"Beyond the Sun, beyond the Moon, the foam was on the Sea, And by the strand of Ilmarin there grew a Golden Tree."     J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Timing: Arrived at 10am and still a few spots left in the parking lot and along the gravel road leading to the TH. 

Parking Lot: ridiculous setup of curb dividers clearly limiting the amount of cars that can fit in this lot, but there are other areas along the insane pothole road.  Road is gravel with the biggest potholes I have ever seen all the way up to the parking area.  Drive slowly.

Trail: in great condition with just a few areas of mud due to water draining. Very gradual trail all the way up to the pass thus the longer distance.  Saw first Larches at 2.5mi on the hillside across the valley and incentive to push further.  At 3.0mi you start entering Larches surrounding you.  The last 2 mi is the most continuous amount of Larches I have seen.  Doesn’t disappoint.

Hiking Time: Hiked 1hr to the 2.5mi mark and then the last 2.5mi to the pass in 2hrs total hiking time thus 4hrs RT. Based on a 63yr old female, haha

Others on the Trail: Saw about 50 hikers,various dogs and overnighters going up the trail and about the same going down.  Still a far better hiking choice than Maple Pass.  Because of the extra distance on this hike, your interaction with other hikers is spread out more making it a much more enjoyable experience to what enjoying nature is all about.  This is a gem of a hike that hikers will soon realize its value and it will become another Maple Pass Loop in terms of volume of hikers during the Larch madness time.    

If hiking a trail requires hiking an additional 1+mi from your parked car due to overflowing parking lots, you might want to reconsider your hike choice or come super early.  Getting out in nature isnt about being in a crowd, its about enjoying your scenery and respecting the environment.  We clearly arent doing that when we over burden these trails.

In another week or 2 the larch needles will have fallen off due to the weather and their glory will be done till next October. 

What a beautiful day! The larches are brilliantly yellow. Trail was mostly clear with just a wee bit of snow at the very top. We lucked out with a parking spot in the lot. Parking lot was very crowded with hundreds of cars along Hwy 20, but it seemed many hikers were headed to Heather Maple across the road. Hikers on the Cutthroat Pass trails spread out nicely. Everyone was very kind and seemed to follow leave-no-trace principles. The hike meanders through the forest the first 3 or so miles. Then, the trail opens into fields of yellow larches for the next two miles. Simply gorgeous!

Absolutely amazing!! Larches started about mile 3 and they were breathtaking with perfect weather conditions- blue skies and sunshine. Arrived at 11:15 am to trailhead and although cars lined road into trailhead, we got a place in the lot. Stunning day! Lots of people but not mobbed like Blue Lake on Saturday!

Arrived trailhead at 12pm. It was a gorgeous day with blue sky, kind of hot. The trail is in excellent condition, no snow all the way to the pass. The larches are in prime time now, it was totally amazing. We started descending around 4pm, the late afternoon sunlight made larches look in golden yellow color, it was one of the best larches view I ever had.

Lost my favorite jacket on the trail today. Kind of a wild pattern… blue, orange, and yellow squiggles. Anyone see it?
Besides losing my jacket it was a great hike. Larches are phenomenal right now! Easy parking. Not to crowded