My friend and I hiked this for sunset on Wednesday. We were surprised at how many vehicles were in the lot at 5:30 pm midweek. Another gal pulled up right next to us and also seemed shocked at how full it was. She said she was hoping to spend the night in the lookout. The gravel portion of the road was in fairly good condition until the last couple of miles where there were more potholes. I think a sedan could make it with slow and careful driving, but I was very glad to be in a vehicle with more clearance.

The trail starts off very mild. It is well maintained and easy to follow. The first mile or so is mostly dirt. Then there is a section with more rounded rock, and a couple of water crossings (one easy rock hop and one with the seasonal bridge). The last bit is the steepest part, but even that was quite tame in my opinion. We made it to the lookout in about an hour and forty minutes, including stops for photos and watching a cute marmot on a rock. Along the way, trail signage at junctions was clearly visible and easy to follow.

The lookout was busy when we arrived. The gal who parked next to us arrived at the same time we did, and said she was lucky to squeeze into the last available space in the lookout for the night. We stayed to enjoy the beautiful sunset, and then hiked down uneventfully in the dark.

The 783rd trip report for the Park Butte Lookout Trail. I'll bet on a nice day, the views are to die for. But today, not so much. I made plans to traverse The Enchantments but with spotty and questionable weather, I decided on something else. It was a toss up between Green Mountain and Park Butte. 

Obviously, I'm going to have to come back on a clear day to soak up some views because gallivanting through the meadows seemed amazing enough, and as the clouds rolled in and out and the rain sprinkled onto the brim of my hat, I was actually surprised to see ten other people trekking up to the lookout. Of course, I had no intentions of staying in the lookout myself, and on my way down, I informed the first group coming up that the lookout was all theirs, (first come first serve rules apply to this lookout). They were pretty happy about that. 

I could've used more breakfast. The hike isn't entirely too strenuous. It has enough flat spots and ups and downs to give your legs a rest when you need it. But today I just felt sluggish. Maybe it was the weather. It was 62 degrees at the trailhead but I was sweating enough that once I reached the lookout, I started to get cold. Maybe I layered up too much. Other people were in shorts and t-shirts. I also left my handheld GPS and inReach at home and I was also without a physical map, which made me a tad nervous. But as I crossed paths more and more with people, my nerves settled. 

All the outfitters were on the trail today; Mountain Madness, Alpine Ascents and another guided group but I didn't catch their names. Seeing people going for their first Baker climb was really exciting. As the long train of heavy packs crossed in front of me while I stood on the side of the trail, I reminisced on my time heading up to Sandy Camp for my Baker climb. That was just a little over a year ago. How time flies. 

The forest road is in pretty decent shape. Some potholes to be mindful of and some washboarding but this is probably one of the better service roads I've been on. 

Overall, the trail is in great condition. The foot bridge is still over Rocky Creek and the bugs were non-existent. 

Dock Butte and Blue Lake trails have been closed due to Forest Service 12 falling into disrepair. I read some past trip reports that people can still squeeze vehicles around the washout, (or whatever is going on) and some people park at the roads end and hike to the trailheads. 

On my way out, a family with goats were heading in to pick blue berries. Seems like they were having a great time. I'm not sure blue berries fall under the forest rules for berries, but here's the link for berries from the Forest Service if you're curious at all what the rules are concerning berries. 

It took me about 1 hr 30 minutes to reach the lookout. 

The first part of the unpaved road, NF12, is so much better than it was a few years ago. The second part, NF13 is more rough with some potholes but is still passable for any normal clearance car.

It was a colder day and it wasn't as busy as on a normal Sunday.  I was able to find a spot in the main lot early in the afternoon. It was about 56° at the parking lot and cloudy when i started and became partly cloudy on the way back. The trail is clear of snow and is in great condition. Surprisingly few people on the trail, especially after the trail splits with railroad grade section. All the climbers go up the railroad grade to the camp. No bugs due to colder temps and rain earlier in the day. The blueberries were in their peak season and were present along many parts of the trail. The stream was easy to cross over the bridge. There is a small stream section that doesn't go under the bridge but was super easy to cross unlike 3 years ago when it was much bigger. Baker never really came out of the clouds completely but still, it was a great day to be on the trail.

Trail was completely snow free, plenty of ripe berries at the start made for a nice snack.

I enjoyed the second half of the hike, with a view of Mt Baker and mountain meadows (or tarins?).  I remember being 0.7 miles from the lookout tower, looking up and thinking, "That's where I'm headed?"  The elevation gain was a little intimidating, but everyone in our group eventually made it to the top.  The insects were a bit of a problem.  Something bit me through my sock and the sting stayed with me until the next day.