HesperosFlown

A Photo Guide to Select Western Washington Hiking Trails

  • Prologue
  • Home
  • Resources
  • Safety
  • Blog
  • Eponym
  • Contact

Cutthroat Lake

Trail Highlights:Lake and mountain views; wildflowers; autumn foliage
Round-trip Distance:4.00 miles / 6.50 km
Location:Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest,
Washington Pass / Methow Valley, Washington North Cascades


Ancestral lands of the sp̓aƛ̓mul̓əxʷəxʷ, or, Methow
Directions:
  • From State Route 20 just east of Washington Pass between Mileposts 167 and 168, turn left from eastbound/right from westbound onto Forest Road 400, signed "Cutthroat Lake Trail"
  • Proceed approximately 1.00 mile / 1.60 km to parking area at end of road
  • Required Pass:

    Northwest Forest Pass or equivalent for U.S. Forest Service sites.

    Additional Trail Info:Washington Trails Association
    U.S. Forest Service
    Note:

    This page profiles Cutthroat Lake, located in Okanogan County, Washington; the twin lakes of a similar name, Upper and Lower Cutthroat Lakes, are also found in the North Cascades, but on the mountains' western slopes in Snohomish County, Washington.


    Uh-oh! Please check back later or use this site's Contact form to let HesperosFlown.com know this link is broken.

    In autumn, the North Cascades’ signature larches (Larix sp.) light the lakeside wood with gold. Cutthroat Lake Trail,
    October 07, 2021.

    Cutthroat Lake offers one of the shorter and relatively easier hikes in the North Cascades. Rugged peaks line the way from the trailhead and, in autumn, grasses and mountainside larches swath the lake in gold. Although State Route 20 is just a short distance away, the steep mountain folds shield the valley from the sound of passing motor vehicles. Separately or in combination, the trail can also complement a hike up to Cutthroat Pass above the lake by providing opportunity to experience its environs from different vantages.

    The trail is stony, yet gentle in grade as far as the lake. At approximately 1.70 miles/2.70 km from the trailhead, the trail branches left to the lake, which lies a mere 0.30 miles/0.50 km down the fork. (The right fork is the eastern route to Cutthroat Pass and continues — climbing — approximately 3.70 miles/6.00 km up to the ridgeline.) Upon reaching the lake, the left fork opens to a boggy lakeshore near the outlet to Cutthroat Creek, which the trail crossed on a bridge downstream near the trailhead. Cutthroat “Lake” is rather a large pond, rippling between the grassy bog on one shore and boulder-strewn woodland on the other. Step carefully to avoid wet feet and damage to the delicate lakeside habitat. Cutthroat Peak forms an imposing backdrop, flanked by Hinkhouse Peak to the southeast and Cutthroat Ridge arcing north toward Cutthroat Pass.

    Cutthroat Lake can be a popular destination, given its relative ease of access.  However, an early weekday hike can still offer a sense of backcountry solitude. Although horses are not permitted at the lake, you may share the main trail with riders on horseback, as it is otherwise open to equestrian use.  To further the experience, consider continuing on to Cutthroat Pass from the trail junction near the lake or parking a second car at the Pacific Crest trailhead a short distance up State Route 20 to hike both trails as a loop.  Either way, the pass will afford a bird’s-eye view of the little blue dot that is Cutthroat Lake far below.

    Uh-oh! Please check back later or use this site's Contact form to let HesperosFlown.com know this link is broken.

    Near the trailhead, a sturdy bridge spans Cutthroat Creek. Thereafter, the trail crisscrosses the creek and its tributaries several times until reaching its headwaters at the lake.
    Cutthroat Lake Trail, October 07, 2021.

    Uh-oh! Please check back later or use this site's Contact form to let HesperosFlown.com know this link is broken.

    Throughout the trail, patchy forest offers glimpses of Cutthroat Ridge and surrounding peaks.
    Cutthroat Lake Trail, October 07, 2021.

    Uh-oh! Please check back later or use this site's Contact form to let HesperosFlown.com know this link is broken.

    Cutthroat Peak rises precipitously beyond Cutthroat Lake’s placid waters.
    Cutthroat Lake Trail, October 07, 2021.

    Uh-oh! Please check back later or use this site's Contact form to let HesperosFlown.com know this link is broken.

    Cutthroat Ridge stretches northward from Cutthroat Peak, topped by smaller, turret-like points. The most prominent knob along Cutthroat Ridge is the whimsically named Molar Tooth. Beyond the ridge, Cutthroat Pass offers panoramic views accessed by the trail fork near the lake or farther east by the Pacific Crest Trail. Cutthroat Lake Trail, October 07, 2021.

    Uh-oh! Please check back later or use this site's Contact form to let HesperosFlown.com know this link is broken.

    Hinkhouse Peak anchors the lake’s mountain backdrop to the southeast.
    Cutthroat Lake Trail, October 07, 2021.

    Share this page here:
                   
    • North Cascades Trails

      • Blanca Lake
      • Cedar Falls (Okanogan County)
      • Chain Lakes and Table Mountain
      • Cutthroat Lake
      • Cutthroat Lakes and Bald Mountain (Walt Bailey Trail / Mallardy Ridge Trail)
      • Cutthroat Pass (via Pacific Crest Trail)
      • Elliot Creek and Sweetleehachu / Goat Lake
      • Heather Lake
      • Lake Ann and Lower Curtis Glacier
      • Lake Twentytwo
      • Mount Dickerman
      • Mount Pilchuck
      • Sauer’s Mountain
      • Wallace Falls and Wallace Lake
    • Central Cascades Trails

      • Annette Lake and Asahel Curtis Nature Trail
      • Bandera Mountain
      • Cold Creek – Pacific Crest Trail Loop and Mirror Lake
      • Commonwealth Basin, Red Pass, and Lundin Peak
      • Dirty Harry’s Balcony, Dirty Harry’s Museum, and Dirty Harry’s Peak
      • Franklin Falls and Snoqualmie Pass Wagon Road
      • Gem Lake and Wildcat Lakes (High Lakes Trail)
      • Gold Creek Pond, Gold Creek, and Alaska Lake
      • Granite Mountain
      • Kendall Katwalk, Ridge Lake, and Gravel Lake
      • Koppen Mountain
      • Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls
      • Lake Stuart
      • Little Si
      • Lodge Lake and Olallie Meadow
      • Lower Tuscohatchie Lake (Melakwa – Pratt Lake Traverse)
      • Margaret Lake, Twin Lakes, and Lake Lillian
      • Mason Lakes, Rainbow Lake, and Island Lake (Ira Spring Trail)
      • Melakwa Lakes and Denny Creek
      • Melakwa Pass
      • Mount Catherine
      • Mount Defiance
      • Mount Washington (King County)
      • Pratt Lake
      • q̓əlbc̓ / Mount Si
      • Rachel Lake, Rampart Lakes, Lila Lake, and Alta Mountain
      • Rattlesnake Ledge and Rattlesnake Mountain
      • Snow Lake (King County)
      • Talapus Lake and Olallie Lake
      • Twin Falls (South Fork Snoqualmie River)
    • South Cascades Trails

      • Carbon River (Rainforest Loop, Old Mine, Green Lake, Chenuis Falls, and Ipsut Falls)
      • Lakes Trail and High Lakes Trail (High Lakes Loop)
      • Mt. St. Helens (Monitor Ridge Climbing Route)
      • Skyline Trail (Lewis County)
      • Tolmie Peak and Eunice Lake
    • Olympic Peninsula Trails

      • Kloshe Nanitch and the North Point
      • Marmot Pass (Upper Big Quilcene Trail)
      • Marymere Falls, Barnes Creek, and the Aurora Divide
      • Mount Muller
      • Mount Storm King
      • Mount Zion
      • Ozette Triangle (Cape Alava and Sand Point)
    • Lowland Trails

      • Carbon River (Rainforest Loop, Old Mine, Green Lake, Chenuis Falls, and Ipsut Falls)
      • Mount Constitution, Mountain Lake, Twin Lakes, and Cascade Creek
      • Ozette Triangle (Cape Alava and Sand Point)
      • Rattlesnake Ledge and Rattlesnake Mountain
    • Indigenous Land Acknowledgement

      HesperosFlown.com acknowledges that, from time immemorial, the locations profiled on this site have been and are the ancestral lands — birthplaces, thoroughfares, gathering grounds, cultural touchstones, and sacred spaces — of the first inhabitants of this continent.  Every effort is made to accurately and respectfully recognize the First Peoples of these places. Any corrections or additional information are humbly requested via this site’s “Contact” form.  May we be ever mindful of those who came before us, whose spirits and children remain among us, and so honor the land we now all call home.

    • HesperosFlown.com is created and authored by Anthony Colburn, a Pacific Northwest native, avid hiker, incidental naturalist, and amateur photographer.

      You can also follow HesperosFlown on
      Instagram @hesperosflown and
      Vero @hesperosflown

      © 2014-2023 Anthony Colburn

    • Only you (and, perhaps, your doctor) can determine your fitness and skill for the activity required to visit the amazing outdoor spaces profiled here on HesperosFlown.com.  Be sure to educate and equip yourself appropriately for the safest, most enjoyable wilderness experience.  And remember:  nothing substitutes for common sense in getting you back home safely. Nature will still be there for the next hike – so should you!

    • Search HesperosFlown.com

    • Unless otherwise noted, all content contained on this website is protected from unauthorized copying and dissemination by United States copyright law, trademark law, international conventions, and other intellectual property laws.

      © 2014-2023 Anthony Colburn

    Proudly powered by WordPress Theme: Parament by Automattic.