Finally made it up to Kelly butte today! Road is snow free mostly but does have some patches in places that you need moderate vehicle clearance for. Trail is in good condition and snow free until about 1/2 mile or so from the summitt. GPS navigation and route finding skills necessary at this point!  Was a very foggy day and no views but a good hike none the less! The lookout was nice and had it all to ourselves..well except for the two occupants that apparently live inside the drawer in the lookout! Can't wait to go back on a sunny day but snow won't be gone probably for another month.

Finally made it up to Kelly butte today! Road is snow free mostly but does have some patches in places that you need moderate vehicle clearance for. Trail is in good condition and snow free until about 1/2 mile or so from the summitt. GPS navigation and route finding skills necessary at this point!  Was a very foggy day and no views but a good hike none the less! The lookout was nice and had it all to ourselves..well except for the two occupants that apparently live inside the drawer in the lookout! Can't wait to go back on a sunny day but snow won't be gone probably for another month.

Really hard to find the trailhead using Google Maps to navigate. Lost service at some point and almost turned around. Highly recommend saving an off-line version or print out the driving directions. Once I found the parking lot and met friends there, it was much better. Gorgeous views of Rainier and surrounding mountain ranges. There's about a mile of really steep switchbacks. Well maintained so it felt safe but we took a few breaks. Once we got to the lookout building, we had a picnic and enjoyed the views. Loved it.

Our group made our annual pilgrimage to Kelly Butte Lookout today, in three SUV's, with road conditions justifying the choice of vehicles--though on our return to the trailhead, a small Mazda sedan had joined us in the parking lot.  This drive is the kind that keep car wash operations in business.  Unfortunately for us, it was a very warm day and, of course, this hike is south-facing, very steep in the middle section, and dusty, with shade only in the first section of the hike, on an old road.  Views were a bit limited due to haze and smoke but we all had a good time, the hike feeling much harder than usual or for a hike with these numbers.  Many wildflowers were past but the berry crop is excellent and tasty!  My photos from today here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordique/albums/72157685524817673