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.
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