Arrived at the trailhead at 7:30am. Only car in the lot. This is just a pullout off Yakima Canyon. Maybe parking for 5 cars total. No facilities but there are many on the way.

This is a Yakima canyon classic, steep, straight up the side of the canyon, with killer views.

I saw 2 bighorns, and quite a few deer on my climb up. No snow, the ground is frozen, but it's not icy. A few patches near the top but nothing that would require traction.

The views are stunning the whole way. I got a peek at Adams and Stuart from the top!

I took my time and arrived back at the TH at 10:30. One other car pulled in right around this time.

Fun climb, steep, good for training and for views!

This is not a proper trail report, as what I did was drive up to the cell towers at the top of the butte, apparently where the hike proper is supposed to end. While the entry here on WTA now indicates that the entirety of Selah Butte is on private land and should not be visited, other sites online do not say that. Moreover, the 4WD access road (quite passable in my 4Runner) is neither signed nor gated, with free access above the public streets serving the houses on the east side of the canyon south of the (previously official?) trailhead at MM 4. I have no idea when WTA changed this entry, and did not check the status of the trailhead down on WA 821 (Canyon Road) at MM4. The views on top are superb when facing away from the infrastructure, with Pahto (Adams), Tahoma (Rainier) and Mount Stuart all shining in the sun. There are no obvious trails from the summit, but scrambling around could be a lot of fun.

Ascended the long route up Selah Butte. The trail branches off to the left about a half mile up the normal route to stay under the ridge line. This route starts off as an obvious trail, but quickly fades in and out, passing over basalt scree, and enters into class 2 scramble regularly. There are a couple large scree sections where there is no trail, and making the wrong route choice leads into a class 3 scramble. The hillside is open and exposed so it's never too time consuming to find the trail again.

I don't recommend this route to new or beginner hikers.

Good conditioning hike. Views are beautiful at the top. This hike is hard, no doubt. Coming down, I would recommended trekking poles as it is steep and easy to slip on rocks.

The parking lot is immediately after a sharp corner with no visibility, but there is a wide shoulder 50 yards past the parking lot that is a lot safer to pull out of.

Trail is in very good condition with mud in a few places and slippery due to dust in other steep parts.