How to Hike to Park Butte Lookout in Washington (And How to Stay Overnight in the Lookout!)
The Park Butte Lookout trail near Mount Baker has one of the most picturesque fire towers in Washington. It’s accessible on a relatively easy trail that leads to in-your-face-views of Mount Baker and the Cascades, and you can even spend the night in the Park Butte Lookout for free to enjoy the views at sunrise and sunset! In this guide, learn everything you need to know to hike the Park Butte Lookout Trail in Mount Baker and how you can spend the night in the Park Butte Lookout.
Located in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in northern Washington state, Mount Baker is a picturesque glaciated volcano, and the third tallest mountain in the state, but if often gets overlooked by the more popular National Parks that lie near it, particularly Mount Rainier. But with a collection of amazing hiking trails that lead to gorgeous mountain vistas, wildflower-filled meadows, and jaw-dropping in -your-face views of Mount Baker itself, the Mount Baker Wilderness area shouldn’t be missed on your Washington road trip.
One particularly stand-out hike in Mount Baker is the Park Butte Lookout trail. This popular Mount Baker hike is relatively easy and takes you through scenic meadows and forest to an historic fire lookout with views of Mount Baker that are so close it feels like you could almost reach out and touch it. Plus, on the way, you’ll pass by those famous Mount Baker tarns, small pools of water which perfectly capture Mount Baker’s reflection on a clear windless day. The reward to effort ratio with this one is definitely high!
What’s even better? You can actually spend the night in the Park Butte Lookout…for free! Getting to watch the sunrise and sunset and that magical alpine glow off of Mount Baker would truly be an unforgettable experience, but even if you decide not to spend the night, with the views you get from the trail and lookout even on just a day hike, it’s no wonder the Park Butte Lookout trail is often considered the best hike in Mount Baker, and even of the Cascades!
In this guide, we’ll give you all the details for how to hike the Park Butte Lookout trail in Mount Baker, where to find the reflective Park Butte tarns, and how to stay in the Park Butte Lookout (or camp nearby). But, there’s one caveat before we start…
Here’s our important disclaimer: When we did the Park Butte Lookout hike, we unfortunately did not get those jaw-dropping views that we saw in all the pictures (cue the sad violins…). Despite sun at our campsite that morning and a sunny forecast on the weather apps, Mount Baker had other plans and decided to hide in a cloud all day, and in fact, the clouds got worse the longer we were on the trail until we ended up totally socked in at the Park Butte Lookout.
We debated whether or not to even write this Park Butte Lookout guide…I mean, who wants to see pictures of just clouds and fog? But to be honest, it’s the mountains in Washington…and this can happen a lot. These big mountains like Rainier and Baker tend to make their own weather and the reality is that the weather might not always cooperate. You may only have a few days in the area and need to decide if it’s worth it for you to hike or not. So, in the end, we decided to still write this guide to show you the sometimes sad reality of hiking in the mountains.
So we just wanted to give you a fair warning here: If you decide to keep reading this Park Butte Lookout guide, don’t expect any of the pretty pictures of Mount Baker we were hoping to capture! Don’t get me wrong, you’ll still get all our helpful tips and complete trail guide to the Park Butte Lookout hike, but that huge volcano that normally dominates the view?...Yea, that will be noticeably absent from all our pictures.
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If you decided you still want to keep reading (thank you!), we hope to still be able to help you plan your day out on the trails, so let’s get to it!
In this Park Butte Lookout trail guide:
How to Get to the Park Butte Lookout Trailhead
While many of Mount Baker’s best hikes are located near Artist Point and along the Mount Baker Highway on the north side of the mountain, the Park Butte Lookout trailhead is on the south side of Mount Baker, which is cool because it gives you a different perspective of the mountain than the other hikes. The hike starts off in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and crosses over into the Mount Baker Wilderness (a subsection of the National Forest) once you get to the lookout.
To get to the Park Butte Lookout trailhead, you’ll drive the North Cascades Highway (route 20). Off this road, turn onto Baker Lake Road (this will be on the left if coming from the east (from Sedro-Woolley), or on the right if coming from the West (Marblemount)). If coming from Marblemount, you can also take a right onto Burpee Hill Road, which meets up with Baker Lake Road further down (this cuts off some of the drive).
Just over 12 miles in from the start of Baker Lake Road (or 5.6 miles from where you joined the road via Burpee Hill Road), take a left onto National Forest route 12 (NF-12). After 3.5 miles, bear right onto NF-13. The Park Butte Lookout trailhead is at the end of this road (about 5 miles or so down).
Once you get onto the National Forest Roads (NF 12 and NF 13), these are dirt roads that can get quite rough. When we drove it, there were lots of big potholes and the drive was quite bumpy and rough. We had a truck and were fine on it. If you have a car, just go slow, take your time, and really watch where you’re going to avoid all the potholes. This last part of the drive to the Park Butte Lookout Trail is only about 9 miles, but it can take up to a half hour if you’re really being careful, so just be sure to factor that driving time in.
The potholes on the road to the Park Butte Lookout trailhead
Distances to the Park Butte Lookout trailhead from nearby spots:
Park Butte Lookout from Seattle: 2 hours and 20 minutes
Park Butte Lookout from Artist Point in Mount Baker: 2.5 hours
Park Butte Lookout from Deming, WA: 1.5 hours
Park Butte Lookout from Marblemount (North Cascades): 1 hour
Given the close location of the Park Butte Lookout trail to Marblemount, this hike is a great addition for anyone visiting North Cascades National Park!
Park Butte Lookout parking lot
The lot at the end of NF-13 is fairly large and can fit a decent amount of cars, but it can fill up quite early due to the popularity of this hike (and there are a network of trails that emanate from here as well, including a climber’s route to Mount Baker itself). You can park along the shoulder of the road to the lot, so you should be able to find a spot in any case. We did the Park Butte Lookout hike in mid-August and got to the trailhead around 9:30 am which is kind of late, but we were able to find a spot…the poor weather might have helped us in that regard (the one good thing that cloudy weather did for us that day!).
The Park Butte Lookout trailhead parking lot
There are bathrooms (vault toilets) here at the trailhead, but none along the trail or at the lookout itself.
How Long is the Park Butte Lookout Trail?
The Park Butte Lookout trail in Mount Baker is moderately long but not difficult. Here are our hiking stats for the Park Butte Lookout hike.
Distance (roundtrip): 8.3 miles
Elevation gain: 2,191 feet
Time: 4.5 -5.5 hours plus some time to linger at the Park Butte Lookout and tarns!
Elevation profile:
Our elevation profile for the Park Butte Lookout trail. The flat area just before mile 4 represents wandering around the tarns for a bit before heading up to the lookout.
A satellite view of our hike to Park Butte Lookout near Mount Baker
How Hard is the Park Butte Lookout Trail?
Hiking to Park Butte Lookout near Mount Baker
The Park Butte Lookout trail is actually a relatively easy hike. It starts off flat through forest and meadows for about the first mile of the hike. Once you cross Rocky Creek, the trail does begin to climb steeply up a set of switchbacks, but in about another mile, you get a break as you enter a flat meadow walk. After that, there’s a bit more climbing to get to Park Butte Lookout, but the trail is never technical. It’s very well-maintained, well-marked at each junction, and any steep parts are broken up nicely by easy flat sections of trail.
The only part of the Park Butte Lookout trail that we’d say is slightly tricky is getting up to the actual lookout itself right at the very end. There is a tiny rock scramble you’ll need to navigate to get to the stairs that lead up the lookout, and this scramble can also be tricky to get down. But it’s a super short section and can be easily navigated if you just take your time.
One other thing to note is the Rocky Creek crossing about a mile into the Park Butte Lookout trail. We describe this more in our trail description below, but after rain, or in the spring when there’s high glacial runoff and snow melt, and even in the afternoons in the summer after the sun has been beaming down on the Mount Baker glaciers, the water levels of this creek can rise pretty high and the current can get fast. In the summer months, there is a small metal bridge placed to help with crossing, but you’ll still have to rock hop and walk across some log bridges to navigate the crossing without getting wet, and in the afternoons on nice sunny days, the water level can surpass the bridge and you might end up having to cross the creek without it, so this is something to be prepared for.
Park Butte Lookout Trail Map
This map of the Park Butte Lookout trail is found right at the trailhead. Be sure to take a picture of this map and take it with you as you hike. There are several junctions that you’ll pass by, but all are well-marked and it’s easy to figure out where to go (basically, stay left at each junction on the way up, and stay right at each junction on the way back down!).
The Park Butte Lookout Trail is National Forest trail #603.
The Park Butte Lookout trail is highlighted in purple
Park Butte Lookout Trail in Mount Baker: Trail Description and Our Experience
Here’s our experience on the Park Butte Lookout trail to show you what to expect on the hike. Like we warned in the beginning, we don’t have those epic views of Mount Baker in our pictures, but we still hope to give you a good idea of what the actual trail itself is like!
The Park Butte Lookout trail starts off at a clearly signed trailhead from the parking lot. Within a minute, you’ll come to the first of many junctions along this hike, but they are all very well-signed so you shouldn’t have any trouble navigating to the lookout. This first junction is for the Scott Paul Trail, which is a loop trail that links back up with the Park Butte Lookout trail in a couple of miles.
A well-signed trailhead at the start of the Park Butte Lookout trail
Continue straight on the wide gravel path as it crosses a bridge over Sulphur Creek, and then continues on a mix of dirt and boardwalk through an open meadow. This part of the trail is pretty flat and easy with views of the nearby hills.
Eventually, the Park Butte Lookout trail starts becoming a bit rocky about 20 minutes into the hike as you get closer to Rocky Creek. Rocky Creek is a stream about a mile into the hike that forms from the glacial melt and runoff of the Easton Glacier on Mount Baker, and can be challenging to cross depending on the time of year, or even time of day, that you’re here.
To cross Rocky Creek, you’ll have to do some log walking and rock hopping to get across parts of the stream. In the spring, when there is a lot of snowmelt and glacial runoff, and after rain, the water level can be pretty high, and the current can be strong and fast. There is a small metal bridge that has been placed across where the strongest current is, but this bridge is seasonal and is taken down from early fall to spring. Also, with really strong glacial melt, the water levels may overtake the bridge anyway. Even throughout the day in the summer, the water levels change. Early in the morning, before the sun has had a chance to hit the glacier and cause a lot of snowmelt, the creek crossing is often easy as the water level is low, but by the afternoon, the current becomes stronger and the water levels can rise. If it rises over the bridge, you’ll have to cross in potentially high water…we’ve seen reviews of up to thigh deep!
The Rocky Creek crossing along the Park Butte Lookout trail, with a small bridge in place across the strongest current
Some rock hopping is needed to cross the various streams flowing down Rocky Creek on the Park Butte Lookout trail
We did the Park Butte Lookout hike in mid-August and luckily had no issue. The water level wasn’t high in the morning on our hike out to the lookout. On the way back, the water level was noticeably higher, but still manageable and we could still use the bridge and not get wet, likely because it was a cloudy day and the glaciers hadn’t been blasted by the sun all day.
For this part of the Park Butte Lookout trail, having waterproof boots is helpful, as well as trekking poles to help navigate across the rocks and log bridges. Consider packing gaiters in case you end up having to cross slightly higher levels above the feet…they might help your feet and socks from getting soaked.
Good to know: Just before Rocky Creek, there will be a side trail off the main trail to the right with a sign indicating the Hiker’s Bridge. Head down there to be directed right to this bridge, which is typically the best place to cross the creek.
Keep your eye out for this sign along the Park Butte Lookout trail leading to the bridge that crosses Rocky Creek
Once you’ve crossed the creek, continue along the rocks towards the other side of the creek to continue on the Park Butte Lookout trail. Here, the trail enters the forest and finally begins its climb. For about a mile, the trail will switchback up through the woods, climbing steadily and somewhat steeply at times, with lots of wooden steps built into the trail to help with erosion.
The climbing doesn’t start on the Park Butte Lookout trail until after the creek crossing
Towards the end of this climb, about an hour (2 miles) into the hike, you’ll cross the junction for the Scott Paul trail again. It’s at the end of a switchback, so stay left here to continue on the switchbacks and towards Park Butte Lookout.
Shortly after this junction, the climbing stops and you’ll emerge from the forest into another meadow (called Morovitz Meadow). The trail flattens out here for a little bit, and supposedly, this is where the views from the trail really start getting good…but we wouldn’t know. From these meadows, Mount Baker comes into view, and in the summer, purple wildflowers are scattered everywhere. For us, all we could see were the nearby hills, and the trail ahead.
Looking back along the Park Butte Lookout trail while hiking through Morovitz Meadow
We could also actually see Park Butte Lookout ahead, perched high on a rocky cliff. The end is in sight!
On the trail through Morovitz Meadow…the Park Butte Lookout is at the top of the hill in the distance
A slightly zoomed in look at the Park Butte Lookout as seen from Morovitz Meadow
While in these meadows, you’ll come to your third trail junction of the day. To the right is the Railroad Grade Trail. This trail is used by climbers looking to summit Mount Baker itself, but it’s also a worthy detour off the Park Butte Lookout trail. A maintained trail goes for about a mile along a glacial moraine as it gets even closer to Mount Baker, with stunning views of the Easton Glacier. It does involve somewhat of a knife edge-like ridge as you hike across the moraine, so check out recent reviews to get a sense of what the trail involves. We were really looking forward to hiking the Railroad Grade trail on the way up to Park Butte Lookout, but unfortunately due to the conditions we got, it just wasn’t worth it for us. There’s always next time!
The junction for the Railroad Grade Trail in Mount Baker- a worthy side trip off the Park Butte Lookout trail!
Once you reach the end of Morovitz Meadow, the next phase of climbing will begin. At this first part of climbing, listen for the squeaks of pikas and marmots and keep your eyes out for them in the nearby rocks!
After a couple minutes of climbing, you’ll hit your final junction of the day. The trail for Bell Pass will branch off to the right, so again, keep left on the Park Butte Lookout trail.
The end of the meadow walk and the start of the next climb to the Park Butte Lookout. On a good day, you’d see Mount Baker ahead!
The second round of climbing on the Park Butte Lookout trail
The Park Butte trail continues to climb through some rockier terrain up here. Despite the forecast looking good for today, Mount Baker said otherwise, and the conditions were actually getting worse instead of better, so at this point we knew our fate was sealed…we wouldn’t be seeing the mountain today. As we looked back on the trail, we saw a wall of pure cloud and fog rising up from the valley below, and it was only getting thicker. Oh well… on we still went.
Clouds rising from the valley below, completely shrouding the views of Mount Baker from the Park Butte Lookout trail
You’ll eventually reach a stone staircase that marks the entry into the next meadow. We reached this meadow about 2 hours into the hike. This meadow is where the picturesque Park Butte tarns lie, and we’re not gonna lie, we were looking forward to these tarns more than the actual lookout! On a clear day, they have perfect reflections of Mount Baker, and they just look amazing.
The stone staircase before entering the tarn-filled meadows on the Park Butte Lookout trail
From the main Park Butte Lookout trail, you can see the tarns in the distance to your left, and there is a well-trodden herd path that heads there. You can take this path and wander around (try to stay on the herd path and use the rocks to rock hop around to try and avoid trampling of the vegetation in the area). Or, if you stay on the Park Butte Lookout trail just a bit longer, there will be another herd path on your left with two wooden poles at the entrance stating “No camping”. Follow this herd path over the small hill ahead, and you’ll arrive at what we thought was the most scenic tarn that would capture an amazing reflection of the mountain. Again…there’s always next time for us!
Kevin heading down the herd path towards the Park Butte tarns (you can see two of them ahead)
Or you can head down this herd path to get to one of the largest Park Butte tarns with amazing reflections
Perfect reflections from the Park Butte tarns…if only Mount Baker were out!
From the Mount Baker tarns, the Park Butte Lookout trail turns a corner and begins its final climb to the lookout. Make sure to look to the left for views of Pocket Lake below.
Pocket Lake, seen from the Park Butte Lookout trail
The last big climb to the Park Butte Lookout
Almost there! The Park Butte Lookout is seen just ahead.
After about ten minutes of steady climbing, you’ll reach a tiny saddle of sorts, and you can see the Park Butte Lookout perched above, with views of Mount Baker over the valley below.
Starting the final push to the Park Butte Lookout
You’ll walk along the ridge and make the final steep climb through the trees to the lookout. At the base of Park Butte Lookout, there is a tiny scramble on tree roots and rock to get up to the Lookout’s staircase.
Hiking along a ridge near the Park Butte Lookout
The final steep push to the lookout!
The small scramble of rocks and roots to get up to the Park Butte Lookout
We arrived to the lookout after just under 2.5 hours on the trail. Normally, there would be stunning views of Mount Baker from the Park Butte Lookout. Instead, we got views of, well, nothing. We spent about ten minutes hanging out on the porch, watching the marmots scurry around the rocks below, before heading back down and retracing our steps back to the car.
Ahh…would you just look at that view…so beautiful!
Looking down off the porch of the Park Butte Lookout on the rocky cliffs below
Mount Baker should be perfectly in view from here!
The hike down from Park Butte Lookout is easy to do pretty quickly, as it’s all downhill or flat, and you can make pretty good time.
Climbing back down from Park Butte Lookout
In the afternoon, the water levels rose high enough to create some new streams along the Park Butte Lookout trail that weren’t there in the morning!
How to Stay at the Park Butte Lookout in Washington
If you want to stay the night in the Park Butte Lookout, we have good news for you…you can! The catch? The Park Butte Lookout is first-come first-served. That, combined with the fact that this is a popular place, means you’ll have to get there early to claim your spot. You may also have to share with others (if there is adequate space and if everyone is agreeable!).
If you get up to the lookout and find that it’s taken, you can always camp at the designated campgrounds nearby in the National Forest (we talk about these more below), so be sure to still bring all your essentials for tent camping just in case.
Inside the Park Butte Lookout are bed platforms (but we would still recommend you bring your own sleeping pad for comfort). There is no toilet at the lookout, and you have to pack out all your waste and toilet paper. Blue bags are used for this purpose (basically dog bags but for people), and you can get them for free at the ranger station in Sedro-Woolley, or sometimes at the trailhead or in the lookout itself (we recommend having them before setting out to the trailhead just in case the stock is depleted there).
Some commonly asked questions about staying overnight in the Park Butte Lookout:
Do you need a permit for the Park Butte Lookout? There is no permit needed to spend the night here. If you plan on staying overnight on the trail or in the lookout, just make sure to self-register at the trailhead sign.
Can I reserve a spot in the Park Butte Lookout? Unfortunately, no. This is purely a first-come first-served deal!
Is there a fee to stay overnight in the Park Butte Lookout? Staying here is free! The only thing you need to pay for is parking at the Park Butte trailhead, since it’s in the National Forest. We talk more about what pass you need below in our tips section.
Is there water at Park Butte Lookout? There is no immediate water source at the lookout. You’ll have to filter from the tarns below, or fill up at any streams you cross on the Park Butte Lookout trail.
Camping near the Park Butte Lookout
If you didn’t make it to the lookout first, or you simply would rather tent camp along the Park Butte Lookout trail instead, there are a couple different options.
Cathedral Camp: This is the closest campground to Park Butte Lookout. It’s right at the Bell Pass Trail junction, just about .7 miles before the lookout. If you head further down this trail, you can also get to Mazama Park campground, but that’s a bit out of the way and down a bunch of switchbacks.
Campgrounds along the Railroad Grade Trail: The junction for the Railroad Grade Trail is about 1.2 miles before the lookout. There are three campsites along this trail, two of which are along the maintained portion of the trail. Railroad Camp is about 0.6 miles down this trail, and High Camp is another half mile down the trail. While out of the way, these campsites are a good option if you wanted to do this detour off of the main Park Butte Lookout Trail. As we said above, this looks like it would be awesome trail to tack on for amazing glacier views!
It is important to only camp in designated camping areas, and also make sure to have proper storage for food (i.e. a bear can) and follow proper Leave No Trace principles.
Map of campgrounds near Park Butte Lookout
This map is taken from the Mount Baker National Recreation Forest Service site and gives the general location of the campgrounds near Park Butte Lookout.
The trail highlighted in purple is the Park Butte Lookout trail, and you can see the relative locations of Cathedral Camp, Railroad Camp, and High Camp
Where to Stay Near the Park Butte Lookout Trail
If not camping on the trail, or you just want to get an early start on the Park Butte Lookout hike, there are several options for staying near the trailhead.
Camping near the Park Butte Trailhead
Campgrounds can be found around Baker Lake right off Baker Lake Road (just past the turnoff for NF-12). Kulshan Campground (run by Puget Sound Energy) is a half hour away from the Park Butte trailhead.
There are several camping options in Concrete, which is about 45 minutes from the Park Butte trailhead, including Concrete Rasar State Park, Skagit River Woods, the Concrete KOA, and Grandy Lake Campground.
Between Rockport and Darrington is the Sauk Park Campground, run by Skagit Country. This is where we stayed during our time in the North Cascades and for the Park Butte Lookout hike before moving onto the north side of Mount Baker and Artist Point. It was inexpensive, and a really nicely maintained and quiet campground. It’s an hour away from the Park Butte trailhead, though.
There are also several campgrounds in North Cascades National Park, which are a bit further away from the Park Butte trailhead.
Lodging near Park Butte Lookout trail
The closest major town to the Park Butte Lookout trail is Sedro-Woolley, about an hour away. There is a smaller selection of accommodations in Concrete and Marblemount. You can always do a day trip from Seattle, as well, as it’s only a few hours away.
Best Time to Hike the Park Butte Lookout Trail
Some of the best views we got from the Park Butte Lookout trail on a cloudy day!
The best time to hike to the Park Butte Lookout is from July to the end of October. This is the most likely time of year when you won’t encounter snow on the trail and when the trailhead is accessible by car. However, snow can linger into July or start earlier in the fall, so always read up on conditions and weather before heading out. Also keep in mind that from fall to spring, the metal bridge at the Rocky Creek crossing along the Park Butte Lookout trail is removed, so it will be more challenging to make this crossing.
In the summer months, the meadows of the Park Butte Lookout trail are great places to see wildflowers, and in early to mid-October, fall colors appear.
In terms of time of day, it’s best to start on the Park Butte Lookout trail early for a few reasons. Parking can fill quickly here, especially on a nice weekend. And if you want to secure a spot in the lookout for the night, you’ll need to get there early. But aside from crowding and the lookout, getting an earlier start will allow you to hopefully hike back before Rocky Creek has risen too high in the afternoon.
Tips for Hiking the Park Butte Lookout Trail
Here are some more tips and some commonly asked questions for hiking to the Park Butte Lookout in Mount Baker.
Is there a fee or permit for hiking the Park Butte Lookout trail?
You don’t need a hiking permit for the Park Butte Lookout trail itself, but since the trailhead is in a Washington National Forest, you’ll need to pay a fee to park here. There are two options for passes:
The Northwest Forest Pass- You can purchase a day pass for $5 per vehicle, or you can purchase an annual pass for $30 if planning to do a lot more hiking in the state. You can purchase these online or at a Mount Baker Ranger Station.
America the Beautiful Pass- This is the National Parks Annual Pass which is accepted at Washington State National Forests! You can buy the pass online, and this is absolutely worth it if you plan on visiting just a few National Parks and Forests throughout the year.
Just be sure to print the passes or have a physical pass with you to display on your dashboard when you’re parked.
Conditions on the Park Butte Lookout Trail
Crossing Rocky Creek in the morning on the Park Butte Lookout trail
As we’ve said a few times, you’ll want to check the latest trail and road conditions before heading out on the Park Butte Lookout trail, especially if coming earlier or later in the season. You can check the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest alerts and trail conditions here, and this handy map of road closures and statuses here (click on the Mount Baker Road tab).
You’ll also want to read up about the Rocky Creek crossing as well to see how high the river has been and if the bridge is in place or not. We like to use AllTrails reviews to get recent accounts from hikers.
You can also call the Mount Baker Ranger Station as well for up-to-date conditions and information. We actually called them a couple times while we were in the area and they were quite helpful.
Finally, wildfires are part of the norm in Washington, and it’s always important to know where fires are in the area and to check the air quality before heading out to see if it’s too unsafe to hike.
What to bring on the Park Butte Lookout trail
Aside from the usual day hiking essentials, some things we would specifically recommend bringing on the Park Butte Lookout hike include:
Bug spray: We didn’t have an issue when we hiked the Park Butte Lookout trail (probably due to the weather), but we’ve read reviews of the flies and bugs being brutal on the hike. Even though we didn’t experience that here, we believe it because we dealt with it on other Mount Baker trails where the bugs were horrendous!
Bear spray: Mount Baker is home to black bears, so make sure to hike with bear spray and keep it readily accessible. Read up on bear safety here before heading out on your hike.
Waterproof hiking boots and gaiters: This is helpful for crossing the creek if water levels are on the higher side.
Trekking poles: These would be especially helpful on the creek crossing to help you balance on rocks and logs.
Navigation on the Park Butte Lookout Trail
The Park Butte Lookout trail has lots of junctions along the hike, but they are well-signed and it is easy to navigate. We do still recommend having a trail map downloaded to your phone or snapping a picture of the trailhead map just for reference.
More Mount Baker Hikes
Looking for more hikes to do in Mount Baker after your hike to Park Butte Lookout? Check out our other Mount Baker trail guides (and in these ones…we actually saw Mount Baker!).
Other Washington Hiking and Travel Guides
North Cascades National Park
Hidden Lake Lookout trail in North Cascades National Park
Mount Rainier National Park
We hope this guide helps you plan your hike to the Park Butte Lookout! Let us know if you have any questions and as always, happy hiking!