Welcome Pass sits between Keep Kool Butte and Welcome Butte high above Mount Baker Highway. The High Divide Trail passes through here, starting west from Excelsior Pass Trailhead and ending east by Nooksack River.
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Welcome Pass at a Glance
Access: Welcome Pass Trailhead (NF-3060)
Round Trip: 10.5 miles
Elevation Range: 2000′-5922′
Gear: snowshoes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface
The weather forecast over Central Cascades has worsened overnight. It went from mainly sunny to mostly cloudy in a matter of hours. But after two weekends of minimal sun exposure, we could use some sunshine.
In the morning, we prepared to hike somewhere east of the crest. But it was still cloudy when we drove through Sultan. After checking the forecast, I turned the car around for better weather by Welcome Pass!
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Welcome Pass Road
The 2.5-hour drive to the service road put us at the starting point in the late morning. I parked by a small pullout before the deep rut and started walking. Soon, we saw another trench not far at 500′ ahead.
The second rut looked worse but glad to have stopped when we did. Soon, a down tree appeared within a quarter mile, which the forest service website noted. Then we continued walking to the trailhead for another mile.
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Welcome Pass South Route
The road-turned-trail lower down was a walk in the park until we entered the wilderness. Then it was a steady incline through the initial 1300′. We later saw snow at 4200′. Then I put on snowshoes another 500′ higher for the rest of the climb.
The pass had excellent views of Damfino Creek Valley. Damfino Peak and Welcome Butte sat on the west and the massive Tomyhoi Peak to the east. We couldn’t see Mount Baker or Mount Shuksan through the timbered south.
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Ridge Traverse Through Point 5745
Despite a late start and a warm morning, the snow stayed firm. Mountains in the south skyline showed up before Point 5745. Then we made a rising traverse and bypassed Point 5745 from the east amid the jaw-dropping views.
We climbed the steep southwest ridge to Keep Kool Butte’s false peak, where it was grassy and dry on the south slope. Then it was continuous snow on the summit. We stayed south of the crest to avoid the cornices.
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Keep Kool Butte Summit Views
We traversed mild terrain to the main summit with heavy cornices on the north. I had yet to explore many places here: Tomyhoi Peak, American Border Peak, Mount Larrabee, Yellow Aster Butte, plus others.
We were across the valley a year ago, one of the few times we’ve been here. Using the zoom lens, I spied the pincer-like McMillan Spire plus Mount Challenger in the Picket Range. I even saw Chilliwack, BC; pretty cool!
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Next Stop, Welcome Butte
Back at the pass, we continued west on High Divide to Welcome Butte. By now, the snow had softened, but making a path on mild terrain wasn’t too bad. Shortly, we were on the south saddle by the cliff bands.
With firm snow, we stayed on and east of the crest for the final 300′ painless walk-up. The elongated summit had a sheer drop-off on the east. On the other hand, the west slope was dry and grassy.
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Welcome Butte Summit Views Plus Outro
Views here were much like Keep Kool Butte. But being slightly shorter, I couldn’t look into Canada. But I saw Church Mountain‘s pointy tip poking out from behind other high points on the long ridgeline.
We retraced our steps back to Welcome Pass. Back in the trees, we moved quickly through the soft snow to the solid ground at 4200′. It didn’t take long to go through the switchbacks before we reached the road.
See more trip photos here.