Cutthroat Pass via the Pacific Crest Trail — Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2026

The colors are out!  The larches are starting to turn, but the real spectacle are the bright orange, red, and purple huckleberry bushes that are radiant between 6,000 and 7,000 feet.  The PCT is in great shape, and relatively few folks do this hike this time of year compared to the hoards across the street doing Maple Pass.  The out-and-back to the pass is 10 miles with 2,000 feet of elevation gain on a very nice 10% grade.  The views up top are spectacular.  Very little smoke on this trail today, but the Ptarmigan fire to the north is still active.  Great to see the PCT through-hikers on their final push!