Hiking the High Pass Trail in the Mount Baker Wilderness
Contents
High Pass Trail Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 9.00Km (5.6 Miles)
Elevation Gain: 630m (2,066 Ft.)
Highest Elevation: 2,060m (6,760 Ft.)
Average Gradient: 14.00%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 4 – 5 Hours
– Moderate: 3 – 4 Hours
– Fast: 2 – 3 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~July to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Yes, unless you begin from the YAB trailhead.
Scrambling / Exposure: None
High Pass Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 48°57’04.7″N 121°38’04.0″W
High Pass Trail Overview
High Pass is a moderately trafficked hike accessed from the Twin Lakes trailhead in Washington, bringing outdoor enthusiasts to a beautiful viewpoint on the shoulder of Mount Larrabee, high in the Cascade Mountains. While this hike doesn’t conclude at any official summit, the end of the trail is far higher than other nearby popular peaks such as Winchester Mountain and Yellow Aster Butte, and offers comparably worthwhile views for much of the hike.
The road to the Twin Lakes Trailhead has received some notoriety in Washington for being a particularly rough FSR. Up to the Yellow Aster Butte trailhead is a relatively mellow road that most vehicles can drive, however it quickly deteriorates beyond here, with plenty of rocky terrain, several cross ditches and a steep gradient throughout. At the very least you will want an AWD SUV with reasonable ground clearance to proceed to Twin Lakes. Many vehicles can and do make it as it’s a very popular camping spot, but for those that can’t, parking at Yellow Aster Butte and hiking up the road is your only option. This will add around ~450m elevation gain and 9 – 10km to the stats above, which is still perfectly approachable, but of course a much bigger day.
Some parties will hike up to High Pass and then drop off the pass to climb up Mount Larrabee. Note that the route to Mount Larrabee involves sustained Class 3 scrambling with exposure and significant rock fall hazard. This isn’t an extension you want to add on a whim, but if you are a capable and confident scrambler you may want to consider Mount Larrabee as an option as well.
High Pass is generally a summer hike as the FSR to get there is not plowed and will only thaw in the summer. Similarly, the trail itself traverses across steep slopes that would be treacherous in snow. As such, July to October will be best, but late June may also work depending on the year.
High Pass is pet friendly and you are also able to camp at the pass, though water sources may be sparse once the snow has melted. It is free to camp at Twin Lakes (and the pass), but you will need to buy a Northwest Forest Pass to park your vehicle.
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Is High Pass worthwhile?
To be honest I’m a little bit surprised High Pass isn’t a more popular hike. It’s equally as good as Winchester Mountain, if not better, and offers stunning views in the fall in particular. I can only assume it’s not that popular because the road to get up is quite rough, and most people that do go up prefer to summit Winchester as it’s shorter and ends at an actual summit. That said, High Pass is much higher than Winchester Mountain and is a fuller outing. Of course, you can certainly combine both of these hikes together since they’re both pretty short.
How difficult is the hike to High Pass?
The High Pass trail is quite a simple hike that follows a well established trail the whole way. At only 9km (5.6 Miles) and an average gradient of 14%, it’s quite a moderate outing that isn’t all that challenging. Most parties will be finished in 3-4 hours.
There is nothing technical about the High Pass trail assuming you don’t go with any snow lingering around. The trail traverses across some steep slopes before following a series of switchbacks up a steep gully. If any of this is snow covered you may want to reconsider going, and if you do go you will certainly want to be carrying microspikes and an ice axe at the least.
High Pass Trail Route Information
As noted, the trailhead for High Pass begins from Twin Lakes, which is likely only accessible for AWD/4×4 vehicles with higher ground clearance. For those unable to reach this trailhead, the hike will begin from the Yellow Aster Butte trailhead, which is suitable for most vehicles. If you are beginning from Yellow Aster Butte you would simply hike up the FSR to Twin Lakes, with the trailhead for Winchester beginning from the parking area located in the middle of the two lakes.
From the parking lot, head north to an obvious trail into the treeline. The trail will immediately begin a gradual ascent away from the lakes, and after around 500m you’ll reach a junction with the Winchester Mountain Trail. Ignoring this trail and turning onto the High Pass trail, you’ll continue to climb gradually to a high point before the traverse begins.
Over the next kilometer or so (0.6 Miles) the trail will descend gradually as you traverse across the steep eastern slopes of Winchester Mountain, all the while with ever improving views of Larrabee up ahead and the Silesia Creek Valley to the east. The traverse soon ends as you reach a series of switchbacks that climb up to Low Pass.
From Low Pass, the climb continues ahead for a little while longer, before mellowing out as you reach High Pass shortly ahead. The terrain is fairly flat around here and some people set up tents on the pass. The views are already excellent at this point, however the trail does continue ahead and they only get better.
Beyond High Pass the climb continues up to an even higher point on a shoulder of the eastern ridges of Mount Larrabee. The trail transitions to some loose, rocky terrain as you follow a couple of switchbacks, with ever improving views, especially to the south. As you continue to climb, you’ll actually now be higher than many of the nearby mountains, so the views will become unobstructed with Mount Shuksan, Sefrit and Baker dominating the skyline of endless peaks. Of course, the strikingly red Mount Larrabee will be right up in your face the entire time.
The trail ends on this shoulder, at which point you simply return back the way you came. Unfortunately there is a little bit of climbing as you return across the traverse below Winchester. If you still have some steam left once you get back towards the trailhead, some parties will now climb up to Winchester Mountain to end the day. This won’t add all that much time, though you may have had enough of the views to consider this worthwhile.
When should I hike High Pass Trail?
As access to High Pass is dependent on the road being thawed, the typical period for hiking this peak is in peak summer, so July to October. You may be able to drive up the road earlier in the year, however you also want the traverse and switchbacks to be snow free otherwise they could be quite treacherous without the proper gear. All in all, save it for peak summer.
If you want to experience the autumnal colours here, aim for the end of September for peak colours.
Top Tip
This hike is particularly scenic in the fall when the foliage changes to a glorious palette of autumnal colours.
If you want a particularly productive day, you could feasibly combine High Pass with Yellow Aster Butte (driving between the two) for a thoroughly rewarding trip. Very ambitious parties could add Winchester for a trio of hikes.
