A lot of people who have written reports said that the elevation gain isn’t noticeable and I was a little disbelieving but they were right. The grade is consistent and gentle with a few, very well spread out switchbacks toward the end. 

The trail is completely snow free but there are a few very small, shallow creek crossings. The water levels when we went were barely a bother - hard to say what it’ll be day to day. 

This hike doesn’t seem to draw the same attention as heather-maple loop across the street, likely because it’s longer with (technically) more elevation gain, so we more or less had the trail to ourselves. It doesn’t have the same expansive views throughout like heather-maple loop, with much of it through lower elevation forest, but there are pockets of gorgeous areas before you reach the top. All in all, I think I’ll be back during larch season. 

What a beautiful day on the trail so many wildflowers. I was reminded again why I love this trail.Elivation gain is hardly noticed and the beauty is unsurpassed!

Patches of the snow near the top. One does have to cross snow to make it to the pass but it didn't require any additional gear. On the plus side, water is plentiful all the way to the pass.

I have a low tolerance for bugs and would say they were intolerable. We hiked an extra two miles just to keep moving. Each time the tent door opened, 10 mosquitoes would enter.

This was my third time to go backpacking on this trail. Two previous times were in the fall, for the golden larches, and the bugs were not an issue. But they were really bad this time and kept us from lounging outside the tent. There were two other parties that were camping overnight in the established campsite area that appears about 4 miles from the TH the same night. There were some snow patches left, and the recent snow melt was making the campground soil moist. This combined with the sudden warm weather probably made it THE time for all the N Cascade mosquitoes to come swarm hikers. We didn't get to put on the bug lotion until we reached the campsite, so that was our mistake, but my daughter and I have never gotten so many bites before! (Daughter reacted worse than me to the bites & took Benadryl before going to bed. She was fine and slept well.) The nighttime temperature and weather were optimal, however, and I could see stars and Milky Way through the roof of my tent, since the rain fly wasn't needed. The bugs were not gone even early in the morning, not even at the pass when my dog and I did a morning hike. Still, the view of largely snow-covered mountains, wildflowers and lime-green larch trees proved to be the silver lining. I also never encountered this many stream crossings on this trail before, and there was one that was wide and a bit deep, so be prepared to get a little wet (hiking poles were amazing to have). I still love this hike - I just won't come back here this early in the summer again :)

My first time to Cutthroat Pass and my second solo backpack! Total success, thanks to this trail's winning features. 

Trail: everything would point to elevation gained, but I hardly felt it except in an overall happiness upon arrival. Granted, what I was mostly feeling was a slightly ill-fitting pack and severe shoulder stress, but I don't remember a hard thigh-burning up moment on the whole 4.5 miles. It's a really well-graded trail, easy on the soles, with lots to look at and energy-giving, soul-fulfilling sights and smells. There was one snow patch where I considered getting out a pole - but I'm sure it's melted out by now. 

However - if you continue on the PCT a mile past the pass (which you absolutely should - go round the bend for a great view!) you might still encounter a snow/ice bridge on the traverse after the bend that gave some people ahead of me serious pause (so much pause that I eventually turned around instead of waiting, since I was only out-and-backing anyhow). One had severe anxiety attempting it, and though I think I could've done it with microspikes and poles, it put me off the idea of doing it solo if no one else was around in case I got in trouble. May be melted by now, but if your plan is to continue on to the next pass - you have been alerted. 

The View: everyone says to do this in larch season. I would love to - but I also say do this whenever - I really loved having some snow to add visual sparkle. It's a great feeling of being inside a mountain range, with wonderful rock formations and landscape details, and height. 

The Camping: there's a perfectly tent-sized flat space right off the trail 10 minutes below the pass, with a view to Baker (I think?) and next to a lovely loud stream. I'm not sure if anyone else would've wanted it, I nabbed it early in the afternoon - but no one else stayed and on July 4th I had the entire side of the mountain to myself. To those who hiked up and were bummed I was already there - sorry and thank you. I really appreciated it and it definitely made me want to do more backpacking! There was also a nice spot also near a stream a mile further down the trail, not as great for someone who wanted to stumble out of tent at dawn and jog up to the pass for sunrise, but just fine for a thru-hiker. 

The Mosquitoes: phooey on them. I think I used an entire can of bug spray on skin and clothes. I only got bit 3 times which was impressive given the quantity and slyness of the mosquitoes, but I am super-sensitive both to bites (they hurt!) and to the presence of bugs (they just really....bug me) so it wasn't completely the calming hang-out-at-campsite it might have been. They started about a mile below the pass and were active from dawn to dusk. 

Road: right off the highway, so easy on my tired old sedan, but then again, right across the highway from one of the best day hikes of all time (Heather-Maple Pass) so keep that in mind when planning. When I hiked out on Friday morning of the holiday weekend, it was jammed - but then again, I was leaving and some happy person swooped in to take my spot! You never know, with parking.

A steady but not intrusive stream of trail runners, day hikers, and backpackers, also several beginning thru-hikers - they looked so bright and eager! But it never felt crowded, and I mostly had the trail to myself when walking. At the pass - well, when you're spending the whole day and night in a place, it makes the moment you're at the top less stressful in "getting it right" or finding solitude - just hang out for a bit and the human scenery will change, like weather. 

I will treasure this hike - great experience and highly recommended trail!