Washington’s most famous larch hike turns gold for about two weeks each fall, and everyone tries to see it at once
Somewhere in the first two weeks of October, a ridge above Rainy Pass turns a gold no camera fully captures, and it only lasts about two weeks before the color’s gone. Word travels fast every fall, and the parking lot fills before most people finish their coffee.
That ridge belongs to the Maple Pass Loop, a 6.8-mile loop that climbs 2,168 feet out of Rainy Pass on the North Cascades Highway near Winthrop. Multiple hiking guides call it the most popular larch hike in the state, and AllTrails rates the loop hard — this isn’t a stroll, it’s a real climb with a real payoff.
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The trail earns that difficulty rating fast. About 1.25 miles in, a side path splits off toward Lake Ann, a lake tucked into a talus bowl with the pass rising straight up behind it.
Stay on the main loop and you’ll climb past Heather Pass into meadows right on the edge of North Cascades National Park. Black Peak, Frisco, and the Liberty Bell group all line up along the ridge from up there.
Peak larch color usually lands in the first two weeks of October, though the exact window shifts a little every year with elevation and weather. Don’t lock in one weekend months in advance — check recent trail reports before you make the drive.
Here’s the part worth planning around: the Rainy Pass lot holds about 40 cars, and it fills early on peak larch weekends. Get there before sunrise if you can, and bring a Northwest Forest Pass — this trailhead sits on national forest land, not national park.
One opinion, stated plainly: hike it counterclockwise. You’ll get the steep climbing out of the way early, then spend the whole descent looking at the best views of the day instead of watching your feet.
Not up for the full loop? The Lake Ann detour alone — that first 1.25 miles, plus a flat 0.6-mile round trip to the lake — gets you real alpine scenery without the climb to the pass. Or skip the elevation gain completely and take the paved Rainy Lake Trail from the same parking lot, a flat, roughly 2-mile round trip that works for strollers and wheelchairs too.
Trip tips: grab a rental car for the drive out to Rainy Pass, lock in a hotel in Winthrop if you’re staying over, or swap both for a camper van and park closer to the action.
Rules and fees change — always confirm current requirements before you go.
