I've hiked this trail many times, but this time was the most beautiful. Taking advantage of a lull between two weather fronts, we took a chance at getting a glimpse of Mount Baker. We not only got a ""glimpse"", but the whole day was gorgeous and the views were spectacular. The only difficulties involved crossing the creeks after the the suspension bridge. They were tricky in the morning, but particularly so in the late afternoon when the water was really moving fast. We went first to Park Butte, and enjoyed our lunch at the lookout--then hiked back to the trail junction and went up to Railroad Grade and along it as far as High Camp. The restoration efforts have been highly successful. The meadows look great-- I don't know when I've ever seen them look so green and so full of flowers. On the way down from the meadows the flies were terrible. We hadn't been bothered too much during the day. The people struggling upwards with heavy packs looked pretty miserable from the fly attacks.

Hiked from Schreiber's Meadow parking lot (crowded with about 30-40 cars) to Park Butte fire tower for some great views of Mt Baker, Mt Rainier, and the San Juans. The trails are clear with minimal patchy snow above 5000'. A little taste of everything (meadows, glacier melts, lakes, steep grades, etc) makes battling the crowd worth it. Enjoy!