Beautiful day at Cutthroat Lake and Pass. The road has potholes but shouldn't pose a problem for any vehicle. The trail is dusty and hot this time of year, but brightened by many ripe blueberries. The lake was not too buggy, but due to the 1/4 ban on camping by the lake, we set up an overnight campsite by the creek crossing leading to the lake, a lovely spot. We hiked up in the evening to the pass. There are two creeks not far past leaving the lake spur for water access, then it's dry to the pass. The trail was in terrific condition, obstacle free with well-graded switchbacks. Views were clear of all the surrounding peaks. 

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.

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!

Another beautiful Cutthroat day! This time we staged the cars and did an up and over. We started from the west side and finished at the lake trailhead on the east side. I forgot how lovely the tread is coming from the west side! Snow is all gone on both sides, the bugs weren’t bad at all. No blowdowns or other obstacles and we didn’t see a moose this time :) Water on the west side is still plentiful with lots of regular spots almost all the way to the pass. The east side is a different story - basically dry apart from the two (scary low) water crossings just after the lake/trail junction. Something to keep in mind if you hike with dogs who need a cool off - don’t count on it from the east side! Keep those poochies cool! Happy trails!

Short version:
Great early season weekend base camp backpacking trip. Revel in the incredible views, but bring bug nets for the mosquitos.

Report:
We were looking for spot to backpacking to in the North Cascades region. We wanted to hike in on Friday and set up base camp, hike around on Saturday, and head out Sunday morning. Being early season (June) We didn't want to camp very high due to the snow level. We were really happy we chose Cutthroat pass. The hike in had beautiful mountain and forest views with mixed shade and a fantastic trail. Of course there were roots and rocks, but no trees, no difficult water crossings, no washouts etc. Wildflowers and birds were abundant with tons of green huckleberries which won't be ripe for a while still. Cutthroat lake was a lovely short side trip. You're not allowed to camp within 1/4 mile of the lake but you wouldn't want to anyway due to the mosquitos! Trail traffic was light up to the lake, and and even fewer between the lake and the pass.

We found a nice established campsite about 4 miles from the trailhead with ideal locations for our three tents and room for more if it had been needed. The next day we hiked up to the PCT and at the junction there was an established campsite with panoramic views, but it looked like it would be too windy for my taste. We explored the PCT going both North and South. There were gorgeous views both directions, but going North there were several significant snowfields across the trail that we were able to safely cross, but would no doubt be a deal breaker for some.

Water:
There were several very good water sources near Cutthroat lake, and more closer to the PCT junction. We didn't find any going North for several miles, but there was an excellent stream about half a mile South of the junction.

Bugs:
Mosquitos were relatively bad in many areas. When we were stopped we were very happy to have closed toe shoes, long sleeved clothes, and bug nets for our heads/necks.

A very enjoyable trip to be sure!