![]() From the pass, enjoy expansive views of the North Cascades, golden larches as far as the eye can see, and Cutthroat Lake below you. Around the 3.5 mile mark, the trees start to thin, and you’ll encounter your first golden larches! From here up until the pass, you’ll be hiking in a golden wonderland. Starting on the PCT, the first couple miles of this hike are through lovely but dense forest, so don’t expect a lot of views in the beginning – or larches. Of course, this requires that you have two cars, which won’t always be the case. I prefer to do it as a shuttle, starting on the PCT and ending at the Cutthroat Lake Trailhead. Or you can access the Pass via Cutthroat Lake. You can hike it from the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), located across from the Rainy Pass Trailhead on Highway 20. There are two different ways to access Cutthroat Pass. You will begin to see golden larches around the 3.5 mile mark. The hike up to Cutthroat Pass is long but relatively gradual. When Larch Madness hits each year, you’ll find that Washington’s outdoor enthusiasts start heading east. Western Washington is too wet and dark for larches to truly thrive. This is because they flourish off the abundant sunlight found in young forests recovering from wildfires. With a few exceptions, Larches most often can be found on the eastern side of the Cascades. Needless to say, that means that in Washington State, you are going to need to strap on your hiking boots to see the most of the more impressive larch displays! Where Do Larch Trees Grow In Washington Subalpine larches, on the other hand, are significantly shorter and grow at elevations above 5,500. Western larches can grow up to 170 feet tall and are located on north-facing slopes between 2,000 and 5,500 feet in elevation. You can find two different kinds of larches in Washington State – the western and subalpine. That means that, unlike the typical needled tree you see, the needles on larches actually change a brilliant gold color in the fall before finally falling off the tree in late October. Instead, larches are actually a cleverly disguised deciduous tree. They may look like pine trees, but larches are not evergreens like similar-looking conifers that you find through Washington. ![]()
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