

My first time hiking this trail.  Could be my favorite hike ever, it's that good.  Plenty of parking at the trailhead (arrived Friday morning at 8am with several parking spots available, left the hike at 2pm and parking lot was about 75% full, so still plenty of spaces available).  Clean pit toilets at the trailhead.  The trail is extremely well maintained.  Easy to navigate, no obstacles to overcome besides a few very easy water crossings.  The trail is very gradual and not difficult at all.  About 500 feet of elevation gain the first 2 miles, and then about 500 feet of gain each mile over the next 3 miles we did.  Never felt like we were exhausted on the hike.  Once we got about 3.5 miles in we got out of the thick woods and the larches were plentiful.  Absolutely beautiful.  I would say they were 70% turned at this point.  There were quite a few other hikers, a couple of horseback riders, and lots of dogs.  People were friendly and polite.  We spent 6 hours on the trail doing 5 miles out and back, but about an hour of that time was taking photographs and stopping to take in the sites. No bears or mountain goats.  A couple of woodpeckers and several chipmunks. The beauty if this hike is an absolute wonder to the eyes right now!