Nice hike to give you a challenge in a short amount of distanve. I did this hike in the afternoon (started at 3:30 pm) and it was perfect timing - the woods were shaded and a had a nice breeze going the entire time. The scramble definately gets your heart pounding and lungs working. I did it without hiking poles, but it would have been helpful to have them - particularly in the way down. I only saw one other group coming down as I was going up - had the top entirely to myself. The trail was completely dry.

The trail off of the Pratt River trail is hard to miss - unmarked and just looks like an animal trail off to the left. (It's about .1 miles down the trail as you start to turn around the butte) I used AllTrails to navigate and find it - but likely would have missed it without the map

I was exploring several shorter trails in the Middle Fork area today and decided to check out Stegosaurus Butte for the first time.  While the trail is short, it definitely has its very steep sections. The incline over the first half - which weaves its way through plush, mossy forest - is relatively modest.  The second half is another story - extremely steep in places and occasionally requiring hands and feet on the way up (and more frequently on the way down).  Since I don't really enjoy scrambling, I was happy that the climb itself was so short.  After a gain of about 1,000 feet in about one mile, you reach the main viewpoints.   Garfield Mountain towers in front of you on one side of the ridge.  The other side offers views of Preacher Mountain as well as views back down the Middle Fork Valley. As the WTA trail description accurately notes, the drop-offs from the viewpoints are extreme so be careful while admiring the views! The trail continues on, descending first and then ascending back up to the summit itself.   This part of the trail was quite a bit brushier and appeared to be less frequently travelled.  While the views of Preacher Mountain are a bit better here, I don't think I will hike this section again.

The other remarkable part of this hike was the abundance of salal berries - the bushes are absolutely loaded with them!  I've never seen so many in one place.  There were also some red huckleberries and blueberries near the top but their taste was definitely not award-winning.

If I do this hike again, I think it would be really fun to do it in combination with the Garfield Ledges hike so I can admire Stegosaurus Butte from the Garfield Ledges and vice versa - all in the same day.

2 hours, 2.4 miles, 1,100 feet elevation gain

  This was meant to be a hike up Stegasaurus Butte with my fit, 40 y/o niece (visiting from TX), but we missed the turn-off from the Pratt River trail (at ~ .25 miles), taking the trail (just 10 yards beyond the sturdy bridge that crosses Rainey Crk).

  This trail was steep in many parts, moderately difficult.  Definitely not meant for children.  We had a copy of a recent trip report, and 30 minutes into ascending the increasingly difficult trail (over/around fallen trees, up steep, large boulder scree fields), we concluded that we were on the wrong trail.  We continued to ~ 2400' elevation, at ~ 1.8 mi, where we had lunch.

  Since there were minimal views in the forest, and we were not on the trail to "stegasaurus Butte", we went back down.  

  I am thankful that my niece is fairly fit, and that my weekly exercise regimen  prepared my 74 y/o body for such difficult terrains...

  Only one spot in this hike allowed us a view of Garfield mountain, to the north...

I have looked up at Stegosaurus Butte so many times from the Middle Fork trail that I figured it was time to finally climb it. Started at 10:45am from the Middle Fork Trailhead parking lot on a Thursday. Reached the main lookout (near the summit which doesn't have a view) at 11:30am -- I took several breaks during the last 600 feet which was more of a scramble (grade 2) than I was expecting -- someone more fit could do it in much less time. There was one spot on the ascent where I lost the trail for a bit due to several large fallen logs, but found it again after clearing another 20 feet or so of elevation. A good quick workout with excellent views of Preacher and Garfield! 

Going down took about 20 minutes although I was moving faster than was probably prudent given the grade. 

Totally deserted up and back -- saw no one except squirrels, birds, and butterflies. A few buzzing bees at the top, but bugs were not a problem. 

80 minutes roundtrip, 3.4km total.
Some smaller fallen trees across the trail, had to go over and under several times. The views from both lookouts at the top were wonderful.