We took the wrong ‘trail’ initially, although I’d use the word trail lightly. We missed the small trial sign pointing towards the Kelly butte trail, instead we walked 50 more feet because we were distracted by the amazing views of Rainer (this hike gives you a constant shot of the mountain) and took a 80 degree incline with a rope that looked like the trail. This trail was poorly maintained and difficult to follow. That part was miserable, but at one point it met up with the intended trail. We ran into a few people and whenever we mentioned how difficult the ascent was and how we couldn’t believe small children make this trek, they all seemed a little confused... maybe they thought we were just inexperienced! We didn’t realize that we had taken the wrong route until our trail back looked less dangerous and more maintained. Highly recommended hike, beautiful and worth it despite the detour.

I enjoyed this hike quite a bit, even though I didn't have those blue skies that make things just a bit better. Trail is in great shape and there is nothing difficult to cross or otherwise. There are wildflowers blooming at lower elevations, but they're mostly gone now at the lookout. The rock formations on the switchbacks are very cool and the lookout has some fantastic views. I bet this place is even more awesome on a clear day! If you want solitude, this is the trail to get it on. I didn't see anyone, total time going up, taking in the views, and heading down was 1:15. 

My GPS had a tough time getting me to the trailhead. It got me about a mile or so short. I just kept driving until I arrived at what appeared to be the trailhead. It wasn't marked with Kelly Butte, but it had some info about good practices to avoid bear encounters, some info about locking your car and hiding your valuables and etc. #HikingtheState

I did this hike hoping to see a beautiful sunset. I was not disappointed. It was mostly cloudy so Mount Rainier was covered. However there were some cloud breakage with some amazing colors.

Time: 1.5 hours up ( I'm slow), 1 hour down

Drive: Follow the WTA directions. Google map tried to take us the wrong way. Screenshot the directions as you will not get any service out there. The road is snow free, however, it is very rough! The gravel road has many huge pot holes! There are some areas where the road is very narrow (almost a one lane) so I could image it being difficult with the opposite traffic coming towards you. Our suburban made it fine.

Parking: There is an unnamed Trailhead sign at the parking area. The parking could probably hold 10-15 cars. I didn't see any outhouse.

Trail: From the parking lot, you walk about 1/2 to the Kelly Butte sign. This part is pretty flat. The sign is clearly marked. I am unsure if the trail starts at the parking lot or at the actual sign. The trail is on your right, immediately going uphill. Most of the elevation is at the beginning. This part is pretty narrow with lots of loose rocks. Becareful coming down, I slipped a few times. The rest has a mild incline through the woods. The firelookout is not far from there.

People: Since we started pretty late (at 6:30pm) there was only another couple going up around the same time. However more people started to show to catch the sunset. There were probably about 10 other people there.

View: Beautiful views of the valleys throughout the hike. The 360 view from the lookout was amazing! Sad we didn't get to see Mount Rainier due to the clouds but the sunrays and colors were beautiful! The Beargrass are starting to come in bloom! I would wait a couple of more weeks to see the wild flowers in bloom.

Bugs: There were a few bugs here and there. I didn't get any bug bites (They usually love me).

Firelookout: I was told it was first come first service. There are two cots and one wooden bedframe.

Water: No water source on the trail.

Tip: It gets really windy up top. Dress accordingly!

Trail

So beautiful. The hike is about 1.7 miles one way and is only really steep in one section. Starts off really easy, then it opens up to a gorgeous view of Mt Rainier. You'll see a "Trail" sign and it proceeds to get steep. After the steep portion the trail walks along the side of the mountain moderately steeply with a beautiful open view. Then it goes through some trees for one last push. There are only two small snow patches that are no issue to walk over. There's a good amount of wildflowers right now beginning to bloom. A lot of beargrass will probably be bloomed in the next week or so. We saw a mountain goat with a baby on our way up (we were near the bottom, peering up at the rock cliff) Anyway, the hike is hard for part of it, but it's a good thing it's short. Took us an hour to get up. 

Lookout

The view at the lookout is absolutely beautiful! We were there for sunset. Using binoculars on Mt Rainier is really cool. There are many other peaks you can see. In addition to Puget sound and some of the Olympics in the distance. 

Road

The road to get to Kelly Butte is pretty tedious. I would highly recommend printing out directions and a map in case your phone dies or GPS doesn't work; it's pretty far from cell service. Luckily the 8 miles on FR70 is paved. But after that it turns to gravel. There's some washboarding and potholes but nothing you can't avoid, even in a sedan. Just a note... When following directions, the last turn is a right. If you find yourself taking a sharp right and seeing a DEEP dip in the road, it's the WRONG turn! Keep going straight for just a minute and you'll find the turn. Although the gravel road is easily drivable and pretty steep, I'd just like to advise to be careful on the way down. We have an old, '87 Chevy Nova and after driving a few miles down on the way back, our brakes overheated pretty badly and made it extremely difficult to stop the car. We let it cool down for 20 minutes and took it easy after that and engine braked for the rest of the gravel. I'm sure any newer vehicles would likely be just fine but just be careful. After the steepest gravel section, maybe just test your brakes to see if anything is up. (Or just smell outside lol). 

Overall, I am very glad I got to do this hike. It would be a great first time overnighter, the lookout seemed pretty cozy. You definitely are out in the middle of nature. It's very serene and you feel really far out there. Very worth it. 

6/3/18 - Road to hike has some pretty big potholes but sedans can make it if going slow. 

Great views of Tahoma going up the trail, at the lookout, and down the trail. 

Most of the elevation gain is packed into .6 miles so it’s pretty steep but also very short. 

No wildflowers yet. Small sections of snow but no traction needed. Gators would have been nice as I was wearing shorts but not a big deal. 

Great hike on a sunny day!