Maple Pass Loop

Rae here. Maple Pass is the loop I send people on when they tell me they want the North Cascades in a single afternoon and don't have the time or the permits for anything deeper. It's an 11-km circuit out of Rainy Pass on Highway 20, about 670 m of gain, and most fit hikers will move through it in around 4 hours. Done counterclockwise, the climb is steadier and the views open up gradually instead of dumping on you all at once.

The trail

From the trailhead the path climbs through hemlock and fir, crosses a few small drainages, and brings you up past Lake Ann sitting in its cirque below the ridgeline. From there the grade tilts up toward Heather Pass and then Maple Pass proper, where the trail rides an exposed ridge between the Lake Ann basin on one side and the drop into Rainy Lake on the other. The high traverse is the heart of the day — open subalpine, larches in late season, and a clear look at Corteo, Black Peak, and the spine of the Cascades north of the highway.

The descent off the back of the loop drops fast through switchbacks, then mellows out on a paved spur past Rainy Lake (a quick out-and-back if your knees are willing) before closing the loop at the parking lot.

When to go

Snow lingers up high. Most years the loop isn't reliably clear of snow on the ridge until mid-July, and even then expect lingering patches on the north-facing sections into early summer. Late September through the first week of October is the larch window, when the alpine larches around Heather and Maple turn gold — it's also when the parking lot fills before sunrise and the ridge feels more like a queue than a trail. August is the quietest sweet spot: wildflowers are still around, smoke permitting.

Highway 20 closes seasonally, typically late November through April or May depending on snowpack. If the North Cascades Highway is shut, the trailhead is unreachable.

What to know before you go

• Pass: Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful pass required at the Rainy Pass trailhead.
• Parking: The lot is small for the traffic this trail gets. On weekends in larch season, plan to arrive at first light or expect to park down the highway shoulder and add walking.
• Water: Don't count on it. The ridge is dry, and the small streams low on the loop aren't reliable late season. Carry what you'll drink.
• Direction: Counterclockwise (Lake Ann side up first) is the standard recommendation — gentler grade up, steeper down, better view progression.
• Exposure: The ridge between the passes is open. Afternoon thunderstorms build fast in summer; if you hear thunder, get off the high traverse. Wind on the pass can be serious even on a calm day below.
• Wildlife: Black bears work the blueberry slopes in late summer. Make noise on blind corners.

What to bring

Treat this as a real alpine day even though the mileage is modest. Layers for wind on the ridge, sun protection (the high traverse has no shade), more water than you think for the climb, and traction if you're going early or late season when snow patches can linger across the trail. Trekking poles save the knees on the descent. Bring a headlamp if you're starting at first light to beat the crowd. Camera batteries die fast in cold ridge wind in October — keep a spare warm in a pocket.

Variations

• Shorter: Lake Ann as an out-and-back is a much easier outing — gentle grade, quiet lake basin, skip the ridge climb entirely.
• Add-on: The paved Rainy Lake spur near the end of the loop is a flat extension worth tagging on if you've got energy left.
• Harder: Strong scramblers continue off Heather Pass toward Wing Lake and the base of Black Peak — that's a longer, rougher day with real route-finding, not a casual extension.