Fill out the form below to get an estimate of how long your hike will take. Distance: This is your round trip distance. Thus, if it's 4 miles to the summit, and you backtrack over your same trail, you should enter 8 here. Elevation Gain: This is not the elevation at the summit. That number is the vertical distance from sea level. So unless you're hiking Cadillac Mountain (which essentially rises out of the Maine coast), the summit elevation will give you a very bad result. This is the vertical distance from the base to the summit. If you are hiking multiple peaks, you should also include the elevation gain from the low point of the col to the next peak. Athletic Evaluation: Consider the member of your hiking party who is least active. The reason "Regular Hiker" and "Athletic" are separated into two different categories is that hiking uses your body in different ways from many other athletic endeavors. I don't consider myself to be an athlete, but at 43 years of age, I can out-hike high school basketball and soccer players, but only on long hikes!

have an overweight hiker, you should be aware that the steeper and longer your hike is, the more likely that the hiker will have knee/leg problems. And if that happens, all bets are off on the amount of time it's going to take!oroton backpack ebay Hike Type: I've heard it recommended that you should count on twice as much time to snowshoe a mountain than you would take in the summer. karrimor zodiak backpackThis also depends on your level of athleticism, and I try to incorporate that into the calculator results.kata 465 backpack makes no promises regarding the accuracy of this calculator. evoc cc backpack 3l

Your mileage may vary...so to speak! Douglas Twitchell is the administrator of HikerSpace.net, where more hiking information is just a search away!Log in to rate Trip Reports for this trail, belowbrasilia xlg backpack On Park Butte, hike to an historic fire lookout and come face-to-face with Koma Kulshan. golite dawn backpackAlong with unobstructed panoramic views of Mount Baker, the Twin Sisters, and the rest of the North Cascades, the route to Park Butte offers campsites, wildflower-filled alpine meadows, rushing waterfalls, and a stunning variety of mushroom species.Park Butte is one of the most popular Mount Baker area hikes for a variety of reasons: unobstructed mountain views, a moderately steep trail with access to campsites, and an open, maintained historic fire lookout built in 1932. The Forest Service now uses advanced technology to search for fires, but decades ago fire lookouts proliferated on the peaks of the Cascades.

One of the few remaining intact lookouts is on Park Butte; it is maintained through the volunteer efforts of the Skagit Alpine Club.The trail leaves the parking area at 3250 feet of elevation and heads west, crossing a bridge over Sulphur Creek and passing through Schrieber’s Meadow. At 0.1 mile, on the right, is the first intersection with the Scott Paul Trail. Continue left through the meadow, enjoying wildflower overload in the summer and a berry bonanza in the autumn; species that grow here include heather, salmonberry, blueberry, huckleberry, fireweed, lupine, and pearly everlasting. As you ascend with rushing Sulphur Creek and its waterfalls on your right, see how many mushrooms you can identify; a partial list includes yellow cracked bolete, peppery bolete, blackfoot paxillus, northern Russula, sharp-scaled lepiota, deadly lepiota, and fly amanita. WTA has performed trailwork here, building puncheon to maintain a trail through myriad rivulets of the boggy meadow.After 0.7 miles, leave the meadow to cross Rocky Creek and the boulder fields through which it passes.

Sometimes a ladder bridge is necessary to cross the main “channel,” which frequently changes position. Note that cairns may mark the locations where you should enter and leave the boulder fields. Once across Rocky Creek, the terrain changes as you enter old-growth forest, and the grade stiffens a bit. Take in the mountain hemlocks and yellow cedar that surround you as you switchback up and to the northwest. At two miles, you reach the second junction with the Scott Paul Trail, at 4400 feet. Continue left, and enter Morovitz Meadow, where Koma Kulshan presides over fields of heather, mountain ash, wildflower, and vaccinia berry bushes that blaze flaming red in fall.In 0.4 miles come to the junction with the Railroad Grade Trail, which leads to the Easton Glacier and is a frequently-used route for summiting Baker. Stay left and descend to Bell Pass Junction, passing through boggy meadows. After 0.6 miles keep left and ascend again for 0.7 miles over rocky tread to Park Butte, which now dominates the view opposite Koma Kulshan.

Skirt boulder fields as pika brashly squeak “eep!” at passersby. On your left, pass—or visit—a series of tarns that reflect the summit block of Baker on clear days. Just before you make the final push to the lookout, take in Pocket Lake below you and to the southeast.When you reach the lookout, at 5450 feet elevation, take care as you climb the ladder. Sign the lookout register, or even pen an entry in the poetry register. Gnarled mountain hemlocks, subalpine fir, and noble fir surround the lookout. Directly north are the Black Buttes, Lincoln and Colfax. To the southwest are the Twin Sisters, and the Nooksack River valley heads west to the horizon. And if the fates favor you with a sunny day, bask in the views of the sheer white glaciers of Koma Kulshan.WTA Pro Tip: first-come, first-served camping overnight is available in the fire lookout. Arrival (at the lookout) as early as 10 or 11 am may be necessary to snag this perk! From Burlington (exit 230 on I-5), head east on the North Cascades Highway (SR-20) for 23 miles, turning left 0.4 miles after milepost 82 onto Baker Lake Road.

Continue 12.3 miles on Baker Lake Road. The turnoff onto FR 12 is tricky: FR 12 is marked by a sign at the bridge before the intersection with the Forest Road. Turn left on the unmarked FR 12, continuing 3.7 miles to the intersection with FR 13. Turn right onto FR 13, and proceed 5.3 miles to the trailhead parking area. There is parking for about 40 cars. A privy is available. Party size is restricted to 12 or fewer. Stock animals are allowed August through October, but llamas are permitted year-round. A SnoPark Pass is required November through April. More ways to give » Hike of the Week Enjoy the crystal clear views, craggy rock formations and winter wildlife that make hiking Washington's deserts so rewarding. This mostly flat, 6 mile trail is a perfect first step into winter hiking. You’ll likely encounter snow – so bundle up on this one! Subscribe to our free email newsletter for hiking news, events, gear reviews and more. The Outdoors Needs Us — ALL of us