What a fantastic larch march. We opted to hike Cutthroat on an overcast Monday afternoon in hopes of avoiding the normal crowds and it ended up being a great decision. We had no issues getting a spot in the lot but while the road to the trailhead is perfectly accessible be ready for some potholes in the parking lot itself.

The trail is wonderfully gentle all the way up to the Pass. Between the gentle grade and views that only get better as you go further this was such an enjoyable experience. 

While I think Maple Pass has maybe more variety in the views Cutthroat has a much denser larch forest that the trail cuts right through. Larches are definitely at peak and the ones at higher elevations are starting to shed needles. There should still be a little time left to see them depending on the effect of the first frost that came in on 10/11.

We had the pass all to ourselves (only passed people coming down on our way up) and ventured up the little knoll trail that looked like it continued on to Cutthroat Peak. Great views up there as well.

Temps were perfect on the trail but it was a little brisk at the pass so I highly recommend layers (especially now that first frost has hit).

Only a few other hikers were heading up to camp as we came down and the lot had plenty of spots in it when we got back to the car. Great hike all around.

Amazing trip up to Cutthroat Pass via PCT. Larches were at their peak golden color and complemented by incredibly vibrant blueberry bushes. The colors on this hike right now cannot be beat.
Parking down highway 20 was of course busy, but easy enough. We parked about .5 miles west of the road to the trailhead with a 9:30am arrival.
While this trail is long and has a lot of elevation gain the tread is in great condition and makes for a (relatively) easy hike. Especially in the forest it’s a very pleasant walk. Garmin tracking gave us 12 miles and 2000’ elevation, so it is a full day of hiking.

Beautiful day, started at day break. This is an easy trail with mild elevation. Larches were stunning, we kept going beyond the pass on the PCT to have some quiet time and cause we always have to see what is around the next bend. About 14 miles round trip. Very muddy on the way down, lots more people, but seeing their faces for those that have not experienced this beauty was wonderful! Some didn't understand trail etiquette but it is what it is.  NO trash on this tail!

Holy guacamole the trail traffic and parking lots today! As beautiful as the trail was, I should've chosen a different hike today. Cars were parked at least a mile down the road from both Cutthroat and Maple Pass trailheads. The crowds on the Cutthroat Pass trail were almost as bad as Colchuck Lake gets. 

My gripes aside, the larches were nice and are at peak. I would guess, depending on weather, the needles will have fallen in 2 weeks. The huckleberry foliage has started drying out so that pop of red will start waning soon up north.

Porcupine creek is pretty low right now so it's an easy crossing.

I saw a few Douglas squirrels and heard a few pikas.