Cover photo courtesy of Holly Weiler
Cascade Mountains, Leavenworth, Wash.
For anyone looking for a proper fall larch march, it’s hard to beat Carne Mountain Trail on the eastern flank of the Cascades. Located northwest of Leavenworth, it can serve as a day hike on a fall tourist trip, or it can be extended to serve as a fall backpack trip. The trailhead is Phelps Creek at the end of the Chiwawa River Road, which is best for SUV-type vehicles, shared use with the more popular and better-known trail to Spider Meadows.
Carne Mountain Trail breaks off the main Phelps Creek trail just 0.25 miles from the trailhead and begins a strenuous climb of 3,000’ over 3.7 miles. There are ample opportunities to stop and catch your breath along the way, as the views quickly begin to open up as you ascend.
At the 2.5-mile mark, the trail enters a meadow surrounded by subalpine larch and intersected by a small stream for easy access to water. While western larch are also gorgeous in the fall, there really is something special about the way subalpine larch glow, and this alpine meadow is surrounded with them! This makes a good turn-around point or campsite option for a shorter version of this route, although the trail continues to climb and eventually leads to the summit of Carne Mountain at 7,080’.
For a more challenging route, continue on the Carne Mountain High Route (a climber’s trail; very strenuous) to the flank of Mount Maude, and descend via the Leroy Basin Trail to complete a loop. The subalpine larch begins changing to gold in late September through mid-October, although it is highly dependent upon weather conditions each year. Watch for a favorable weather window, as snow can also come to the high country early and make conditions more difficult.
Holly Weiler is the Eastern Washington Region Senior Coordinator for Washington Trails Association and loves to seek out fall color trails across our region.
