Miles: 7.2 miles
Elevation Gain/Highest: 2000ft/6650ft
Map: Green Trails Mt. Logan No 49 and Washington Pass No 50
My favorite places to stop post hike with friends are 5 B’s Bakery, Bird’s View Brewing Company, The Mazama Store, Methow Valley Cider House, Glover Street Market, or just Pack A Cooler. You can learn more about these places in my Must Hike Must Eat Eating Out Guide.
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty please.
My hike:
10/7/2018 We had an opportunity to do a larch hike as past of our annual Cascade Loop Scenic Byway weekend, staying in Winthrop and getting up early to beat the crowds. Even with less than ideal conditions, it was easy to see why this hike is one of Washington’s 100 Classic hikes.
The trail starts at the Rainy Pass parking lot and it was already filling up when we arrived at 8:15 in the morning. A ranger would later tell us they had 600 cars the day before so we were grateful to have picked Sunday and overcast skies for our trip.
We followed a sign that said Lake Trail and at the kiosk, made the choice to go counterclockwise where it directed us to Lake Ann. Everyone seemed to be going the other way so we figured we would have fewer people for at least half of the loop and we were right.
The trail was an easy grade and we were passing the junction with Lake Ann in about 40 minutes and quickly through the forest and up on the talus slope above Lake Ann. Desperately trying to break through the clouds, the sun’s effect in the sky was eerie. The fall colors were muted but we were still mesmerized by the scene around us as we gazed down at the water below and the ridge reflected on its surface. There were a few stripes of golden larches higher up on the slope that let us know we were here in time for their display of yellow.
We could see the loop trail on the cirque above the lake and hikers as they made their way up to Maple Pass knowing we would be there soon enough. The light dusting of snow from the previous week highlighted the features around us and signaled winter was coming. We had only seen a handful of hikers at this point, much less than I had assumed because of the popularity of this hike.
A half hour after passing the junction for Lake Ann we reached Heather Pass and snow began to appear in patches on the trail. Here the views began to open up and we could see down into the Granite Creek drainage and over at Black and Fisher Peak to the northwest and Cutthroat, Whistler and Liberty Bell to the east. The golden larches began to decorate the terrain bringing pops of color to the landscape all around us.
From here, the trail was up on the ridge and the views never stopped. Lake Ann rotated in the basin below and the peaks in the distance slowly grew faint as the weather turned to light snow. In another half hour we passed the boundary for the North Cascades National Park and Corteo Peak filled up the background with its domineering sheer wall and flanked by Black Peak to the right and Benzarino on the left. It was literally stunning, especially with the white definition of the early winter snow.
Continuing on towards Maple Pass, we had Lake Ann down on our left and the Maple Creek Valley on our right and all bit a few other hikers. It was clear from the social trails and rope marking rehabilitation areas that this area normally sees a multitude of outdoor enthusiasts and is looking forward to winter’s white mantle and having a break from all the footsteps. We made sure to stay on durable surfaces (rock) as we made our way up to Maple Pass, arriving about 10:40. There were a few other people and we walked over to the left and gazed out at the trail as it comes up from Rainy Pass as we added layers to fend off the wind and light snow.
Frisco Mountain rose on our right with Lyall Glacier nestled tightly in the cliff face, the top of its ridge marking the boundary for the national park. Down below a small tarn was slowly beginning to freeze over.
After watching a line of hikers ascend on the trail snaking below us, we began our descent back down to the parking lot 4.3 mile away. The meadows we passed were past their prime but the larches offered the fall colors we had been seeking despite the dreary weather. We passed more and more people and were thankful that we had not only gotten up early but had done a counterclockwise loop despite having to end with a steeper climb on neverending switchbacks. The hike began to feel like something you might encounter on I-90 at this point. We even passed a guy headed up to the pass with a dog and frisbee, not sure where he thought that would be safe to do!
Rainy Lake was a beautiful end to our hike out and the end of the trail from there is flat and paved with informational markers for the foliage we were passing. I can see why most of the traffic happens on this side of the loop and guess that quite a few hikers prefer just to go up to Maple Pass and back down. We were back to our car a little less than four hours from the start and it was zoo. There were rangers trying to direct traffic and cars circling waiting for anyone who might be leaving. I can’t imagine what it would be like on a sunny day!
Directions: From I-5 at Burlington, drive Hwy 20 through the town of Marblemount and on towards North Cascades National Park. After approximately 50 miles, the Rainy Pass trailhead will be on the south (right) side of the road. A privy is available and the Northwest Forest Pass is needed. There is, also, access to the Pacific Crest Trail. This trailhead fills up in the fall, so plan to have an alternate hike in mind in case you arrive and parking is not available. SR 20 also closes seasonally, usually late November to May or June. Check the WSDOT website for details.
For more hikes in this area, visit my SR 20-North Cascades Highway page.
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