A quick weekender to catch some incredible sunset alpenglow! Starting from the Nooksack side provided very quiet trails even on a weekend. 

Ridley Creek - we drove up NF 38 to the Ridley Creek TH, just under an hour from the town of Acme. Only a handful of cars parked, and noting the trail register, just a few campers headed up to Mazama Park for the weekend. 

The Elbow Lake TH is just before the end of the road / Ridley TH, and our plan was to loop through here (via Bell Pass & Elbow Lake trails) on our way back. Wet weather and an early summer river ford later deterred those plans. 

Ridley Creek was in decent condition, with a dozen or so treefalls, but only 2-3 requiring vaulting over. The long gradual climb was mostly shaded but dry, until emerging closer to the exposed meadows at the top.

Mazama Park & Park Butte - Mazama Park was pretty full, with tents ringing the meadow. We took a quick break to chat with folks hiding in the wooden shelter for shade. Climbing up to the Park Butte Trail, Mt Baker (Kulshan) dramatically emerged over the ridge. 

There are a couple tarns and the scenic Shy Lake on the way up to the Butte, and through a maze of social trails, each open space was marked copiously with a 'No Camping' sign. I noticed a couple fire pits, and dismantled them -- all prohibited in this fragile alpine meadow. 

Near the lookout, some tents were tucked under trees and on the exposed ridge. Water access here would require a walk back to the tarns. Be wary of open spaces near shrubs as many day visitors left toilet paper after using the vegetation cover for bathroom breaks. 

We were able to score the Butte for our last night, and said hello to the many day hikers that popped in (including a few that simply barged in and moved our items to their liking). I found an axe and used it to clear the treefall on the way up to the lookout. 

A mouse did come out at nightfall and ran loops around the hut. A bag of snacks fallen under the bed seemed to be the culprit, but we hung all our stuff from the metal cable on the ceiling than risk chewed up gear. I somehow lost a large battery pack if anyone finds it !

Railroad Grade - this trail follows a prominent ridge with a gentle slope leading to the glaciers, with a tree-ringed meadow to the left, a dramatic drop to Rocky Creek on the right. At least a dozen established, raised tent pads, lined the early segments of the trail, and many more suitable spots under clusters of trees as you continue higher. If you're thinking of Mazama Park, this is a much more scenic option, though trailside spots may get heavy traffic. 

Marmots squeaked loudly atop rocks in the wide meadow. Wildflowers haven't bloomed widely yet, but I can imagine the blossoms would be intense here. 

As you reach the tongue of the Easton Glacier, we found over a dozen tents at the shallow bowl of Sandy Camp, many seemingly on escorted tours to summit the peak. Another two dozen tents lined the ridge leading up to the glacier, including a handful set atop the snow itself. Folks wandered up and down ridges looking for places to hide and pee; blue bags required if you're doing more than that.

To the left, we could make out Bellingham, Anacortes, the San Juan Islands, and Vancouver Island. Behind us faintly rose Mt Rainier, Glacier Peak, and Mt Stuart. 

Scott Paul Trail - we intended to do the Scott Paul trail as a dayhike loop, coming back to our camp. Exhausted from the prior day, we made it to the former bridge at Rocky Creek (seasonally removed) and had lunch by the glacial creek before turning back. You could probably find somewhere to hop across higher up, but nothing readily visible from the former bridge. 

Although Saturday and Sunday were toasty in the low 70s, we woke on Monday at just over 40 degrees, with a thick layer of mist and rain dripping off the trees, visibility close to zero. We hiked down with windswept droplets pelting my face, wishing I had packed gaiters. By the time we reached our car in the early afternoon, the sun had dried out the lowlands in the balmy upper 60s. 

This was an AMAZING experience that I was very thankful to have. 

I recently took this hike with 3 close friends and we had a great time. There were some challenges on the trail, but we were able to make it to Mazama Park and even up to the Park Butte Overlook. 

Leaving the trailhead, there was a river crossing with a wooden bridge. There is a fresh rope handrail and it made the crossing much easier. There are several larger laydowns that made the trail a little harder to cross. One in particular made the trail very hard to see going up and we got a little turned around. 

Mazama Park is awesome! Very clean and clear campsites. **NOTE** There is no toilet despite some maps saying there is! The bugs came out in the evening so be ready with the spray and nets. 

The trail to Park Butte Lookout was also great, be prepared for some snow on the trail. 

The main purpose of this hike was to assist with a trail survey of the Bell Pass Trail conducted by the Pacific Northwest Trail Association on behalf of the National Forest Service.  We hiked up the Ridley Creek Trail and then joined the Bell Pass Trail, following it to its eastern terminus with the Park Butte Trail.  I hiked a small section of the Park Butte Trail uphill for some water at that point.  Our survey began at the junction and headed west until the Bell Pass Trail's terminus with the Elbow Lake Trail.  We camped at Bell Pass along the way.  We then hiked the Elbow Lake Trail back to National Forest Development Road 38 and then looped that back to our vehicle at the Ridley Creek Trailhead.

The Ridley Creek Trail was in fair condition, with roots, rocks, some blowdowns, extra steep sections (up to 40 percent grade) and a moderately challenging crossing of the Middle Fork Nooksack River (log crossing followed by climbing over a rock and then hopping or fording a small channel).  The Bell Pass Trail was in good condition from the Park Butte Trail junction to Bell Pass and in fair condition from Bell Pass to the Elbow Lake Trail junction.  The main issues were with overgrowth and landslide area that is navigable.  The Elbow Lake trail is in good condition until it crosses the Middle Fork Nooksack River on a felled tree with a rope as a handhold.

For more visual information, including with the aforementioned river crossing, please check out my video below.

Hi - quick trail report to say the make-do bridge using the downed tree just upstream of the old bridge works really well and does not feel sketchy. It's been planed, making an easy, level surface to walk across.

The trail itself is in good shape - I only remember having to clamber over one downed tree.

Most blueberries are probably 3-4 weeks from ripening.

It's beautiful!

I led a crew out Ridley way to do some tread repair and brushing. All the logs have been cut out recently and the trail is open with few obstacles other than some muddy, brushy and trenched out sections. The carnage from the last few years mighty winds is evident as you walk past about 100 trees, some pretty enormous, that have been cut out with crosscut saws by volunteer and Forest Service crews. The road is pretty rough, lots of potholes, but passable for most medium clearance vehicle. The existing footlog is not passable, it only spans half of the river, but there is a pretty substantial tree down across the river about 100 yards upstream that's pretty easy to navigate. This is a trail that gives you the feeling you're deep in the backcountry with few two legged visitors, and leads up to the Park Butte lookout through Mazama Meadows.