Kelly Butte proved to be a short, sweet and moderately steep hike. The 3/4 mile walk to the trailhead from the parking area is shaded, but after that it's 90% sun, so bring lots of water! The nice thing about the lack of shade is that you have constant mountain views, though it was still too hazy/smokey to see Rainer. I started at 8:30 and only saw 3 other groups and they were all going the opposite direction of me so I had the lookout to myself for over an hour! The views are amazing and I love that you can go inside and write in the log too.

As far as getting there, the WTA directions are on point. It took me about 25 minutes to get to the parking lot from 410, it's almost all loose gravel and occasional potholes but I was happy to have my SUV. I'm sure sedans could make it without incident, though everyone in the parking lot had SUVs so I can't speak much to that.

Happy hiking!

The 98-degree day cooled down to 73 as we drove up the forest road, ready for a midweek microadventure. We arrived at the trailhead around 7:15pm to find the parking lot empty. That bode well for our hopes of a look inside the lookout at the top! Note for tiny bladders: There is no toilet facility anywhere on this trail. The last flush toilets you'll encounter (coming from the west) are those in Greenwater. The gas station has an outdoor restroom that requires no key. 👌

The first .7 miles of the trail are a very gradual, wide gravel road. As my hiking companion said, you could do it in flip-flops while carrying a glass of wine. At the large clearing that marks the end of this section is a killer campsite with (what would've been) stunning views of Rainier (had there been no wildfire smoke), but our sights were set higher. If you're staring at majestic Mt. Rainier from the clearing, the trail up the hill continues behind you and climbs very steadily up a rocky hillside. The switchbacks are short, steep, and in dry weather a little tricky due to loose rocks. But the walk itself is beautiful and so worth it. You're hiking up a trail carved right into the side of a rock face, past multicolored lichen. I liked having trekking poles for this section (but I also had a 25-pound pack on).

Other trip reports give the impression that the switchbacks are impossibly grueling; I found they were challenging enough that I felt accomplished but short enough that I wasn't completely taxed, and they were over before I knew it. The hike isn't done yet, though! There's still a long walk through an alpine meadow, which was incredible. Our views at the golden hour were unreal. The BC wildfire smoke occluded our mountain view, but left us with a hazy yellow backdrop for the wildflowers, which were popping hard.

Shortly before the lookout you'll pass another moderately well-established campsite, but we pressed on with hope. Just as the sun was setting—turning the smoke layer a brilliant salmon color—we hit the top of the butte and hustled to the lookout. A lookout that was empty. A lookout that was unlocked. OUR LOOKOUT!

We ran around the deck screeching about our good fortune for a long time, then set up our beds inside (on a cot and a wooden platform, both provided). We'd been prepared to bivy either on the deck or on the flatter ground far from the lookout. This was better. The smoke hung low on the foothills surrounding us, which made for a beautifully layered—if atypical—view from the top and Rainier poked her pretty little head out just to show off before the sky grew dark. Some folks have left a few treasures in the lookout: camp chairs, jugs of water and dog bowls, a can of Rainier beer (cute), a packet of freeze-dried ice cream, soap... It was great to see the place well taken care of. The stars came out and the smoke stayed low enough for a while that I got some great time just hanging out with the bright night sky.

Sleeping in the lookout is something I won't soon forget. The wind whistles loudly in the single-pane window frames (there's a sign saying the windows should not be opened) and something about sleeping in a fishbowl made me wake up several times imagining people were walking in (though we'd locked the door). No one was walking in. It was just us and the rocks and the wildflowers. (No marmots spotted, probably because we had a rambunctious dog with us.)

We woke up early with the sun, packed our bags, and tromped down the trail to head back to work. The bugs were worse in the morning (curious!) and the dust was quite...dusty. We headed back to the office and didn't stop smiling for days.

I look forward to doing this trail again, though I don't expect to be this lucky next time!

Hiked with my dog on a Sunday afternoon. Trail was in pretty good shape. The majority of the steep section (very steep, difficult footholds) has no shade. My dog and I were okay, but I saw some older individuals struggling on the way down. Minor flies on some portions of the trail. Saw lots of marmots, birds, and wildflowers.

The directions to the TH are accurate on WTA. We hiked the 0.7 mile road to the actual trail. The first section of the trail with its dust and loose rocks is steep with its short switchbacks as it passes by towering rocks and rock outcroppings. The wildflowers were beautiful as were the views of Mt Rainier. We were happy we were able to do the 1112 elevation gain in the heat of the day as we thought our days of being able to do this were over! The beargrass at lower elevations were past their prime, but were still nice as we hiked the trail through the forest on the approach to the LO. The LO was open and had two cots and three chairs. Several others were enjoying the trail on this beautiful day. Tiger lilies, Indian paintbrush, large and small flowered penstemon, stonecrop, saxifrage, bear grass, and lupine were some of the flowers seen.