Kelly Butte — Friday, Jun. 2, 2006

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

The road to Kelly Butte is still not accessible due to a large snow mass in the road...but it's only 3/4 miles from the trail. We walked the mostly snowfree road and climbed up the gully with the ropes still in place to the existing trail. We climbed up into the forest where there is still about 50% snowcover...I have been here several times so knew where the trail goes and had no trouble except for minor postholing. The snow varies from almost nothing to about 18 inch depth. The lookout still stands and we enjoyed a great Mount Rainier view and sunny lunches on the south catwalk. We did an assessment of the sturcture and roof for the upcoming renovation. It's in great shape for a 50+ year old building exposed to the elements at 5300 feet. It'll be wonderful to get it up to speed. The trail is about 1.2 miles with 900 foot gain and we walked an extra 3/4 mile of road each way. The roads are fine. Please beware of all the ticks on Kelly....I guess they feast on the resident goat herd.