Park Butte — Friday, Aug. 1, 2014

North Cascades > Mount Baker Area

The Woodland Park Zoo ladies hiked Park Butte today up to the Lookout Tower. This hike is a beautiful hike with fantastic views of Mt. Baker. Relatively easy to reach from Seattle. 2 1/2 hours from home to trailhead. Trail in great condition; bugs almost nonexistent; heather coming into bloom; blueberries beginning to ripen; and best of all there is a portable bridge for crossing the river. Very hot today. I didn't bring enough water and experienced a bit of heat exhaustion as a result. Was not able to make it to the tower but everyone else did. Phenomenal panoramic vistas from there. From the trailhead one can do the John Paul trail, Railroad grade (up to a crevasse), or Park Butte. Something for everyone. When you are done treat yourself to a bite at Birdsview Burgers. Turn left when you get back down to Highway 20 and it will be about 1/8 of a mile on your right. Great food and great shakes!