Excelsior Pass/Damfino Lakes

Miles: 6.5 miles roundtrip

Elevation: 1,500 feet gained

Mount Baker Highway 542

About three quarters of a mile through forest you stay right at a junction and then drop a bit the lakes at about one mile. There are a few campsites at the very small Damfino Lakes. Climb through forest for another mile where the trail opens to meadows. Another three quarters of a mile climb through the open meadows you reach Excelsior Pass and a junction with the High Divide Trail. If you take a left and follow the High Divide Trail for a quarter mile, the views get even better.

Get there: Going east on Mount Baker Highway (542), turn left just past the Douglas Fir Campground onto Canyon Creek Road, also marked as Forest Service Road 31. Follow for 10 miles where you turn left again at 14.5 miles. You reach the trailhead .5 miles further. There is a bathroom in the parking area. Note: Road 31 is paved for the first 8 miles.