RHH's photos with the keyword: larch

This was Cutthroat Pass when we hiked it last autumn. The trees are larches which we had gone to see in their autumn color. The rocky outcrop on the right is where we ate our lunch of hot soup and coffee. Though cold we climbed up to the top of the outcrop and enjoyed the view while eating.

The view west from the Cutthroat Pass trail in the North Cascades. The peak on the left is the Golden Horn. We hiked the Cutthroat Pass trail last autumn in spite of the snow and cold.

We hiked the Cutthroat Pass trail last October through early snow. The photo was taken from the area where we ended out hike but the continuation of the trail is visible on left heading up to the Canadian border and the end of the Pacific Crest Trail.

This is Cutthroat Pass in the North Cascades of Washington in October. The view looks south down the valley up which we hiked. Cutthroat Pass is along the Pacific Crest Trail.

These are the autumn needles of a Subalpine Larch, a species of Larch that has a disjunct range in the North Cascades.

Winter came early this year to the Cascades. We hiked the Cutthroat Pass trail, part of the PCT early in October and there was snow in the pass already then. The highway is now closed and will be closed until April or May. When we hiked there we wanted to see the larches in their autumn glory and caught them at just the right time. They grow at higher elevations, in this case at 2072 meters and are one of our favorite things to see in the autumn.

Photographed at Cutthroat Pass in the North Cascades this past autumn. The Cutthroat Pass trail is part of the Pacific Crest Trail, a place we have hiked before to see the larches in their autumn color.

In mid-October, traveling across that state, we hiked Cutthroat Pass in the North Cascades. The weather was cloudy and it was cold but we had a very good hike with lunch and coffee as the top of the pass. The larches were near their peak and the scenery was spectacular in spite of the low-hanging clouds. The inset is of the Larch needles.

Supalpine Larch is a deciduous conifer that grows in the Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Montana, British Columbia and Alberta with a small disjunct population in the Cascades of Washington. It grows at high altitudes (1,800 to 2,400 m, 5,900 to 7,900 ft). We went to see the larches at Cutthroat Pass mid-October and they were at their peak. We did not see them, though, until we reaches those higher altitudes at which they grow.

If we are able, we hike in October in the North Cascades east of North Cascades National Park to see the Larches in color. They are the Subalpine Larches, Larix lyallii, found at high elevations in Idaho, Montana, British Columbia and Alberta with a small disjunct population in the North Cascades. Last autumn we nearly missed them due to an early season, but did manage these photos.

One of our favorite hikes in autumn is the Heather/Maple Pass loop in the North Cascades. There is a disjunct population of Subalpine Larches there and in autumn they are glorious in the golden colors. This photo was taken near Maple Pass last autumn.

Anyone who has seen Larches in autumn knows how beautiful they are when they change color. We have a small population of Subalpine Larches in the North Cascades and go to see them nearly every autumn.

Taken in 2016, this photo is of the Subalpine Larch. The photo was taken near Heather Pass in the North Cascades, one of our favorite hiking destinations in the autumn.

This is another photo from the Heather-Maple Pass Loop, a trail my wife and I hiked in September. The trees are Alpine Larches and the photo was taken near Heather Pass.

Another shot from Heather Pass when my wife and I hiked the loop trail through that pass and Maple Pass, a hike of about eight miles with 2000 feet elevation gain. The Alpine Larches were starting to change color and some of them were near their peak, as were these were. This was shot looking across Lake Ann to the ridge on the other side of the lake.

A lone Alpine Larch at Maple Pass in the North Cascades. Taken on a recent hike there, the larches were just starting to change.

This is the reason I didn't post a photo yesterday. We were hiking near North Cascades National Park in the Okanagan Wilderness. We had tried to do the Heather-Maple Pass Loop last autumn and were defeated by snow, two or three feet near the top of the passes in early October. This year we made it to the top of Heather Pass but met other hikers who had turned back because of the deep snow and lack of a trail, so after having our lunch in the snow at the top of the pass we went back also. We had a good day, though. The larches were still showing some color and the mountains were spectacular. The weather, however, though it started out partly sunny soon turned cloudy and the mist began to roll in, so we were just as well to turn back. This photo was taken near the top of the pass and shows the amount of snow we had to deal with as well as some of the larches, Larix lyallii. We did about seven miles and about 2000 feet of elevation.

When we hiked the Maple Pass loop in early October of 2013 we went to see the Larches in their autumn color. The early snowfall, however, not only covered much of their color but the color did not stand out as much against the white of the snow. This was one of the better shots I was able to get of them.