Hiked on a Thursday. Three other cars parked near the trailhead but only encountered two other hikers. Mostly in the shade until you get to the top.  Stunning views of Rainier.  The volunteer Mark was a pleasure to chat with about the fire lookout and the volunteers that keep it operational.  A must do hike! 

Short and steep, but worth it.

Suntop lookout is now operational for the season (until Oct 5th).  Volunteer staffers will be at the lookout nearly every day this summer watching for fires, greeting the public, and showing you around.  Lookout is open for visits 8 am to 5:30 pm, and the gate is open 8 am to 8 pm (when the lookout is staffed).  Around 7:30 the lookout will ask everyone to go below the gate so they can lock things up.  

Stop by and say "hi" to your friendly fire lookouts!

www.snoqualmielookouts.org

Did a mid-week hike to Suntop. Met no-other parties on the drive up, on the drive down, or on the hike. Wow, solitude!

The first 1.5 miles on the 83 road are very rough with MANY potholes, but once you turn onto the 8315 road, things are better.  Still a few potholes, some washboarding here and there, and some encroaching brush, but not too bad.

The last 1.5 miles of the road before the top are gated. The signage says the gate is closed if the lookout is not staffed.  It took me 25 minutes to hike up from the dusty parking area just before the gate to the lookout.  It is a steady uphill, and the trail itself is pretty eroded and gullied, but not difficult.

The parking lot and restrooms at the top look fairly new. Nice gravel covered walkways and a few picnic tables.  The views of Mt Rainier and all of the surrounding forests from the walkway around the lookout were awesome! There were a few flowers out around the lookout, but it is well before peak color.  Of course the lookout itself was closed since it was un-staffed.

What a gorgeous day for Suntop! We arrived to about 5 cars in the parking lot around noon. We went up the trail and it was in great condition. The bathroom at the top is open but currently not usable. There was feces smeared all over the toilet seat and no toilet paper inside. We went down the fire road, which was also in great condition. There were very tiny snow patches left in some of the shadows along the side that my dog greatly enjoyed. It will probably be totally melted in a couple of days. Can’t complain about such a clear trail this early in June!