Cutthroat Lake, Washington Pass Overlook & Cutthroat Pass via Cutthroat Lake — Wednesday, Sep. 26, 2012

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20

Short little 4 mile round trip to start off the morning. This is a well used horse trail. It is very gentle, broad, and open. Beautiful trees and ground cover. The trailhead is well signed, has a large parking lot and a smelly outhouse. At 1.7 miles is the junction to Cutthroat Pass. We decided just to go to the lake. The path to the lake ambles over a stream and through woods to a bright green basin, broad and shallow, at the base of the mountains. The water level is low right now so the wide shoreline is mucky but is is still very pretty and there are campsites back in the trees. By all means, do not miss the Washington Pass overlook! In the morning light the sun really highlights the stunning Liberty Bell peaks.