Scott Paul Trail, Park Butte & Railroad Grade — Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014

North Cascades > Mount Baker Area

Why hike just one trail when you can hike three from the same trailhead? We hiked the Scott Paul Trail counterclockwise, headed up to Park Butte and then hiked the Railroad Grade to the climbers' camp on the way back. This adds up to more than 15 miles of hiking if you believe MapMyHike. Just the facts this time: -The forest roads to the trailhead are in great shape. Even in my Mazda 3 I had no problem going 20-25 the entire time. There are maybe three rough spots and no potholes. -We showed up at 9 AM and found plenty of spots in the parking lot. By the time we returned, there were cars parked along the road beyond the hiker campsites. -Ascending via the Scott Paul Trail is very easy. OK, one notable exception: there's a huge blowdown you'll have to navigate. Crawling underneath seems to be the easiest way. If you have bad knees, do the Scott Paul Trail clockwise to take advantage of the smooth tread on the descent. -From the saddle, the views and wildflowers never really stop until you descend back to the forest. Heather is particularly prevalent. If you tire of heather, there's a great Rainier-style display just before the Railroad Grade trail reaches the moraine. Berries aren't quite ready yet. -The best view of Shuksan is probably the saddle where the Scott Paul trail leaves the forest. -There is no snow on any of the trails but you can easily find some without having to stray too far from the trail if that's your thing. Both seasonal bridges are in place and the unbridged creek crossing on the Scott Paul Trail is not difficult. -While the Scott Paul Trail isn't the place to go for solitude on a Saturday, it was much quieter than the trail to Park Butte. At no point did the trail ever feel too crowded, though. -Saturday was a bit hazy due to the various fires, but we could still see pretty far. Mt. Rainier is visible from the Scott Paul Trail and Glacier Peak is particularly visible from the Railroad Grade. Since the most dramatic mountains are to the east, the views improve in the afternoon. -If heights aren't your thing, skip the Railroad Grade. That being said, it's not particularly sketchy until you pass High Camp. The views get better and better the further up the trail you go, of course. -I saw a pika on the Scott Paul Trail, a large raptor soaring over Park Butte (from far away, so I couldn't ID it beyond that) and a whole bunch of marmots along the Railroad Grade. Shockingly, there were no mosquitoes despite the clear, sunny weather.