State: Washington
Location: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Length, One-Way: 3 miles
Trail Type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 4200 feet
Elevation Change: 1100 feet
Best Season: Summer, Fall
Difficulty: Difficult
Usage: Heavy
Parking: Northwest Forest Pass is required at trailheads.
Bull moose are a common site near the lake regions
Trail Information
A very popular mid to late summer hike, the Damfino Lakes Trail gains 1100 feet of elevation to reach Excelsior Pass in 3.0 miles. At Excelsior Pass are the junctions with High Divide Trail #630, which travels along Excelsior Ridge (High Divide) for 4.5 miles to Welcome Pass and the Excelsior Pass Trail #670, which drops to meet the Mt. Baker Highway 542 in 4.5 miles.
The trail starts in an old clearcut, quickly entering mature forest. In 0.7 miles a junction is encountered. The left fork is Canyon Ridge Trail #689, which also connects to Boundary Way Trail #688. Take the right fork and reach Damfino Lakes in another 0.1 mile.
Tiny Damfino Lakes are skirted by a puncheon bridge walkway. The lakes are surrounded by blueberry bushes, which turn a blazing scarlet in autumn. There is one campsite at the lakes, which can be quite buggy in mid-summer. The trail reenters forest and climbs uphill, breaking out of the forest into an expansive meadow about 1.5 miles past Damfino Lakes. Excelsior Pass can be seen 0.5 miles above.
Walk through extraordinary wildflowers in July and August, or wonderful fall color in September and October. Bearpaw Mountain is the prominent peak to the west. Once Excelsior Pass is reached, the white mass of Mt. Baker looms in the hiker’s view. Glacier draped Mt. Shuksan and the Canadian Border Peaks are also visible.
Directions
From Glacier:
Travel east on Mt. Baker Highway 542 for 1.9 miles to Canyon Creek Road 31. Turn left on Road 31 and continue about 15.0 miles. The trailhead and parking area are on the right hand side after the road takes two
