Park Butte Lookout

Sometimes the easiest little jaunts are the ultimate reward. I drove into the Park Butte Trailhead early in the dark. I was meeting up with the ultimate PNW adventure squad, and we were heading up in hopes of some iconic sunrise shots in the alpine meadows.

August 8, 2026

Beta

• Peak: Park Butte Lookout, 5,439 ft
• Route: Park Butte Trail #603
• Distance: 9.26 miles out-and-back
• Elevation gain: 2,408 ft
• Time: 3:45 total (2:45 moving)
• Trailhead: Park Butte Trailhead at the end of Forest Road 13, near Concrete, WA
• Road: FR 13 is paved to a point, then gravel for the last stretch. Suitable for most vehicles with decent clearance.
• Permits: Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Interagency Annual Pass required
• Conditions (as of 8/8/2026): Trail fully snow-free, well-maintained, and easy underfoot. Berries everywhere. No fall color changes yet. Classic late-summer PNW hiking conditions.
• Crowds: Popular trailhead. Arrive early for parking. Overnight climbers on the Easton Glacier were sharing the lot.
• Lookout: The Park Butte Lookout is available for overnight rentals through Recreation.gov. First-come on-site if not reserved.
• GPX: Download track

The Approach

As an aside, I personally love alpine meadows. The heather, the blueberries, the animals, the little tarns. They get me jazzed every time I’m walking through them. Something about those pristine areas are so uniquely impressive to me every time. If I were a bear, I would be infinitely grazing and vibing in the alpine meadows. Anyways, I digress.

It was dark, and we seemed to be the only ones in the parking lot awake. There were a lot of cars though, so we figured some late season climbers were making their way up the Easton Glacier. This was later confirmed by their headlamps, visible from all the way down where we hiked in.

Moon out for our hike in.

@tonytnally volcano mogging.

We held a steady pace to make sure we reached Schriebers Meadow in time for sunrise. As we started to clear the trees, we saw stars and clouds in the sky. A healthy mix, and a good indicator that we just might see some color when the sun began to whisper good morning.

Searching for the tarn.

The Tarn

We found our spot and began to offload our packs! This was it. Actually, we even walked past it the first time thinking it couldn’t be that easy to get to, but it was the right location. The clouds seemed just right for a fancy sunrise, so we were all feeling pretty giddy.

The squad silhouetted against the sunrise skies.

We found the tarn. Sunrise starting to burn.

The sun began to rise just as we hoped, and the Easton Glacier had a brilliant morning glow alongside dozens of other North Cascades peaks in the distance. The skies danced with all sorts of impressive purple and red hues, while the tarn reflected all of it. For quite a few moments, it was great to sit back and take it all in. It’s always interesting to think back and remember, “how did I get here?” That’s usually followed by, “How epic would my 20 year-old self think this moment is, and how stoked would he be that I’m still chasing these moments?!” It has been such a rewarding lifestyle to live.

Cascades in the distance, sunrise popping.

Shuksan peeking over the moraine.

Baker subpeak catching first light.

Baker summit alpenglow.

Warm mountain layers from the tarn.

The whole tarn reflecting Baker subpeaks.

The reflection shot.

Warm reflection, me over the tarn, on film.

@haleygoeshiking reflected in the tarn.

The full scene. Chef’s kiss.

Tarn, alpine wildflowers, Baker backdrop.

Action shot with the gang.

The Lookout

With all of that, the glorious alpenglow wrapped up, and I had to be sure to bag the lookout. I dropped all my gear except my camera and ran up the trail towards Park Butte Lookout. It did not disappoint. I was met with 4 guys who had slept inside the lookout overnight, and they were just starting to wake up. I quietly tip-toed around the exterior to snag some memorable videos and pictures of the impressive Mount Baker view.

Lookout in sight, clouds and smoke above.

Alpine lake by the lookout.

Park Butte Lookout. Established.

The lookout and its overnight guests.

Mountain layers and Glacier Peak from the lookout.

Smoky valley views from the lookout.

Morning light over the trail, mountain layers in every direction.

More mountain layers. There are a lot of them.

It’s really something else, and this hike is very accessible for people of all ability levels. It’s well maintained, and not overly exhausting if you can tolerate the mileage on your feet. The lookout is really cool, as they tend to be.

The Descent

After snapping a few extra pictures from the little ridge, I scurried back down the trail full speed to meet back up with Tony and @haleygoeshiking. They were nice enough to toss everything in my pack, and were ready to go just as I arrived back. We started cooking back down the trail at a breezy pace, and we were back in the parking lot in no time. After some much deserved Uncrustables, we took off back towards the city to continue on with our days. Another successful sunrise send, and hopefully more upcoming!

Baker still showing on the hike out.

Cruising back through the meadows, smoky mountains out yonder.

Onward

Not every day in the mountains needs a story about suffering. Some days it’s just a perfect meadow, a tarn that looks painted, and good people to share it with.

Onward.

Follow me @journeywithjoshua_ on Instagram for all my adventures.