Monday morning hike with five cars parked at the trailhead at 10AM. It was very hot and cloudless so it would have been much cooler to start at 7AM. A nice Forest Service volunteer gave me a tour of the lookout. The road up didn’t have very many potholes. There isn’t a problem driving any old car. There are places where there are washboards and it was a little dusty but not a big deal.

Arrived at the trailhead around 8:45 PM and saw two other cars parked. The goal was to reach the fire lookout, but we didn’t quite make it before sunset. That said, it was still a fantastic hike, the views of Mount Rainier were incredible, especially as the sunset brought out beautiful changing colors across the peak.

The trail is in great condition and easy to follow. The road to the trailhead is also in good shape and passable by most vehicles.

If you’re planning a sunset hike, a flashlight or headlamp is absolutely essential. The forested sections on the backside of the mountain get dark quickly once the sun drops. Be prepared for limited visibility on the way back.

Overall, a great evening hike with stunning views. Will definitely return earlier next time to make it all the way to the lookout!

A group of us from Snoqualmie Fire Lookouts Association hiked up and put Kelly Butte in operation for the season!  We started out by brushing out the trail, lopping a bunch of very wet, offending branches out of the way.  

We hauled up the Fire Finder, along with the rest of the lookout gear and got the lookout staffers situated.  We did check on the toilets- there are two toilets, both below the lookout on the west side, but both have broken seats.  We'll work to get those fixed soon. 

Please stop by the lookout when we are staffed up, say hi, and get a tour of an operating fire lookout!

Our hiking group made their annual trek to Kelly Butte today.   The last 5 miles of the drive, on unpaved road, has a little bit of everything from large pot holes you need to drive around to washboard and loads of dust.  We were the only car at the trailhead when we pulled in at 9:45.  There are not toilet facilities at the TH and TP was scattered about in the underbrush.  Plan to stop at Federation Forest or somewhere else on your drive in for a bathroom.  It was mostly sunny skies with, clouds forming at the base of Mt Rainier and 51 degrees when we arrived.  The entire trail is now hard packed dry soil with a coating of loose dust and pebbles on the switched backed south facing slope of the climb up.  Very easy to lose your footing, hiking poles were super helpful.  We feel fortunate not to have anyone go down after reading several recent trip reports on WTA and All Trails.  Wildflowers are blooming in all their glory.  They start on the drive in with 5’ high Cow Parsnip and Goat’s beard lining the road.  Many of the rogue campsites along the Greenwater River were teeming with tents, RV’s and large groups.  People were target shooting at a few spots along the drive as well.  On the trail itself the wildflowers start showing once you leave the tree canopy.  We saw several varieties of penstemon, paint brush, bear grass, lupine, columbine, Oregon grape, lousewort, star Solomon seal, phlox, groundswell, saxifrage, vanilla leaf and more.  Trail traffic was super light we only saw 3 other people the entire time we were out.  The fire lookout was not manned so we sat on the decking out of the wind and enjoyed a leisurely lunch rest break taking in the view.  Wildlife sightings were limited to a few bird species, a couple chipmunks and an alerting marmot that we couldn’t spot.  Another fantastic day out in nature with friends.

Arrived around 1130 and was the 12th car in the lot. We seemed to have hit the right time because by the time we got to the lookout, it was empty. So many flowers are blooming, lupine, paintbrush, and columbine. That, along with gorgeous views, make this a winner of a trail. Lots of bees buzzing in the meadow, but they didn't bother us. 8 cars in the lot when we returned.

The first toilet by the lookout is no more. The second toilet down a little further is a bit rickety and has a great view. Make sure you have a scout if you use it, because once you round the corner, there's no privacy. Keep in mind that the steepest part of the hike is down to the toilet.