Hiking Welcome Pass & Butte in the Mount Baker Wilderness
Contents
Welcome Pass & Butte Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 10.60Km (6.6 Miles)
Elevation Gain: 1,056m (3,465 Ft.)
Highest Elevation: 1,785m (5,856 Ft.)
Average Gradient: 19.92%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 5 – 6 Hours
– Moderate: 4 – 5 Hours
– Fast: 3 – 4 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~May to November
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Welcome Pass & Butte Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 48°54’49.1″N 121°41’59.4″W
Welcome Pass & Butte Overview
Welcome Butte is one of a number of summits located along the High Divide Trail in the Mount Baker Wilderness in northern Washington, near the border with Canada. Hikers can ascend this peak as a standalone hike from the Welcome Pass Trailhead, or alternatively with two vehicles you could also begin the hike from the Excelsior Pass Trailhead, follow the entire High Divide Trail, and end at the Welcome Pass Trailhead, which would make for a longer but more scenic day.
Welcome Butte itself is not a particularly known summit, since it’s really just one of many bumps along the scenic High Divide Trail, but Welcome Pass does attract some interest. The nearby Excelsior Pass sees a lot more traffic, and Yellow Aster Butte is another significantly more popular trail in the area that sees a lot more visitors than Welcome Pass.
While Welcome Butte may not be as busy as other nearby peaks, that doesn’t mean its views are any less scenic. You’ll get stunning 360 degree views of Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan, Tomyhoi Peak, Mount Sefrit, Mount Larrabee, Mount McGuire, Goat Mountain, American Border Peak and plenty more from the top, so it’s difficult to understand why this isn’t more popular.
In terms of seasonality this is primarily a spring to fall hike, with the shoulder seasons working fine as long as the snowline isn’t too low. Once the snowline drops in winter, not only will the trailhead be inaccessible (it’s not plowed), the hike will be pretty gruelling as it’s very steep throughout. As with the entire Mount Baker Wilderness, Welcome Pass & Butte will be stunning in the fall, usually around late September / early October, once the foliage in the area changes color.
Access to the Welcome Pass trailhead is from the end of Forest Road 3060. This is a short, narrow FSR with some rough patches at the time of writing. With some careful driving an SUV with some clearance should manage okay, however. As noted the FSR will not be plowed in winter, and I’m not sure there would be anywhere to park along Mount Baker Highway for those willing to begin from there.
Dogs are welcome on this trail
Maintaining this website requires a significant investment of both time and money, if you find this website a useful resource, please consider making a donation using this button.
Are Welcome Pass & Butte worthwhile?
Welcome Pass and Butte is a short, steep hike with rewarding views at the end. In the shoulder seasons this is a good option that follows a trail the entire time, and even with snow at higher elevations it’s fairly simple travel and offers great winter scenery at the top. If you can time it for the fall color change, that’s another great time to go as well.
If I were to go back I’d probably try and find a second car and follow the entire High Divide Trail from Excelsior Pass to Welcome Pass to allow more time to appreciate the views. If there’s one negative of this hike it’s that you spend the majority of the time in the treeline.
How difficult is the hike to Welcome Pass & Butte?
The Welcome Pass trail is very steep, much steeper than the Excelsior Pass trail, which is fairly steep in its own right. Apparently there are 66 switchbacks up to Welcome Pass, which usually tells you just how steep a hike is. Thankfully it’s a fairly short hike at just 10.60km, so even though it’s a grueling one, you’ll usually be at the top within a couple of hours.
Technically speaking this hike is very simple, it’s just a very steep forest grind then a simple ridge walk to the summit of Welcome Butte. The only possible concern would be along the ridge, which does get narrow in spots, but never so much to cause concern. In snow it’s a bit trickier and you may need to be aware of cornices should any have formed, particularly in spring.
Welcome Pass & Butte Route Information
The Welcome Pass trailhead is at the end of Forest Road 3060, which is a short and narrow FSR that does have one or two rough spots. An SUV with high clearance should manage with some careful driving, but a 4×4 is preferred.
From the parking lot there is only one way to go, so join the trail and get moving. The first 2km of the hike are fairly uneventful, climbing only 200m for an average gradient of 10%. Don’t let this fool you into thinking this hike isn’t so bad, as it’s unfortunately about to get significantly more difficult.
At the 2km mark the mellow climb suddenly turns it up a notch, immediately becoming a very steep and relentless ascent. After another 50m of climbing you’ll pass by a sign noting that you’re entering the Mount Baker Wilderness, and from then on the climbing doesn’t stop until you reach Welcome Pass.
From the 2km mark to Welcome Pass you’ll climb almost 650m over another 2km, for an average gradient of 32.5% (as steep as the Grouse Grind), all the while following a series of never-ending switchbacks. There’s no other way to say it, this part of the hike is no fun, so it’s merely a case of getting it over with.
While not particularly pleasant, you do gain elevation very quickly, and most parties will reach Welcome Pass within a couple of hours of hiking. The moment you reach the pass you’ll immediately be rewarded with views of Tomyhoi Peak, and to your left will be Welcome Butte, the summit you’ll shortly be atop of.
The High Divide Trail will continue to the west in the direction of Welcome Butte, so just follow the trail in that direction. At this point I was in snow and had no trail to follow, but the general direction was obvious. After following the trail for another 500m or so, most of which is a fairly modest ascent (compared to what you just did), you’ll reach the southern ridge of Welcome Butte and depart the High Divide trail.
Working your way up the southern ridge of the butte should be straightforward, especially if there is no snow around. As you climb the views will really open up, don’t forget to look behind you to appreciate Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan. The ridge isn’t that long, and in short order you’ll be on the summit. The views will now be 360 degrees, with Tomyhoi Peak, American Border Peak, Mount McGuire, Mount Larrabee, Goat Mountain, Mount Sefrit, Mount Shuksan, Mount Baker, Mount Herman, Church Mountain (US) and Bearpaw Mountain all visible.
After relaxing on the summit, you simply return back the way you came. If you want to continue exploring the area you can easily follow the High Divide Trail for as far as you want, or an alternative option is to go back east along the ridge towards Keep Kool Butte, which is actually a little bit higher than Welcome Butte.
When should I hike Welcome Pass & Butte?
Welcome Pass and Butte is mostly a spring to fall hike, so usually May to November will work well. A month either side may even work if the snowline is high enough.
In the fall, around the end of September to early October, the colors in this region become an incredible mix of reds, oranges and yellows.
Top Tip
Poles might be nice on this hike to spare your knees some pain on the descent as it’s very steep in the forest.
If you have two vehicles it would be a lot more fulfilling to begin hiking from the Excelsior Pass trailhead, follow the entire High Divide Trail and end at Welcome Pass trailhead. This will be around 18km, 1,400m and would offer considerably more views than just doing either Excelsior Pass or Welcome Pass on their own as an out and back.
