RHH's photos with the keyword: larches

This was near where we ate our lunch and had coffee on the Cutthroat Pass trail in the North Cascades of Washington

A couple more photos from our mid-October hike to Cutthroat Pass in the North Cascades, this of Porcupine Peak and the snow-covered trail we followed through the larches at the higher elevations.

We often hike around mid-October in the North Cascades to see the Larches in color. They were at their peak when we went to Cutthroat Pass a few weeks ago, but the day was not as nice as we would have hoped.

The Larches were at their peak when we hiked to Cutthroat Pass in the North Cascades. The day was overcast and cold with a bit of snow on the trail but we had a pleasant hike.

Larches near Cutthroat Pass in the North Cascades.

Last October we did our final hike of the year (not counting snowshoeing) and went to see the larches at Heather and Maple Passes. The larches were well past their peak, but it was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time hiking. Heather Pass and Maple Pass are in the North Cascades east of North Cascades National Park. Hiking the passes takes one on a 7-8 mile loop around Lake Ann, the lake in the photo, up the shoulder of Black Mountain and along an alpine ridge. The hike is one of the best places to see the larches in the autumn, but is a grand hike at any time of the year. The larches there are the subalpine larches, Larrix lyallii, and a disjunct population. They are native to the Pacific Northwest from Idaho to Alberta.

This photo was taken in the North Cascades of Washington while hiking the Heather Pass - Maple Pass trail. We had gone last autumn to see the larches in color but found them well past their peak.

Maple Pass is on a seven to eight mile loop hike in the North Cascades near the national park of that name. We had gone there last autumn to see the larches in color but found them well past their peak.

This is where we were today - we went to see the larches at Heather and Maple Passes in the North Cascades. They were past their peak but still beautiful. We hiked a nine mile loop with 2500 elevation gain as well as a side trail to Lake Ann, visible on the right side of the photo.

The Blue Lake trail is one of our favorite autumn hikes. We love the changing color of the Alpine Larches and hiking near the Liberty Bell group of peaks is an added bonus. The peak shown is the western-most of the group, the Liberty Bell and we are looking at the peak from the south, a view gotten only by hiking. The inset shows the whole group of peaks from the north across the highway and from the Washington Pass overlook. In that photo, Liberty Bell is the peak on the far right.

Last September, when the larches were changing color, we hiked to Blue Lake (in the North Cascades) and after having lunch at the lake, climbed above the lake. We found there this small pond with its great views of the surrounding peaks, including Cutthroat Peak, across the valley.

This was taken on a hike to Blue Lake in the North Cascades and shows the two central spires of the Liberty Bell group of peaks. Blue Lake is off the North Cascades Highway which is now closed for the winter. The area on the other side of the peaks through which the highway runs is especially prone to avalanches and usually closes early. The inset photo shows them from the lookout on the other side and across the highway.

Taken on a recent hike to Blue Lake. When we arrived at the lake the gentleman and his dog were sitting on the rock across the water and later we ate our lunch on the rock where he was sitting. The yellow trees are Alpine Larches.

Taken from the trail above Blue Lake when we were hiking there several weeks ago, this view includes the Liberty Bell group of peaks in the background, though they are much more impressive than they appear here. The peaks from left to right are Liberty Bell, Concord Spire, Lexington Spire, and North and south Early Winters Spires. The ridge on the right may be part of Kangaroo Ridge, but I am not certain of that. The yellow trees are Alpine Larches and the hike to Blue Lake is a great place to see them in autumn when they change color.

Monday, September 21, we hiked with a friend to Blue Lake. The lake is off the North Cascades Highway and near Washington Pass. The larches were beginning to change and it was a beautiful, sunny day. The photo was taken soon after our arrival at the lake. Later we ate our lunch on the rock where the people are sitting and then explored the slopes on the other side of the lake. The larches are the Alpine Larch, Larix lyallii, which only grows above 5500 feet.

Another photo from last autumn's hike in the North Cascades. As I've noted in previous pictures, we were hiking the Maple and Heather Pass loop only to find that there had been a heavy snowfall the night before. Since we were without snowshoes we hiked to the top of Heather Pass and then hiked back down without going all the way around. The snow on the trail was two to three feet deep and the going was very difficult.