Spent two nights camped near Cutthroat Pass, and day-hiked from there to Snowy Lakes and Methow Pass. The larches were glowing golden, and blueberries glowed red. If you don’t like crowds, dogs, or beauty, skip this hike! 

On Friday early afternoon, cars were parked out onto the road but it wasn’t hard to find a spot within a short walk of the trailhead. Similarly, camping near Cutthroat Pass was popular but some campsites stayed open all of Friday night. Saturday, on the other hand, the trail felt like a parade. There was a steady stream of backpackers heading to Snowy Lakes - so many that it’s hard to imagine they could all find spots amidst the fragile environment. Only saw one group on the way to/from Methow Pass, though.

As others have mentioned, water is scarce beyond Porcupine Creek, and the few sources are more of a trickle. Trail is in great condition and has a relatively gentle grade. It’s carved into a rocky slope for much of the way to Snowy Lakes which makes for big views the whole time. This hike is definitely a high reward for the effort compared with others of similar lengths/environment. 

One way hike starting from Cutthroat Lake TH and ending at the PCT TH at Rainy pass. Got to the pass at 9:30 and the lots were full and about 30 cars parked on the hwy. I think that most are headed for Maple Pass. We left a car there and drove about 18 minutes to Cutthroat Lake TH.

On the trail there were hikers and a few very polite mountain bikers but it never felt crowded. Doing the hike in this direction maximizes the amount of sunlight. You also get to enjoy the less crowded part in the am and exit the more crowded PCT when most people have left. 

The short detour to Cutthroat Lake is definitely worthwhile and makes a nice balance for photos.

We explored around the pass. There are trails to follow. Try very hard not to trample the delicate vegetation.

Larches are right about peak now. Most are bright gold. Just a few have a bit of lime green. Near the pass on the east side, some are just a bit beyond prime. This year is much better than last year due to late summer rains. Last year the larches turned tan brown instead of gold due to drought stress.  I think that the fall color will begin waning after this weekend.

The Blue Lake Fire is located between Rainy Pass and the Blue Lake trailhead.  Ironically it does not extend to Blue Lake itself and does not impact the Blue Lake trail.  It is still smoldering and there is a strong smell of smoke on the road and the air was locally smokey right around the fire only.

The Sourdough Fire damage can be appreciated from the Diablo Lake viewpoint.  The tree damage is patchy and it was not nearly as damaging as the Bolt Creek fire last year.  The dead trees still have their singed needles so I think it was primarily an understory fire that singed the canopy but didn't actually burn in the canopy.  That is a good thing.

Photography tip: use a polarizing lens. I have a $20 clip on for my cell phone. Also try to take photos with backlighting to get the full effect. You need to shade the lens with your hand so you don't get lens reflection.

Weekend might be crazy crowded so go super early.

The trail is in great condition and the grade is very easy. 13.2 mi. 2800ft

The parking lot only had a few cars in it Monday at 10am, but by the time we left on Wednesday afternoon the lot was completely full and cars were parked down the road and on the highway. TH has a bathroom. 
Monday and Tuesday were cloudy and pretty quiet on trail. Larches are incredible. So yellow. 
Get water before you get up to the pass. After the pass it’s a few miles before you hit more water.  
We camped at upper snowy lake. It was beautiful. There is a bathroom by the lower lake I think, not sure about the upper. 
Even though the clouds were in and out the whole trip, it was a magical experience wandering through the larches. We had some breaks to do some painting. The pups had a great time. 
No snow on the trail yet.