Park Butte Lookout

August 21, 2026

Washington Trails Association page for this hike. All Trails page for this hike.

This one is an 8 mile round trip. We did this on a Friday and it wasn’t overly crowded which was surprising for it being a favorite of many. This was the third time for me and the fourth for my wife, Ying. She did the hike one year with our son Charlie while I was at work. Now that I’m retired I can go on hikes any day of the week.

The long dirt road to the trailhead is full of significant pot holes that had our truck swaying left and right. You would have to take this carefully or not at all if your vehicle doesn’t have high clearance. That said, we did see some small cars at the trailhead showing that some folks are willing to brave it.

The prize at the hike destination is a lookout tower that is maintained by a hiker’s association, the Skagit Alpine Club, according to the sign on the structure. However, as you will see from the photos, this hike has a lot to enjoy along the way.

This sign is posted at the trail head.

The trail is well maintained and has this bridge over a river near the beginning. The water will be running more swiftly in the afternoon as snow melt water increases through the hot day.

The first area of the trail is on flat ground in a beautiful area.

Another well maintained walkway. If one only wanted to do a short walk rather than a full hike, there would be much to see here.

We get a peek of Mount Baker. We will be taking lots of pictures of it this day.

Off one side of the path is a small pond with lily pads.

There is a picturesque ridge ahead that stands in contrast with the surounding area.

The trail now transitions into a rocky one.

Here is one of a few areas of rocks resulting from water runoff.

Some berries and flowers. The area will have spectacular fall colors soon.

An interesting man made wall to prevent erosion.

In this wooded area there is a lot of elevation climb. Stairs like those ahead are common.

A tree is uprooted making a nice platform for viewing (or posing for a picture).

More stairs.

Having a good time, but I’m a sweaty mess from all of the climbing.

As you can see, we have gained quite a bit of altitude. Coming back down at the end of the hike will be a lot easier and faster.

Off to the distance you can see the haze from some smoke. We can smell the smoke but it isn’t that bad where we are.

This picture sort of shows how big everything is around us.

There are a lot of blueberries to forage when taking a short break from the hiking.

At the top we are in the open sun again. Its hot, but its nice that the trail leveled out some for a while.

These rocks are placed to encourage hikers to stay on the path.

A close up of some of the berries.

A common sight are these drainage enhancements to the trail to prevent erosion. There is evidence all along the trail of maintenance work.

We are in a scenic area with small trees and take pictures.

Looking off in the distance.

Mount Baker behind some trees.

A closeup of these Christmas looking red berries.

This rock makes a nice place for photos in front of Mount Baker.

We continue on.

We have reached a part of the hike with a wide open field in front of the mountain.

You can’t help but take multiple pictures trying to get the most picturesque view.

Its also a good place for a portrait.

We continue on. We met some WTA volunteers. They are ahead of us as we continue on.

I got this group of four WTA heroes to pose for a shot. They will be heading off in a different direction to work on widening a trail with the tools they haul up. They said they will be overnight for a couple days. A talented bunch full of cheer and dedication. Hats off.

Throughout our hike we saw additional WTA folks working on improvements. One was carrying a large directional post to plant in the ground somewhere. When you see this stuff out there, its because of these fine people.