Park Butte Lookout - Baker's Cloud-Piercing Crown 👑🏔️
After months of "should we risk those potholes?", we finally conquered this 8-mile gem—and learned one truth: never trust PNW clouds (but always trust wild blueberries!). ✨ Why This Lookout Rules ✨ • 360° Baker views (if clouds cooperate... eventually) ☁️➡️☀️ • Alpine meadows that rival Paradise (minus the crowds) 🌸 • FIRST-COME FIRE LOOKOUT (wake up inside a postcard!) 🛏️ 🥾 Trail Truth: • "Hard" my foot—more like moderate with snacks 🥪 • 2,000ft gain spread gently (no quad-burning switchbacks) 📈 • Blueberry buffets lining the path (nature’s gummies!) 🫐 ⚠️ Brutal Honesty: • 9-mile dirt road = tire PTSD (sharp rocks = villain origin stories) 💥 • Parking chaos by noon (arrive by 9AM or park like Tetris) 🚗🎮 • Cloud roulette—we waited 5 hours for our Baker reveal 🎲 📸 Pro Tips: • Golden hour descent = molten glacier views 🌅 • Pack headlamps if chasing sunset 🔦 • Horse sightings (yes, actual cowboys here) 🤠 #ParkButte #MtBaker #FireLookoutLife #PNWHiking #BackcountryGoals #WildBlueberries #NoCellService #NorthwestForestPass #CloudPatience #ViewOrBust