Out for a three-day Golden Larch adventure with a friend from California, we decided to brave this popular hike on our way home from Winthrop on a Saturday. The crowds were as expected - parking lots were full and cars were parked a pretty long way down the road, making it pretty narrow to drive along. Trail is extremely well-maintained and level, making it accessible to many and easy to pass by the many groups heading up and down the path. Gorgeous surrounding peaks the entire way and a beautiful lake at the end with golden and lime-green grasses and golden larches dotting the mountainsides. Lots of kids on this hike and chattering activity around the lake. A great hike to pair with Blue Lake if you want more without a lot of climbing. Bathrooms at the trailhead were minimally stocked.

I’ll address what everyone is wondering about…larches. It is still too early to see them turning yellow on this hike. Give it another couple weeks and you’ll probably have better luck.

If you are here for a short hike to break up the drive across HWY 20, this is an excellent option. The trailhead is just a mile off the highway, parking was adequate for a drizzly Sunday and the trail was both easy to follow and a gentle grade. The trail was truly beautiful! Berry bushes are starting to turn red, and the trees along the trail create a nice canopy to shelter from too much sun or rain depending on the weather you encounter. The lake was peaceful and not busy at all. Of course if you are visiting in October expect very different parking and crowding issues. 

Also, I just want to give a shout out to the Methow Valley Trails Collaborative volunteers who were replacing a footbridge located just past the turn to the lake. Thank you for your commitment to keeping our trails in good condition. 

Fall colors are just starting. Very easy hike to the lake, no issues with the trail, no bugs, just a beautiful outing in the mountains. 

The road to the traill is suitable for all vehicles, although there are a few spots you'll want to be careful maneuvering around as some of the potholes are a little big, but the road to get to the trailhead is pretty short from the highway.

We got there around 10:45 on a Saturday, it was not as busy as I would have expected, having passed Blue Lake and Maple Pass Loop which were absolutely packed. The forecast showed as smokey, but besides some haze, we didn't notice anything there. At other stops on the highway we did smell the smoke though.

The trail itself was gorgeous. We saw some people that looked like they were picking for berries, but the only berries we saw didn't look good anymore. Fall colors are definitely starting to hit though, with lots of red and orange to contrast the greens on the trail.  The trail in its whole (not counting the way to Cutthroat Pass which we did not do) was very flat and went by quickly. Saw several squirrels, and nearly tripped over one on the way to the lake. After the turnoff to the lake, there is one part that is slightly steep right after a creek you have to cross. Looks like they either used to be a bridge there, or one is about to be constructed, but it wasn't too difficult to get across. 

The lake itself was beautiful. Didn't see much in the way of bugs besides some bees and dragonflies, neither of which were bothersome. The water was crystal clear.  We attempted to circumnavigate the lake but realized that was going to be difficult, at least as far as we could tell. We started by going left at the lake. There's a couple creeks you have to cross that isn't difficult especially if you have waterproof boots, though there's one spot with heavy mud that was more difficult to get past. After that you start deciding to battle steep hills or rocky terrain. We tried to follow what we thought were trails but eventually it got very dense and we turned back. On the other side of the lake was a much different story, were were able to follow clear trails for a bit around until we found a spot to sit down and picnic. I decided to swim, and I had brought a diving mask. The water was a cool 63° (17° C) and had lots of fish in it. The visibility was extremely clear underneath and I could see out pretty far. The lake has some deep parts but seemed pretty shallow, however I wouldn't try to walk across if you aren't planning on full on swimming since the ground underwater was definitely not stable for standing or walking. 

I compare this hike to Blue Lake as they have similar outcomes at the end, but it was surprisingly a less busy hike than Blue Lake while also being a much easier one. I think it would make an excellent hike to take someone less familiar with hikes.

We went on this beautiful hike on our way back to Seattle. We arrived at the parking lot around 8 am (pretty empty) and spent some time at the lake. We returned to the parking lot around 10:30 am and saw at least 5 more cars with plenty of parking still available.

It had rained the night before so the air felt clearer and cooler than the previous few days. The trail is well maintained. There was a hint of fall colors in the leaves-just the beginning.