What a gorgeous day outside! Arrived around 830am and snagged one of the last parking spots. The forest road to the trailhead unfortunately has many potholes -- some of these fairly large -- and most of these are difficult to see due to shadows from the light filtering through the trees. A high clearance vehicle is recommended, but it is possible to make it in a sedan if driving very slowly. 

There are toilets at the trailhead and blue bags that you can grab at the trailhead in case you forgot your wag bag. Please please pack out all of your waste! 

The trail itself is gently graded in the beginning and winds through the forest. There are a few creek crossings -- most are shallow but one involved quite a bit of rock hopping and a search for the best place to cross. Your feet might get wet given the height of the water. Would recommend using poles. We did not change into water crossing shoes. After the largest water crossing, look for the pink bands tied to the trees to find the trail again. 

The route is snow free until a bit past the Park Butte/Railroad Grade junction. There are a few snowfields to cross. Given that this area is very exposed to the sun and it was a warm day, the snow was fairly slushy. We did not use microspikes (and neither did the other folks we saw on the trail). Be careful of snow bridges. It is helpful to keep left and to try to step on the rocks whenever possible. However, perhaps these are melted out by now. Poles again are helpful here! 

As you climb uphill, take the time to stop and look around. There are many wildflowers in bloom and IMAX-like views of Mount Baker from multiple vantage points. The fire lookout has sweeping views of the area, and we met a few folks there who spent the night. (FYI - There's a sign on the trail that the lookout will be undergoing maintenance on 8/16-8/17 and closed to overnight use on those days. If it's rainy, this will be rescheduled 9/6-9/7. Contact the Skagit Alpine Club for details). 

We retraced our steps after lunch and ventured up the Railroad Grade Trail. It's a stunning ridge walk on the way up to the Easton Glacier. On the way up there are multiple campsites tucked into the trees and a small trail that leads to a water source. Would love to return to camp here! 

Hiked Railroad Grade to the base of the Easton Glacier climbing route which is always spectacular. Clocked in 8 miles and 2600 feet of elevation gain. Lots of climbers about with handfuls of day hikers on this Tuesday.

Road: The road to the trailhead is 9 miles long, with a lot of potholes in places, a few absolute craters that might be harder to manage in a low clearance vehicle.  Glad we have a truck. 

Creeks: The rocky creek is quite high at this time, even with the bridge installed there were two additional small creek crossings that involved using rocks to cross and manged not to get to wet. The suspension bridge is yet to be installed on the Scott Paul Trail. 

Snow: The trail is snow free until the Park Butte/Railroad Grade junction, with the route up railroad grade completely snow free until the Sandy Camp at 6000'. Some small patches of snow remain off trail. From a glance the Park Butte Trail has intermittent snow patches/fields which appear to be mostly in level areas. Cannot speak for how they are to cross. The Scott Paul Trail also appears to have snowfields on upper portions.  Snow is melting very fast and could be off these trails within days from now. 

Note: this report does not cover the Lookout itself. We took the Park Butte trail to the second junction that splits left to the Lookout and right to Railroad Grade. We did not go all the way to the top of the Lookout but instead we opted for Railroad Grade. Regardless, this report will be helpful for both trails as both destinations will share the same trailhead for the first half of your hiike. 

Road: It's rough but passable. Immediately upon entering Baker Lake Rd, you'll encounter potholes that worsen as you get closer to the trailhead. We took our iddy-biddy Chevy Bolt and it had no issues, though it took 55 minutes to drive 6 miles. Larger vehicles will be quicker. No snow, no downed branches, no washouts.  

Trail Conditions: there are two riverbeds to cross. One has a stable, makeshift bridge upon which you can walk. The other requires skipping over or wading through the water. Don't worry, the depth is aboutt ankle-high. If you can do it, which most people can, you can simply jump over rock-to-rock. It gets muddy in spots about midway up the trail. 

Equipment: nothing fancy - just hiking shoes/boots. Waterproof is recommend for possible wading through a creek and muddy spots. Sunscreen & bug repellent is highly recommended. 

Difficulty Level: My GF and I are out of shape and only hike once in a while. Compared to other hikes, it's relatively short in duration but intensifies midway. If two out-of-shape city dwellers can do it, then you can easily conquer it. Full disclosure: we didn't go all the way to the end of the trail because it required traversing a razor-thin ridge and we're petrified of heights.

The Actual Hike: The trail starts off fairly level. You'll soon come across your first "obstacle": a rocky riverbed that still has an active stream of water. Don't worry, it's not deep or rapid but barely wide enough where you'll either have to briefly wade through water or jump rock-to-rock. The second riverbed has been blessed by a makeshift bridge, courtesy of nature-loving volunteers. After you clear both crossings, the trail gradually intensifies. If you're of out shape like us, you'll eventually need a 5 minute pause to catch your breath. It doesn't take long until you clear the layer of forest and enter into open meadows filled with berries and wildflowers (as of mid July, the berries were still green). This is where you'll need sunscreen as the shady protection from hovering trees immediately disappears. After entering the meadow, you'll be faced with a junction: to the left is the Park Butte Lookout and to the right is Railroad Grade. We opted for Railroad Grade because the Lookout was another 1,000-ish ft worth of gain. So if you want something tranquil and easy on the diaphragm, Railroad Grade is perfect. A set of stairs will take you over a ridge where an up-close and panoramic view of Mt Baker awaits. Go a bit further and there's a razor-thin ridge that only the brave and well-equipped should traverse. We stopped just short of the ridge but still cautiously crept up to the ledge to take in an awesome view of the ravine below.

Overall, if you want quiet, not overcrowded and absolutely breathtaking vistas, this is your hike. 

Difficulty Level: 

My GF and I are out of shape and only hike once in a while. Compared to other hikes, it's relatively short in duration but intensifies midway. My gf had to rest for 5 minutes before proceeding upward. If two out-of-shape city dwellers can go almost to the top, then you can easily conquer it. We didn't go all the way to the end of the trail because it required traversing a razor-thin ridge and we're petrified

of heights. 

A Mountaineers class headed out for an overnight at the top of the Railroad Grade (~6400') for crevasse training. I'm writing this brief report just to clarify where snow conditions are now. With summer coming fast, expect substantial changes in the next weeks.

We departed around noon Saturday May 24th; the road was snow-covered and impassible at 3170' , about half a mile from the official trailhead. When we returned the next day, the snow had receded a hundred feet or so. No cars had tried to make it to the official trailhead yet, but it feels like only a few days. There was no snow on the road before the start of snowpatches, so you won't cross snow when trying to get to the start of the trip.

We saw similar rapid changes on the path. It's largely snow covered until the creek crossing -- there were a few short patches of dirt on the way down before the trail turns up to river. The winter trail, following the river bed, will be inaccessible in the next few days: we saw rapidly-melting snow bridges, and one crossing that required a large careful step. There were more holes to look out for than solid snow. As melt increases, expect the river crossings on the Park Butte trail to become challenging. 

Snow conditions were mushy. Hikers (including day-hikers exploring Park Butte in the snow) spent a lot of time post-holing; snowshoers found the trail slippery at all elevations. Early morning snow is firmer, but afternoon snow saw lots of our team falling over on steep descents. 

Come prepared for damp conditions and enjoy the early season beauty! 

Many potholes, driving carefully got us up there easily, and there were only a few other cars in the parking lot! Despite recent heavy rains, the creek crossing was uneventful and in the boulder-field the snow started coming, giving us a glorious show that lasted only a few minutes. High winds and rain and snow were predicted throughout the day, but we had gorgeous weather. Small amount of snow at the campsites. The grade looks even more denuded than our last visit and the trail was quite narrow. Definitely had to keep my dog on a tight leash. Mount Baker and the Sisters blessed us with their presence in and out of the clouds. It was a perfect day.
Maggie and Rebecca