Park Butte, Bell Pass — Saturday, Jul. 26, 2014

North Cascades > Mount Baker Area

Access: Both Forest Service Roads 12 and 13 are in good condition with no potholes to speak of and minimal washboarding. Trail Conditions: From the trailhead to the junction with Railroad Grade, the Park Butte Trail is in good shape. After the junction, there are some sizeable snow patches to cross, but a clear bootpath traverses them all. The snow patches are neither steep nor exposed, so the only potential hazard is punching through the weakening snow. The final stretch to the lookout tower is a bit steep with loose dust and gravel, but is easily manageable. From Cathedral Camp to Mazama Park, the Bell Pass Trail is free of snow except for one small, easy-to-cross patch. A few sections of the trail are getting a bit brushy from some sun-loving wildflowers. A couple of spots are muddy, but they should dry out with a few days of warm, sunny weather. The shelter at Mazama Park is clean and in great shape as are the campsites there. I did not hike the Scott Paul Trail, so I cannot speak to its condition other than to say the Climbing Rangers were installing the suspension bridge over Rocky II on Sunday. Flora and Fauna: Not much wildlife activity on this busy trail. Saw a fawn and doe on the road to the trailhead, a couple chipmunks in the forest, and a hummingbird. Lots of wildflowers were blooming. Through Schreiber’s Meadow, lupine and pink heather dominate along with a slew of other flowers. The blueberry bushes are starting to get berries, but aren’t anywhere close to being ready to eat. Morivitz Meadow was full of both pink and white heather. Tons of flowers were blooming through the switchbacks down to Mazama Park as well. Views: On this sunny, cloud-free weekend, Mount Baker was out in all its glory. From the lookout tower, the Black Buttes, Twin Sisters, Glacier Peak, and Baker Lake are all within view.