Washington State is full of hiking trails to old fire lookouts. Most of them are inactive at this point, but a few like Park Butte have been restored, and are maintained by local hiking clubs for the public. I’ve done quite a few lookout hikes now, and Park Butte is definitely top 3 for me. The trail is beautiful, the lookout is in great shape, and Mt. Baker is so close you feel as if you could easily reach out and touch it!

Pro Tip: Like many of the other lookouts in the area, first come, first-served camping is available at Park Butte. Unfortunately, that seems to mean different things to different people. I’ve shown up to a lookout to find one other person already there and been turned away. I’ve also been the first person to a lookout, and then had 12 people and 2 dogs decide to camp next to, on top of, and around me. And pretty much everything in between. So when it comes to fire lookouts, my suggestion, as with most outdoor adventures, is to hope for the best, but plan for the worst!

Distance: 7.5 miles Elevation Gain: 2,200 ft. Difficulty: Moderate

Spending The Night: Spending the night in the Park Butte Lookout is on a first-come, first-served basis (more on that in a second). The Park Butte lookout is inside the Mt. Baker Wilderness boundary, and Wilderness regulations limit party size to 12 people.

Frustratingly, the whole “first come,” system seems to mean different things to different people. I’ve shown up to a lookout to find one other person already there and been turned away. I’ve also been the first person to a lookout and then had 10 other people and 2 dogs decide to camp out next to, on top of, and around me. So when it comes to fire lookouts, my suggestion, as with most outdoor adventures, is to hope for the best, but never assume you’ll have the place to yourself.