Great hike plenty of solitude it was very smokey today hopefully it will clear soon

Busy parking lot but no one was going up to Cowap, so I had it to myself. Great views of Baker, Shuksan, the border peaks. It’ll get your heart pumping, especially the last 1/4 mile to the peak, but it’s short. 2h 15 min of hiking total with 1,400 foot gain.

Road is in great condition with just a few potholes. Doable with a 2WD, although you’ll have to take it slower.

A great alternative to the Damfino to Excelsior Peak hike, and there's a good chance you'll have the route to yourself. Starting from the Damfino trailhead, we went Damfino Lakes trail > Canyon Ridge trail > Boundary Way trail > then up the Cowap Peak spur trail. All of that in just 2.2 miles one way. No technical ability needed. There are fantastic, 360 degree views at the summit, including Baker and Shuksan to the south, and north into Canada (with some wildfire smoke that direction). We skipped the exposed mini scramble to the actual peak.

4.4 miles round-trip. Approx 1300 ft elevation gain. 2 hrs 45 mins. 8 cars in the parking lot at 3:30pm on a bluebird Sunday. 

Flower show!! Featuring flowers that grow of their own accord, more stunning than the human-tended, chemical-enhanced, meretricious ones that you have to buy a ticket to see. The only admission fees for this one are moderate physical fitness and a little uphill walking. 

I'd been to Cowap Peak once before, in late September, and made a note that I wanted to come back at flower time. I put out an APB to the group of usual suspects known as High & Outside, and Stephen answered. So we left Bellingham at 7:30 and arrived at the Damfino Lakes Trailhead a little before 9. Plenty of parking (mostly Subarus in the lot, of course), and Stephen even found a place that promised shade for most of the day. We were on the trail at 9:00 sharp, though nice second-growth forest. 

After 20 minutes we reached the newly erected signpost directing us left to Canyon Ridge and Boundary Way, and we started up the very skanky way to motorcycle heaven (otherwise known as Canyon Ridge), ascending crumbly ground and shredded logs embossed with motorcycle tracks. We recalled that a guy on some sort of a contraption in the motorcycle family had zoomed past us on the Canyon Creek Road, and assumed he was already amongst the vrooming angels. 

Before long, however, another signpost directed us to the right toward Boundary Way. Immediately the contrast of seasons struck me--we hiked beside what had been a desiccated ex-bog in early fall but was now a bog in full glory, complete with lots of white Sitka valerian and yellow daisies, plus whole wet meadows bright red with leatherleaf saxifrage. Then up a stretch of forest, containing some huge mountain hemlocks among various kinds of firs, and the one big blowdown of the trip--go around the upper end. I climbed over the lower end but didn't need to. And then to the show of shows...

After the ultimate goal--the summit of Cowap Peak, comes into view, the trail sidehills gradually up a south-facing meadow, shouting its colors at you. White bistort, valerian, and cow parsley; buttery yellow daisies, Oregon sedum and tiger lilies; purple-to-pink asters, Cascade penstemons, heather, a single monkey flower and one clump of thistles; little pale yellow partidgefoot; blue lupine; and just a few scattered reddish orange paintbrushes. The going was slow not because it was steep (it's not), but because we stopped every few feet to take pictures of the flowers. When we could take our eyes off the flowers, the snow-covered heights of Shuksan and Koma Kulshan gradually rose above the High Divide in between.  

Eventually the way enters forest for a short distance, leading us to the crest where we were greeted by views of Tomyhoi and the Border Peaks to the east, peaks that don't show on USGS topo maps to the north, and a "Welcome to Canada!" alert on our phones, even though we were still a mile or so south of the border. A middle-aged couple arrived while we rested there, the only other hikers we saw all day. To the right was Boundary Way, but Cowap Peak beckoned to the left, and so we went left. The ridgeline meadows were not quite as colorful as the ones on the south slope, but there was lots of mountain ash in bloom (in Bellingham, they already have fruit), along with heather and more patridgefoot. 

We walked upward, first gently, then steeply, then gently again, with the mountain views on both sides expanding as we ascended. At about 11:10 we were on top. Or as close to the top as either of us dared to go--there is a very exposed short scramble which we both looked at and both thought "nah, probably not." Soon the couple was up there with us, and they kindly took our pictures with Kulshan in the background. It was warm, not hot, a very slight breeze, a very few horseflies, no mosquitoes. 

Also no place to sit and eat, so we retreated a couple of hundred meters and found some nice rock seats to lounge on (marble for Stephen, granite for me) with more views into Canada. 

When we got back to the junction around 12:00, we decided to ramble a ways down Boundary Way, and found a big patch of white-flowered Rhododendron albiflorum. But then the downward grade got steeper, and we decided to return to the junction. A downward traverse of the flower show and the bog showed blossoms in somewhat different light, then the motorcycle skank and the way out, arriving back at the Subaru convention and the shady (non-Subaru) car at 1:30. 

Absolutely gorgeous day. 

For my planned MON 30-Sep-2024 early morning hike of "Cowap Peak, and Excelsior Peak", on
SUN 29 Sep 2024 night, i Car-camped at "Mt Baker RV Park & Campground", Glacier WA {btw, the Camp-host Charlie was very helpful, and friendly. Also, the Bathroom/Toilet was very clean 👍👍👍}

~06:00 (temperature was ~40s_F), after i "break-camp"; i drove ~1 hr on the ~15 miles of (Canyon Creek Road and FS 31) to the Damfino Lakes Trailhead parking. Recentl reports of the aforementioned roads - varies from"Road suitable for all vehicles, "Rough but passable", .. to which may i add the "qualifier" - drive cautiously, and always stay alert .. Please note (btw, i am vaguely recalling) : ~20_ft after passing ~Mile_5 <from 542>, there's an ~3 ft of "drop" (or "dip") that crosses Jim Creek. {At ~15:15 when i was on my way out to 542, at "this" (FS-31) crossing, i saw a Towing Truck working/attempting to recover a red-color Van (or SUV); which was partially on the road, and partially "over-hanging" the slope/drop to Jim Creek) 😱

i am "posting" 2 separate Trip-Reports for my "Cowap Peak, and Excelsior Peak" hike. And "below" is the Trip-Report for my hike to "Cowap Peak".

~07:15, i was the 3rd to arrive at the Damfino Lakes Trailhead parking. Saw no one around. It was cold 30s_F and while i spent the next ~45 minutes Layering-up, and having my breakfast, a total of 3 vehicles arrived, and the people and 1 dog went Out/Up.

~08:05, i went Out/Up towards Cowap Peak. And at ~0.5 mile before reaching Cowap Peak, i encountered a (family) of 3 and their German Shepard coming Back/Down. ~10:00 arrived at Cowap Peak vista where's there were very nice mountain views. i went further along .. Upon seeing the "airy spot".

i spent a few minutes very carefully evaluating and "studying" the "ground" (the rocks; it stability, its grippiness, handholds, footholds, etc) before deciding to cross it .. albeit, very slowly, cautiously, and safely.. and a few times, on my all-fours, i made my crossing to/fro the "high point" / "end-point" 😅

Btw, crossing the "airy spot" didn't buy me any additional "special" views (that could be easily had from Cowap Peak vista. On-hindsight, (for me) it certainly wasn't worth the (very high) "exposure" risks of the "airy spot" crossing to/fro the "high point" / "end-point",

And my way Back/Down (until the Canyon Ridge Trail & Damfino Lakes Trail junction), encountered a total of 7 people (from 2 parties).

Everyone's courteous and friendly.

Below is the LINK to my Album Cowap Peak - enjoy 😊

Happy Trails and Be Safe 😄