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My dad suddenly stopped short on the sidewalk. I turned back, and then followed his gaze across the road, where dark foothills rose to meet a taciturn November sky. Woven in among the evergreens like golden ribbons were a smattering of most unusual trees.

“It’s the golden larches,” he exclaimed.

Anyone glancing out the windows of the surrounding suburban homes might have thought we’d spotted a UFO. We stood there, rooted to the spot, staring skyward.

The third member of our party, however, was not riveted by the larches at all. My 8-month-old daughter was snuggled into a baby carrier on my chest, fast asleep.

Just the day before, my dad had brought up the golden larches.

“Deciduous conifers! And they turn bright gold in the fall.”

“I’ve wanted to see them for a couple years,” I said. “But they’re too far from Portland. I don’t think our Little Explorer would want to go.”

Yet here we were, accidentally standing before a mountainside bedecked in these fabulous golden trees.

Many things in life take a lot of planning, but occasionally the thing you’ve been looking for just lands right in front of you. This was one of those times.

In today’s post, I’ll share more about the Pacific Northwest’s golden larches, and how to see them yourself (in case you don’t accidentally stumble across them like we did!).

What are the Golden Larches?

Technically, they’re not called golden larches. The Pacific Northwest is home to two types of larches. The trees we saw from our walk were the western larch. They grow at middle elevations (2000-5500 feet), while the subalpine larch grows much higher in the mountains.

Both larches are conifers, but unlike most conifers, they’re not evergreen. Instead, they turn a striking yellow in the fall before dropping their needles for the winter—hence the nickname the “golden larches.” For more on these fascinating trees, check out the book Golden Trees of the Mountain West: A Natural History of Larch by Stephen F. Arno.

“Golden larches” sounds quite a bit like the good ol’ Golden Arches. If you encounter confused looks while extolling the golden larches, this is the first thing to check. While doing research for this blog post, I even came across this goofy larch ornament that pokes fun at this common error.

Where Can You See the Golden Larches?

Both western larches and subalpine larches grow on the east side of the Pacific Northwest’s Cascade mountains, so if you’re looking for golden larches near Portland, Seattle, or anywhere else on the west side, unfortunately that’s not really a thing. You’ll need to drive to see them in the wild, though some city arboretums have them, even on the west side. That’s because they need open and sunny conditions to thrive. While I love the thick, moss-laden forests of the west side, sunny and open are not among their many fine qualities.

Where We Found Golden Larches in Northern Idaho

After our Little Explorer screamed for the duration of the car ride to a local Portland hike, Bryan and I decided anything as far as the east side of the mountains would have to wait. But since she needed to meet her great-grandma, we soon found ourselves in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho anyway.

After surviving the 7 or so hours in the car, my bemused brain didn’t put together that it was larch season until that fateful walk when they stopped us in our tracks.

Once we’d spotted those golden larches in the hills around Coeur d’Alene, I was itching for a closer look. But since neither Great-Grandma nor our Little Explorer had the slightest interest in larch-hunting, I did my best to remain calm.

But as we began the drive back home to Portland, a tantalizing display of golden larches materialized in the distant hills south of I-90.

“Larches left of us!” came my dad’s text from the other car.

I turned in my seat and gave Bryan and my mom significant looks.

My mom glanced up from the back seat, where she had been crinkling Clif Bar wrappers for our Little Explorer, who was cackling in laughter.

“Are you sure they aren’t just dead trees mixed in with the live ones?”

“Dead trees?” I managed after a pause, my gaze shifting back to the spectacular fall display of the larches in the hills.

A few minutes later, we had pulled off the freeway and were driving toward the gold-flecked hills for a closer look.

Golden Larches Up Close

Purely by driving toward the larch-studded hills, we soon found ourselves in Post Falls, Idaho, and were delighted when a park materialized just off the road. This turned out to be Q’Emiln Park, a favorite haunt for hikers and rock climbers.

If you’re in northern Idaho, Q’Emiln Park is a great place for a better view of the golden larches. We just had time for a quick stop…so as not to push our luck with the Little Explorer at such an early juncture on our 7-hour drive. Even so, it was an unexpected treat to have the chance to see these very special trees.

Let us know in the comments if you have a favorite place to see either western larches or subalpine larches!

Other Adventures in the Pacific Northwest

For more adventure ideas in the Pacific Northwest, check out our PNW Trip Planner. You can find adventures near you and filter by season and difficulty level. There are weird and wonderful things to explore any time of year. The trip planner links to blog posts to help you plan your next adventure.

Happy exploring!