Welcome Pass via High Divide Trail
The hike to Welcome Pass from Damfino Lakes takes you through Excelsior Pass for excellent views of the surrounding mountains and lakes too numerous to count. This 22.5 km hike is rated as hard, with a solid dose of elevation gain and a hefty amount of mileage. It’s very doable in a day for strong hikers, but it can also be used for backpacking if you’d prefer to split it up over a couple of days.
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Route Description for Welcome Pass via High Divide Trail
Welcome Pass boasts an excellent view of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan. You’ll first hike to Excelsior Pass before traversing the ridge to Welcome Pass, which treats you to views of the surrounding mountains and lakes the entire way. This trail is a bit of a grind in parts, but you could leave a car at the Welcome Pass Trailhead to make it a point-to-point hike of half the distance if desired.
From the trailhead, take Damfino Lakes Trail past the lakes, turning south and hiking up and over a short ridge, which a few switchbacks help you with.
On the other side of the ridge, continue to the junction where you’ll turn left to Excelsior Peak. Continue past the peak to traverse the ridge, admiring the view of the North Cascades. You will downclimb through three switchbacks and then continue along the second half of the ridge.
The trail ends at Welcome Pass where the 3-way junction is. You’ll retrace your steps from here or make a very steep downclimb if you’ve left a car at the Welcome Pass Trailhead.
Getting to the Welcome Pass via High Divide Trail Trailhead
The trailhead for the Welcome Pass via High Divide Trail is at the end of Canyon Creek Road.
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Welcome Pass via High Divide Trail Elevation Graph
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