The hike along Park Butte Trail may be the last of the year. Cooler, rainy weather is settling in. What a wonderful hike to end the season. Long, moderately difficult, about 8 miles round-trip. This trail is accessed from Hy 20 on the south side of Mt Baker.

 

The weather was perfect. Sunny, slightly cool. Perfect for a vigorous hike. There were lots of huckleberries, some overripe. But always good.

Park Butte trail ends at a lookout station--about a 15 by 15 ft single room cabin perched on a pinacle. It is surrounded by a deck about 3 ft wide. Stand on the deck and look down--straight down for about 500 ft on either side. Who built this thing anyway! A hiking club in Skagit Valley maintains it. Because it is a fire lookout, the view is magnificant--it faces Mt Baker in one direction, and what may be Skagit Valley all the way to the bay on the other side. Difficult to beat the beauty that surrounded us throughout the hike.

 

This picture is of a small pond along the trail. Affectionately referred to as Haggens Pond because a picture of this pond hangs in many Haggens stores. The vent atop Mt Baker is seen from this angle. Steam could be seen wafting from the vent--good thing it's an inactive volcano.