Plenty of parking left when we arrived on a sunny Friday morning about 10:00 am. Most of the cars parked must have been headed up to Maple Pass Loop because we didn’t see very many other hikers, although we did see a handful of happy PCT thru hikers happy to be close to the end. The trail is in excellent condition, no obstacles, a few water sources to filter if needed. The fall colors are in their glory right now, some berries remaining but they’re in their last days. A few larches just beginning to turn. It was a little hazier than we would have liked due to the wildfires still plaguing the state but it was still a beautiful day spent in the mountains

This is a great trail, and will be extra gorgeous when the larches start turning - I found one or two larches this time around, but they are still a few weeks out in general. Went past Cutthroat Pass quite a ways, to where I could see Tower Mountain.

The actual trailhead is closed for improvements at the moment, but there’s plenty of shoulder parking on the highway, and you can walk west on the road to the PCT reroute to access the start of the trail.

It was around 8:40 on a Sunday morning when we parked on the roadside of Highway 20 like many other cars.  We mistakenly headed towards the Rainy Pass picnic/parking area - only to realize that it offered entrances just to the Maple Pass and Rainy Lake trails.  The trailhead to the Cutthroat Pass is across the highway, about 0.5 miles in.  As we walked in, we noticed that the road was pockmarked by good-sized potholes.  A compact car like our Toyota Corolla might have sustained some damages if we had driven in - good thing we didn’t.

The part of the Pacific Crest Trail leading to the Cutthroat Pass is very well maintained.  We were keeping steady pace on the trail that was covered by the forests for a good part of the hike.  There were a number of gentle inclines along the way with intersecting creeks that have mostly dried out in the Summer heat.  The Porcupine Creek that we encountered about 1.5 miles into our hike was passable without any issue.

Once we came out of the forests, we started to run into a series of switchbacks with an abundance of blueberries alongside.  We picked quite a few.  The views were spectacular as we inched closer to the Pass. 

When we saw the sign that reads Cutthroat Pass Trail we knew that we were at our stopping point - the Pacific Crest Trail goes on infinitesimally of course.  There is actually an easy-to-miss path that leads to the top on the right. We hiked up on it only after we saw two hikers up there at the top.  

The view on top was stunning.  We veered to the end to experience the ridges beyond.  It was simply breathtaking.

It was quiet and peaceful when we lingered around the Pass.  With occasional greetings from backpackers, we had the place mostly to ourselves.

By the time we came down it was close to 3 p.m.  My watch registered a close to 11 miles hike.  

What a memorable hike.  I will definitely do it again.

This is one of my favorite hikes. Definitely in my top three for WA. I've day hiked this part of the PCT at least once a year and used it as a launch for several multi-day hikes and it's always great.  

Executive summary of my report: trail is in good condition with no obstacles. Saw bugs but no bites. Ate wild blueberries. Able to cross all streams without getting wet feet. No water after about 2.5 miles.

********The road to the trailhead will be closed September 8 for repairs. ********

We arrived at the trailhead at 11 am on a Saturday. While the lot on the Maple Pass side of Rainy Pass was full with a large amount of overflow onto Highway 20 there were a few open spots on the PCT side as well as plenty of room on the road to the trailhead. Speaking of the road, it's not really a road but more of a mogul field. Thankfully repairs are planned for September 8-25ish.  Not sure if you can park on the other side and walk through during that time. Hopefully others will respond to my report to clear that up. 

The trail is in good condition with no obstacles. The gentle steady grade is easy on the knees in both directions. There are three creeks and a couple of minor trickles in the first 2.5 miles. Able to cross creeks with low top waterproof shoes without getting wet. After that the trail is pretty dry. If you are doing a multi-day trip have enough water to get to Snowy Lakes (about 10 miles in). If you are doing a day hike have enough water for your round trip.

There are a lot of distressed trees in the first mile or so. The smaller hemlock have been hit the hardest. My understanding is that this is due to the Western Spruce Budworm. If I'm incorrect I hope I'll be corrected in the comments. 

There are some really good views along the way. Really makes for an enjoyable hike. The views from the pass were, as always spectacular, with Mt. Logan to the southeast and multiple spires in a 360 view at the top. 

There were ripe blueberries to be had along the trail.  Yum Yum.

Hopefully the road repair will be done before the larch season. 

Trail:

Well maintained, relatively gentle grade (you still need to gain 2,000 feet of elevation, though :) ). At this time of year, no issue whatsoever to cross Porcupine Creek or any overflows.

A few berries and plenty of annoying insects, thankfully only a few of them biting.

Incredible views once you reach the ascent to the pass, with a few sneak-peaks in between. Once you reach the pass and soaked in the 360-degree view, it is well worth proceeding on for an easy mile and a half in the direction of Snowy Lake- believe me, you will not regret it.

Water:

There is a small waterfall about 3.6 miles from the TH, you can't miss it because of the overflow. There is another one a few hundred yards further, but much smaller so not sure how reliable that is. After that, at least along the trail, only small run offs where you might be able to scoop some water if really needed. At this time of year, nothing up on the pass.

Camping:

Several small sites along the trail catering to through hikers. 2 established and generous sites where the map shows the start of Porcupine Creek. I assume there is water there, but you will need to leave the trail and look for it, everything appeared quite overgrown. A couple of nice sites about 1/2 mile before the pass, right along the trail. I stayed in one of them for one night- great views with lots of solitude (no water!). Up on the pass, there are several sites on your left-hand side right along the trail (coming up from the TH), but the better ones are up on the right-hand side, maybe another 70 feet of elevation gain. They come in a variety of sizes, and not all are really level. On Saturday night, there were a total of 5 parties up on the pass.

The ground is rocky, it's difficult to impossible to drive in a stake, so plan accordingly. My tent is not freestanding but with plenty of rocks for anchoring and a bunch of extra string, that was not a problem.

Parking:

I arrived on a Friday around noon. Rainy Pass TH was already overflowing. Cutthroat TH was full, but plenty of space along the rather heavily potholed road.

Definitely more cars there when I came back on Sunday around 9:30am, but still, plenty of space along the road.

As others have mentioned, the Cutthroat TH lot will be closed starting September 7th for paving.

A special thanks to the driver of the blue Toyota for allowing me a generous 20 inches between your car and my bumper. Since the car in front of me was even more generous with maybe 3 feet of space, I was eventually able to wiggle out of my spot without having to wait for either car owner to return. Honestly, just be a bit more mindful, especially when there is plenty of space. Even if it means walking an extra 20 yards.