My 9-yo daughter and I really enjoyed this hike, our first time here! Pretty views, so many ripe huckleberries at the moment, and surprisingly no bugs at all, and not much fungi either. Truly very enjoyable the whole way. Parking lot was about 80% full on this sunny Saturday around mid-morning. The road in is deeply rutted in places but all easily avoided. Didn’t check out the privy but it looked like folks were able to use it. 

We arrived at the trailhead below Washington Pass around 12. We really got the eastern Cascade experience for the first ~1.2 miles of trail, dust and open sun with high air temps (although my Californian hiking companion laughed at me for complaing about 80 degree weather). The sunlit section of the lake trail winds through huckleberry and blueberry patches, with just-barely-ripe berries. After that, we passed through shady woodland all the way to the lake, seeing columbine, butterflies, and some interesting indian pipe-looking flowers that were, unfortunately, run over by a biker before blooming. It’s a dangerous life for a flower.

The lake itself is clear, quiet, and full of little trout. We hiked down to swim in it every day. The bugs weren’t bad during the day, but if you are a bug repellent wearer, remember to keep out of the water. Otherwise, it’s a great swimming spot.

We camped up in the basin ~1-1.5 miles below the pass, which was a bit less windy. We had a perfect spot overlooking the lake, but that whole basin has a few established sites with log benches and stone firepits, which can’t be used due to the summer burn ban. There were several easy trees for hanging bear lines, but the nearest water was over the pass or down by the lake. The bugs got pretty bad after 6 pm or so until full dark, but I wouldn’t call that unusual. I left with about 15-20 bites after 2 nights, which feels like a normal number for the North Cascades in July. I’m not a mosquito magnet, though, so keep that in mind if you are worried about being bitten.

The wildflowers and heather are in bloom up near the pass, and my entomologist companion was very enthusiastic about the bugs. The avalanche liles are all just barely past, but we saw paintbrush, partridgefoot, penstemmon, and a funky lousewort-looking thing. The west side of the pass looks completely different from the east, so it is well worth hiking to the top and looking over.

I guess this is my week for reporting on short hikes to lakes off of Highway 20. Cutthroat Lake has always been a favorite from the time when we had little children. It's short distance, minimal elevation gain, and lake destination make it perfect for the kids. The bugs, however, are the biggest detraction.

We arrived at 11:30 am and were on the way back to Mazama by 2:00. We had guests coming over for dinner so couldn't do a long hike today. Parking lot was less than half full. I've never had trouble with parking here even on weekends. Cutthroat road remains full of potholes but if you are going slow and paying attention its navigable. 

The trail itself is in good condition overall. Some of the small streams in the first few miles have dried up. The large log bridge across Cutthroat Creek has washed away and been replaced by a smaller log that is navigable. We chose to  hike about 0.13 miles from marked trail to the lake heading toward the pass. We came upon a sign indicating that we were 2 miles from cutthroat road with the trail to the pass off to the right and another trail to the left. Taking the left trail leads to a boot path along the lake where you can walk across a few rocks and find yourself on the lakeshore. 

We opted to stop and snap a photo and move on due to swarms of mosquitos. We found a nice spot for lunch about a mile up the trail toward the pass from the lake. There were two sturdy bridges across the creek followed by some small streams across the trail. I was wearing waterproof low top boots and had dry socks when I got home. The hike up to Cutthroat Pass this direction is quite nice ableit less often used than the PCT from Rainy Pass. I can't report on anything more than the first three miles from the trailhead today, however. 

Combining this beautiful hike to the pass with a refreshing dip in the lake is epic!  The two washed-out bridges just before the turnoff to the pass have now been repaired and the entire trail is in great shape.  Creek crossings are similarly now very easy.  The gentle grade on this trail eases the 2,500 feet of elevation gain to the pass, where the views are nothing short of spectacular!