First things first: Do not use Google Maps to find this trailhead. It will take you into the neighborhood but a ridge away. Instead, use the directions provided in the trail description. Not only will they get you there, it will be pavement until the last 3.5 miles or so.

Second things second: Those last 3.5 mile miles are not an easy drive. FSR 2421 is steep, narrow and rocky, with a big drop-off. To increase the degree of difficulty, the FS has installed erosion-control channels (water bars) every 200 meters or so. You cannot maneuver those in a passenger car. They are deep. High-clearance vehicles only. Like 4X4 trucks or jeeps. Also, the 3.1 miles from the turn off FSR 2480 to the trailhead is closer to 3.3 miles.

Third things third: The trailhead is not at the little post marked "Trail." It is about 50 meters further along the road. The start is marked with a nice sign that is nearly covered with rhododendron branches. Parking for maybe four cars in the vicinity of the trailhead.

Fourth things fourth: The trail. Nature has nearly reclaimed it. It is overgrown. It is clogged with blowdowns. Stretches are beginning to erode, including the section where you cross the road at the half-mile mark and begin the assault on the ridge. It is getting dangerously bad there. The trail is doable, but you need some experience and patience and you need to take care. Long pants and log sleeves help.

All that said, it is a nice walk in the woods. The rhododendron are blooming, as is the beargrass. There are views of Hood Canal, Rainier way in the distance, Mount Washington and most of the rest of the Olympics, though those mostly are through a screen of trees. The ruins of the lookout are cool in a post-apocalyptic way. Saw a bunch of bear scat on the ridge, which is thrilling in ways both good and bad.

Took the little dog and me about four hours roundtrip, with stops for photos and lunch. I imagine it was a quicker trip when the trail was in better condition.

We drove to the gate on forest road 2421, hiked up the road to the trail and continued up to the fire lookout site.  The road in was in great shape, however there are more than a dozen water bars that require a high ground clearance vehicle (we did it in a Ford Ranger 4x4). 

The trail is little used. We followed the road behind the gate for a couple hundred yards then took the unmarked trail that veers off to the left. There were a few trees down but they were easy to get over or around.  We lost the trail a couple of times, but this is essentially a ridge walk so we quickly found it again.

There are quite a few remnants of the old lookout.  We saw burned timbers, metal fittings, the four footings for the tower, an old foundation for a building, and what appeared to be remnants of a propane stove.  Views were limited by clouds, but we did catch glimpses of Lena Lake and Hood Canal along the way.

Long time user of trail reports, first time writer. The adventure began by navigating several drainage ditches that were extremely rough for our forester to pass over (pro tip: passing the ditches at a diagonal helps). We parked about a mile and a half from the trail due to road conditions. Once we found the trail Jefferson trail 808 hidden behind overgrown foliage (pro trip is not the sign that says trail). The June 5th report about needing a machete is accurate, there was not a trail. We did not make it to the top. Pro trip stopping at Hama Hama is a great way to end the hike. 

Beware! The "Getting to the trailhead" description is correct but the map point is wrong. Follow the text description and get on NF-2421, NOT NF-2441. Aside from this, NF-2421 is very difficult to pass. The trees have been cleared but the large drainage ditches are there, some very deep, lots of sharp rocks and broken branches, my Jeep Cherokee bottomed out a few times and got stuck once. I would not attempt this unless you are in a large truck with large tires. The trail is also hard to find (it's a little farther than 3.1 miles up NF-2421) and literally 10' onto the trail you will want a machete to get through. It looks completely overgrown and you will end up making your own trail. This trail needs some work. 

Road is snowed out from the Junction with the mainline. We approached from NF-24 and stopped at the spur for Jefferson ridge. Lots of trees down across the road if you're accessing from the NF-25 side.