High Divide: Excelsior Pass to Welcome Pass

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Commonly Backpacked · Fall Colors · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

A breathtaking ridgeline traverse with huge views, beginning and finishing with many sets of switchbacks through montane rainforest. If you like steep trails to mountaintops, then this makes the perfect big day hike with a car shuttle, or a rewarding one-night backpacking trip.

The trail is good in either direction. Most people start from Excelsior Pass Trailhead and go to Welcome Pass Trailhead (west to east), but if you want more downhill than uphill you could do it the other way.

To turn this into a self-shuttled loop with a bike ride, leave your bikes at Welcome Pass TH (or where the road to the TH meets the main road). After finishing the west-east hike you'll get to ride it (mostly) downhill for about 5 miles back to the starting point. The traffic is fine for riding, but I wouldn't want to run it.

This trail starts off slow, then heads uphill on somewhat long/winding switchbacks. Overall, the trail is in great condition, offering a nice glimpse of a waterfall adjacent to the sole campsite at 1 mile.

From here, continue uphill to navigate a few steps/logs that are in place to help you with the steeper parts. You're pretty much in the trees/shade most of the way up.

Around 2.5 miles in, enjoy a few brief glimpses of sky before diving back into the trees. At about 4 miles, you'll break into a nice meadow. Trail is hard to find at times and can require route finding, just look for cairns along the way and you should be fine.

While the trail continues along the meadow (a good place for flowers in the summer), take a moment to turn around for a nice view of Mount Baker.

Continue across the meadow and up a bit more to get to the intersection with the Damfino Lakes Trail #625. It's fairly open at the top, but you can continue up to the peak for a nice 360 view and a great place for a break. It can get pretty chilly/windy on the top, so bring a wind or rain layer to stay comfortable.

The trail continues along the ridge line to the east, and this is where the trail earns its name. It continues for about 6 miles with one view constantly turning into another. Views of Baker and Shuksan to the south alternate with views of into Canada and across other peaks to the north. You'll likely have the trail to yourself as everyone seems to turn around at the summit behind you. That is their loss and your gain. Enjoy the solitude and the views.

When you get to the other end of the ridge, the trail will descend steeply along a smooth dirt singletrack to the trailhead. The trail is in shockingly good shape for being so steep, and the run down is a blast with a ton of switchbacks.

There are quite a few flowers in the meadow, and several chipmunks/squirrels and birds up at the peak.