Park Butte Lookout

Elevation Gain: 2200 ft

Round Trip Distance: 7.5 mi

Northwest Forest Pass

Getting there: The drive is not a short one- but is around 2 - 2 1/2 hours in the Mount Baker area. It is around 100 miles one way with the end of drive being a half hour of gravel road driving. The gravel road is covered in pretty large potholes- so navigating through it is advised for high clearance cars. Make sure to have navigation on as the turn onto the gravel road is not clearly marked and is right after the entrance to Mount Baker park.

Trail head: Once at the trail head there is a lot of parking and clearly marked trails with even some free camping! There are restrooms and many different trails that you can take into Mount Baker wilderness. It is a well-maintained trail head with trash bins for before heading up or after coming down.

On the trail: The trail starts off with wooden pathways and gradually takes you into the valleys and meadows around the base of Mount Baker. It has some steep sections but was generally steady, reasonable uphill. The trail crosses some openings covered in rocks washed away with water which makes it hard to navigate but eventually you see the trail on the other side. Most of the trail is not cross-backs which I enjoyed, it is basically gradually walking up fields and wooded areas towards the mountain- which means incredible mountain views along the way surrounded by all sorts of colorful trees and plants. A woman on the trail recommended going up the railroad track trail for a little while to get closer to the mountain which is on the way to Park Butte L.O. The trail hits a open meadow when you notice where the lookout is- the open space allows you to begin to see all the mountain ranges around the area. A last push to the end- up to the lookout- puts you high up over one of the peaks to see a panoramic view of the cascades, the sisters, and baker - all in one. The lookout is open to the public, first-come first-serve and generally is taken by afternoon. It has quite some room with a cot, table and places to hang hammocks. I definitely plan on sleeping up there sometime soon! A well worth hike on a good sunny day!

In the winter, there is increasing amounts of snow up on the trail which would require more winter gear, there may be avalanche warnings, and perhaps snowy road conditions- be sure to check weather, avalanche details, and trail conditions before going!