Solo overnight at Park Butte/Railroad Grade (camped on the meadow underneath RR Grade, up from the Park Butte trail before it climbs up to the lookout). I hiked at sunset a little ways up RR Grade to get my bearings on how to access it from my campsite (some trial and error, but there is a trail!) and then again at sunrise all the way to Sandy Camp, which was pretty spectacular.
To look down on a glacier - majestic and mighty, the mountain, and for such little relative effort or expertise. RR Grade allows the casual day hiker a taste of real mountaineering. I saw a major outfit with a garage-sized tent and fuel for days set up at Sandy Camp, and 3 small tents perched on the ridge above.
Park Butte Trail: fantastic, except for the first stream crossing. Hopefully by now you've heard - the first river crossing, usually super tame, isn't! However, the current looks a lot stronger than it is - the water is frothy and brown and scary looking, but I (short, middle-aged woman) managed just fine with water up to my shins. Recommend poles for balance and poking around for solid footing. Don't bother looking for a dry place - your feet will get wet!
RR Grade trail: equally fantastic. My first time some years ago conditions were cold and windy, and I got nervous feeling like I was one slip from falling over that edge. This time conditions were mellow, and I was able to talk my brain down from thinking there's danger. It's a really solid, safe trail with only one small rock scramble until Sandy Camp.
User trails: plentiful, and most of them go somewhere. Not all, but most.
Berries. YES. Huge and plentiful and everywhere. Everywhere. So. Many. Berries.
Wildlife: in the morning, just after sunrise, the marmots were out in the rocks below RR Grade! They put on a fashion show - I took a ridiculous number of photos of them. I also disturbed several grouse.
People. Yes. Lots. This is not an undiscovered spot. Although I did have some solitude on a Sunday night (the large party of young backpackers took their singing and hallooing up to Park Butte, and there was only one other backpacker on RR Grade) and Monday morning from about 6-9am on RR Grade, on Monday coming down I passed countless day hikers and backpackers coming up.
Water - not a lot, but some. There's a still stream the trail crosses a little ways past the RRGrade cutoff, and another it crosses in the meadow. The "trail to water" from RR Grade did in fact lead to water, slightly better, colder, and clearer than the other streams. Sandy Camp has two tarns. Recommend filtration/purification for all.
This was my first time coming up after everything melted out, and I was shocked at how dry it was - and how different the landscape looks without snow. I love Park Butte under snow cover, but I also loved the berries!
Oh yeah - and the road sucks. It's worse than I remembered. Nothing my old honda sedan couldn't handle, but annoying - the kind of potholes you think you can drive around and then end up getting stuck in another. Slow and steady, and drive like someone reckless is coming around the next bend!
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