It was a beautiful day for a hike. A group from the Mountaineers started off from the trailhead around 10:00. The first stream crossing or two was pretty easy(hop,hop), and a cool suspension bridge. Then, came a slightly more difficult one. Cross carefully on the rocks! Since it is meltwater from the glaciers, the afternoon crossing was more difficult. Head upstream for better crossing spots. Trail was in very good shape, no blowdowns and only one or two small muddy spots. Bugs were a little thick, bring the juice! The trail switchbacks up hill through the woods and when it breaks out into meadows you are rewarded with a killer view of Mt. Baker!!! And....it just keeps getting better!! Baker is right there and as the rest of the elevation is gained, the surrounding Cascades come into the picture. And..the bugs were less prevelant. Follow the trail to the top and a lookout shelter in great shape maintained by volunteers. 'Twas an enjoyable time, killer views, trail in good shape, and with a great group of folks.

Still lots of snow on the trail, making it difficult to find in a few places....watch out on the weekends for the hordes of snowmobilers camped out near the trailhead.....With so much snow still up there, they will be up there for a few more weeks...Overall a great day hike though.

I did this hike a week earlier too and the snow level was 3 feet at the meadows and took 2 hours to get from the meadows post holing to the lookout. This weekend it was a differnt story. I took some people who don't hike, because I think this hike is the best bang for your buck. With a week of sunshine in november (WOW !!!!) all the snow is gone and with just a little on the ridge to the lookout. Not a cloud in the sky and very few people hiking. I decided to take some sunset pictures and saw 3 climbing groups who had summited that day on there way down. If the sunshine stays this is fall/winter must hike.

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!