Wow. What a little Gem amid all the forest logging going on around. This hike totally surprised me! This hike is 90% in meadows and the berries are at their peak! I have done a lot of hiking and this is by far the most berries I have encountered next to a trail. The people who used to man the lookout tower before it was abandoned were definitely sick of berries at the end of each season I am sure. Wow! The trail is in good shape except for the first 200 feet of elevation gain where someone has put up a cable to go up and down the dirt gully. If you can get past the cable, then you definitely can do the rest of the trail. There are no signs for the trail and road access is difficult. Follow the roads as indicated on the GT map—the road numbers are correct and signed except for one important place about ¾ of mile before the trailhead. You will want to take a left on a dirt road that jogs to the left about ¾ of a mile before the trailhead. The main road continues straight, intersects with another road that turns left, and then continues on before heading down and then to the right—do not take this main road. This dirt road is not marked and not recommended for passenger vehicles because of water bars and no turnaround points so park at the intersection of the dirt road and the main road. The dirt road is okay with high clearance vehicles—no 4WD necessary. The trail begins at the end of the dirt road without a sign.

After a some unplanned forest service road sightseeing we finally found the trailhead to Kelley Butte. We are very grateful to the people who tied a cable up the hill, it made our ascent and descent much easier. That having been said, the first 50 yards or so was pretty precarious, slippery scree and very fine dirt. After overcoming that hurdle it was one switchback after another up the side of the Butte. But then came the beautiful cool meadows with flowers in full bloom, the phlox was magnificent! And did I mention the mountain' She followed us all the way up to the lookout!! Glorious. The lookout has been pretty well trashed but we were able to lay out on the decking and gaze in wonder and delight at the mountain. We found the trail to be very easy to follow, it was just finding the trailhead!

Transfer of national forest land in the Kelly Butte roadless area to Plum Creek Timber Company is bound to be one of the most controversial issues in the proposed I-90 land exchange. We decided to check out the area and were told that Lester Creek is the best part of the area. Take I-90 to Exit 62 (Stampede Pass). From there follow Road 54 up over the pass and down into the Green River valley to a gate across the road about a mile and a half above the now-abandoned town of Lester. Walk the road almost to the townsite; just before you get there, you'll find an old parking area on the left side of the road. Right now there are state game management unit signs all around. Follow an old river dike about 100 yards to a railroad track right where it crosses the Green River. Cross the river and continue east about 200 feet beyond the bridge. There you'll find some almost hidden ribbon. Scramble down the bank; from there the trail has recently been brushed out and flagged all 5.5 miles to the top of Kelly Butte. Otherwise it hasn't been maintain in years! It's a 3800 foot gradual climb to the top. The old bridge across Lester Creek is long gone, but the creek can easily be crossed. Despite the lack of maintenance, the trail is in good shape most of the way, that is until you get about a mile from the summit. Then it becomes AN ABSOLUTE MESS!!! It is a total jungle of vine maple, sliding alder and berry bushes of various species. We were amazed the trail brushers could find their way through. They did lose the trail at times. This goes on till you come to the open pumice like area about 300 feet below the summit. This is truly a job for WTA! The view from the summit is spectacular. It ranges from an ""in your face"" look at Mt. Rainier to Mt. Baker barely peeking above the horizon. And of course there is a great view of all the clearcuts in this part of the Cascades. But we also noticed at least three thinnings or selective cuts, one of which was on the east side of Lester Creek. We hadn't even noticed up going up, but did see it on our way back down. The old lookout cabin on top is boarded up but the door was open and there was food inside. So is Lester Creek and the rest of the roadless area too important to be exchanged away. From our perspective, probably not, at least in and of itself. On the other hand, it does have a lot of small douglas fir that could become old growth a lot sooner than the clearcut areas. And it may be needed to provide habitat since the rest of the Green River area has been so heavily logged. This is one of the aspects that will have to be addressed during the exchange process.