The Park Butte Lookout is a decommissioned fire lookout from decades past. Perched on a precipice along a ridge on the south side of Mount Baker the lookout commands a wide view of the North Cascades.
Now maintained by the Skagit Alpine Club the lookout is open to the public and if you wish, you can spend th night there.
Which is what I did a few days ago, I hiked up, hoping to get images of the night sky and Milky Way.
But, alas, it was not to be, after sunset the clouds rolled in.
North Western Images - photos by Andy Porter 
Excellent !
Realllllly like that second image of the full lookout and mountains. Lighting is great, and those Milky-way ruining clouds don’t hurt either!
No, it all worked out great! I wouldn’t have minded if it had cleared after the sunset, but I was very happy with the images.
Stunning clouds and mountain. Nature is never dissapointing. It delivered that gift instead of stars. You made lovely photos.
Yes, the clouds coming in was a real blessing, the light at the end of the day sublime.
Wow! What a stunning place, and your photos are superb đŸ™‚
Thank you!
Andy, thanks for these amazing photos. My husband Richard Studebaker was a lookout there in the late 1950’s during college summers. He always loved it, even the lightening storms, where you had to sit on insulated stools until the storm went by. We backpacked in and stayed overnight a couple of times. He was there about the time Jack Kerouac was at another lookout…all the lookouts would talk on the radio at night for some social time. Our son Jeffrey was amazed when he read Dharma Bums, and saw his dad’s name as one of the briefly-mentioned radio characters. Eileen Andersen Studebaker
Hi Eileen, Wow, wow, wow! That’s cool! Yes, I know the lookouts all have a rich history. Its great to hear more stories about them and the people who manned them. I have stayed there about 10 times, overnight and each time is a unique experience.
Stunning. Beautiful. Glorious. I’m running out of adjectives here, fantastic!
Elle, thank you very much!!!
Stunning shots
Thanks again Raewyn! đŸ™‚
These photos are just remarkable! No need for the Milky Way this time – you have created beautifully composed images of this place.
Thank you! Yes, the sunset shots came out very nice! Clouds make all the difference.
The whole sequence of scenes is beautiful.
Such magnificence…feeds my soul!
That’s great! Thank you.
I sure would love to be there. Great shots!
Thank you, Laura!
You’re welcome!
You may not have got the sunset but your views and photos are beautiful.
Thanks, I was happy with the sunset!
Some breathtaking photos you’ve taken! These make me wanna go hiking.
Thank you! Happy Trails!