Our plan was to hike to the Park Butte Lookout and the Railroad Grade Trail on the way out. After overnight camping at Bayview Campground near Baker Lake, we arrived at the trailhead at 8 am on a Wednesday and easily found a parking spot as the lot was about 2/3 full. The day was cloudy with limited visibility as we began hiking through Schrieber’s Meadow. After that section, the trail became progressively rockier. The moist morning air kept us cool as we hiked. Today would be a day of clearing but when Mount Baker would be swept of cloud cover was unknown.
The aluminum ladder bridge was in place at the crossing of the rambunctious Rocky Creek. We hiked the dogleg path further upstream to cross it and regain the trail on the other side. After hiking the switchbacks past the Scott Paul Trail junction, we hiked through Morovitz Meadow and paused at the Railroad Grade Trail. The sky remained shrouded in gray. We continued.
The trail became steeper and rockier on the approach to the final meadow before the last stretch up to the lookout. We arrived 15 minutes after a couple had claimed the historic fire lookout for the night. All the lookout shutters were raised to provide a 360 view into the drifting cloud cover. We were an island in the mist. The forecast was for clearing in a couple of hours so we waited, snacking, and visiting with other arrivals, a couple from Barcelona, Spain, a group of fifteen young teens on a 3-week group trip (they had previously spent three days kayaking in the San Juans), and several other pairs of hikers, mostly day trippers. We had fun just hanging out.
The clouds lifted so slowly that time seemed to stand still. After three hours we departed, only the lower slopes of Mount Baker revealed as the clouds slowly departed. The afternoon heated up with the promise of clear skies later in the day. We encountered two pairs of climbers hiking up to camp, and climb the mountain the next day. Good timing for their climb.
Though this hike is known for magnificent unobstructed views it was still a pleasure to return in the foggy conditions. After waiting at the lookout for hours, we skipped the Railroad Grade Trail and headed back to the Seattle area. Next time.
Other Notes:
The old town of Concrete is worth a visit for the historic value and the restaurants: Annie’s Pizza Kitchen, Cascade Burgers, and the 5Ds Bakery.
We checked at Mears Field in Concrete to see if the North Cascades Vintage Air Museum was still open. It was not. It has been closed and the various aircraft have all relocated to other museums. They still have the annual North Cascades Vintage Fly-In in mid-July. It's worth attending if you are a vintage aircraft buff.
Before heading up Baker Lake Road to the campground we had third-pound burgers and IPAs at Birdsview Brewery (the brewery is eight miles west of Concrete on Hwy 20 near the Baker Lake Road entrance).
Wildlife sightings: Three baby deer wandering the Bayview Campground. One frisky ground squirrel scampered among the rocks and along the perimeter deck of the lookout.
I have added two links to spherical panoramic images I took at the lookout several years ago on a cloudless day. For the most immersive viewing experience, click the menu bar in the upper right to view in fullscreen mode. Then scroll.
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