There are many locations to see the golden larches in Washington. We were only able to do 3 of the many different hikes we researched but were extremely happy with our choices. There were jaw-dropping views on every hike and I stopped every 30 seconds to snap a photo. The number of larches that have turned and brightness of yellows will depend on when you go, year by year, so make sure to do your research and read trip reports before you choose!
The 3 amazing hikes we did where we were able to see vibrant yellows were Maple Pass Loop, Lake Ingalls, and Colchuck Lake/the Core Enchantment Zone.
When to See the Golden Larches in Washington:
The best time to see the golden larches is late September to mid-October. We did the Maple Pass Loop on October 4, 2020. The colors on our hike were vibrant and bright, but you can see from our photos that the larches weren’t quite at their peak yet and many of the leaves were still a light green color. We hiked Lake Ingalls and Colchuck Lake October 12 – October 14 of 2019, and felt this was a perfect time to go. Many of the leaves were a deep yellow but still holding strongly onto the trees. The Maple Pass Loop is further north so the larches might usually turn slightly later in the season and we also went a week earlier in October than the other two hikes, which is why there were still a bit more green larches on our visit.
1. Maple Pass Loop
Dates: October 4, 2020
Time: 4 hours
Miles: 7.2
Elevation Gain: 2,200 feet
Parking Pass/Entry Fee: Northwest Forest Pass (or $5 per vehicle per day pass) or America the Beautiful Pass
Trailhead: Rainy Lake Picnic Area on the west side of the parking lot
Parking: Available parking at the Rainy Lake Picnic Area; the lot is fairly large but could fill up by mid-morning; overflow parking is available along Highway 20
Dogs: Allowed, on a leash
Getting There:
The Maple Pass Loop Trailhead is located about 3 hours from Seattle. Enter North Cascades National Park West Entrance and continue on 20E towards Diablo Lake until you reach the Rainy Pass Trailhead.
Where to Stay:
Being 3 hours away from Seattle, if you don’t want to drive too much in one day this hike makes for a great weekend trip to explore other areas of North Cascades National Park. We camped at Colonial Creek North Campground, located near Diablo Lake in the park. This campsite has 41 sites which can be reserved at recreation.gov from May 22 through September 10. Since we went during October, reservations were not available but we were able to get a first-come first-serve site.
Trip Details:
Many people recommend hiking this loop in the counter-clockwise direction. This direction has a more gradual climb up to Maple Pass. On your whole way up, you will have amazing views of Ann Lake and the North Cascades. Ann Lake is an additional 0.6 miles each way if you want to get to the shores of the lake. If you’re going in the counter-clockwise direction, the trail junction veers off to the left at about 1.3 miles into the hike. Either direction you go, the views are amazing and you’ll see 360 views of golden larches at the top of Maple Pass!
2. Lake Ingalls
Dates: October 12 – October 13, 2019
Miles: 8.4
Elevation Gain: 2,940 feet
Parking Pass/Entry Fee: Northwest Forest Pass (or $5 per vehicle per day pass) or America the Beautiful Pass
Trailhead: Esmeralda Trailhead
Parking: Approximately 40 parking spaces; lot fills up quickly by mid-morning
Dogs: Not allowed
Getting There:
Esmerelda Trailhead is located 2 hours and 20 minutes from Seattle (115 miles).
Where to Stay:
You could do this as a day trip from Seattle, but we paired this hike with Colchuck Lake the next day so we decided to drive into Leavenworth and stay the night. It’s still about a 1 hour and 45 minute drive to Leavenworth, but there’s so much to do in that area and it makes for a great weekend trip!
Trip Details:
We did this hike as a backpacking trip and left pretty late in the afternoon from Seattle. There were a ton of people finishing their hike; we were shocked at how crowded it was. I would recommend starting early in the morning, or doing this as a backpacking trip like we did to beat the crowds. However, we did leave a little too late in the day and didn’t make it all the way to Lake Ingalls, but we found a pretty cool camping spot on the top of a flat rock feature. This area was large enough for our 2 tents, given all the snow that was covering it. For the hike, our friend brought microspikes which helped a lot on the trail. Yaktrax would do as well. Unfortunately, our rock formation was as far as we got into the hike, but we accomplished our goal of seeing some bright yellow larches and spending a night out in the wilderness!
3. Colchuck Lake/Core Enchantment
Dates: October 14, 2019
Time: 5 hours
Miles: 8.7
Elevation Gain: 2,342 feet
Parking Pass/Entry Fee: Northwest Forest Pass (or $5 per vehicle per day pass) or America the Beautiful Pass
Trailhead: Stuart and Colchuck Lake Trailheads
Parking: Only allowed on the right side of Road 7601 between Eightmile Lake and this trailhead
Dogs: Not allowed
Getting There:
Stuart and Colchuck Lake Trailheads is located about 30 minutes from the town of Leavenworth (13 miles).
Trip Details:
We did the hike to Colchuck Lake the day after our attempted backpacking trip to Lake Ingalls. We went a little further than Colchuck Lake, up Aasgard Pass, to Isolation Lake in the Core Enchantment Zone. At the far end of Colchuck Lake, the route turns to jumbled talus and leads you to the start of Aasgard Pass. Aasgard Pass is a pretty tough climb of loose rock and scree, but once you get to the top the views are amazing as you see into the Core Enchantment Zone.
If you want to do a full day hike of the Enchantments, you need to start much earlier in the day, as it’s an 18 mile point-to-point trail. It was getting later in the day for us, so we just headed back down Aasgard Pass after relaxing at Isolation Lake for a bit. This is a hike that we definitely want to do again during the fall season so we WILL be back!
Leave No Trace when Searching for the Golden Larches
Always remember to practice the principals of Leave No Trace! These 7 principals include:
- Plan Ahead & Prepare
- Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Others
Check out the Leave No Trace program for more information.
