I hiked to Park Butte, and on the way back, partway up the Railroad Grade trail.
Trail terrain: The trail starts off at a very gentle grade, which slowly increases to moderate to steep grade by the end. Trail is wide and well-used, but very rocky in many spots, and there are a lot of wide log steps, which I find harder to hike than a natural grade. The stream crossing with the bridge was no problem, the other one was easy to rock-hop in the morning, but in the afternoon I had to walk the logs to stay dry. Previous reviews say that at times depending on the rate of snowmelt, you may need to wade across, but the day I hiked was fine.
Views along trail: The trail starts out in thin forest/small meadows which provide some views of Mt Baker, then soon enters thicker forest for 2 miles with virtually no views. For the last 1.5 miles it breaks out into expansive meadows with outstanding views all around of the north cascades. The views from the lookout are great, but if its busy or you dont want to scramble up to the stairs, equally great views are had along much of the last mile of trail, and from the edge of the butte just south of the lookout.
If you have time and energy left, on the way back, hike about a half mile up the Railroad Grade trail, up the stone 'steps', past the camps, and up to the edge of the glacier moraine where you get great views of the glacier and its valley.
Trail traffic: The 40-some car parking lot was full at 10am thursday, so I was worried about the trail being crowded. I saw about 50 people, mostly all campers coming down in the morning as I was going up.
The forest roads 12 and 13 have minor potholes and washboarding all along them, and yes the last 2 miles have severe potholes. I was able to make it in a small sedan by taking it slow, and about half the cars in the lot were sedans so its not a problem if you take it easy.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Comments
SeattlePenguin on Park Butte
Did you happen to notice what the water situation is on Railroad Grade for overnight camping? Are streams still flowing? Thanks!
Posted by:
SeattlePenguin on Aug 22, 2025 02:23 PM
Brian67 on Park Butte
I didnt cross any streams on the main railroad grade trail, I did pass a sign pointing to water down a side trail but did not check it out.
Posted by:
Brian67 on Aug 22, 2025 07:08 PM
MikeS. on Park Butte
I was just there yesterday and it seems there was no water where the sign indicated. I saw people hiking back down the railroad grade trail to get water in the meadows below
Posted by:
MikeS. on Aug 23, 2025 07:51 AM
SeattlePenguin on Park Butte
Thank you! Very helpful!
Posted by:
SeattlePenguin on Aug 23, 2025 10:26 AM