Park Butte Fire Lookout

As soon as I learned you could camp overnight inside a fire lookout, I added this to my backpacking bucket list. Last August, for my birthday, I convinced a girlfriend to wake up at the crack of dawn so that we could start our hike early enough to hopefully snag the coveted lookout. Fire lookouts are typically a first-come, first claimed camp spot, though most have established campsites nearby if you don’t make it in time. The rules are loose, meaning there’s no way to either enforce sharing or block people out, so be prepared for the unpredictable if you’re aiming to sleep in the lookout.

We chose the Park Butte Lookout, a 7.5 mile out-and-back hike in the Mt. Baker area of the North Cascades. We set out from the trail before 7am, with amazing weather that enhanced the breath taking views. The hike begins through a meadow, creek crossing amidst a boulder field,

We sighted the lookout from the trail, which was a bit of a tease considering there was still over a mile left to traverse before we reached its steep ladder up. Take care climbing up to the lookout with your pack on. Once we stepped out onto the lookout porch we were awarded with beautiful 360 degree views. Someone else beat us to the lookout, but they were kind enough to let us squeeze in. A solo hiker joined our group, and the rest of the day passed lazily while we lounged and chatted with the various day hikers that came through.

The fire lookout is maintained by a group of volunteers, one which happened to pop in and share some cool info with us. He also warned us about potential rodents, which made sleeping on the floor interesting, haha. Park Butte has requires that hikers pack out their waste and dispose of them in receptacles at the trail head. The lookout has a supply of blue bags for this purpose.

This really was one of the best birthday celebrations I’ve ever had. We got to enjoy our dinners with a front-row view of the most amazing sunset. After eating, I got a birthday surprise. My friend, Chelsea, smuggled in a cupcake and candle – without smushing it- which we shared with our roommates. We were delighted to witness both a dry lightning storm and a super moon, neither of which I captured photos of, but will always remember.

This was such a cool experience, I highly recommend sacrificing sleep to claim that lookout spot! After hiking out, we landed at the Birdsview Diner, which had a big outdoor seating area, burgers and beer. It was a nice way to wrap up a memorable backpacking trip.