Kelly Butte Fire Lookout

Sitting on a mountain with a flattop (butte) is Kelly Butte fire lookout. This is a relatively short trail, but has some steep sections.

After driving several dirt forest roads with amazing views of Mt Rainier, the road just ends. It continues a little farther to a camp area, so look off to the left for a small trailhead parking area as you approach the end of the road.

The first section of the trail (0.7mi) is actually the old road and really flat. Don’t let this deceive you because the climb is up next. Take some pictures of the view before heading back on the trail and up the butte. What looks like the forest quickly gives way to a chute that almost seems unreal to hike. But surely, it might be an avalanche chute during winter; during summer, it’s the trail. Finish the very short switchbacks onto shale and mountain grass, exposed to the open air and views of the mountains. Continue climbing a little more, and notice that the trees and floor vegetation get thicker. I can only imagine the abundance of huckleberries at the top during fall.

Hike another 0.6 mi to the fire lookout and see amazing views of Mt. Rainier, Glacier Peak, Snoqualmie, and maybe Mt. Baker. I once read a post about a Fire Lookout - the title of the young men who manned the fire lookout towers - sharing a time when he packed an AM radio and listened to the baseball game in Seattle while “watching” it in his binoculars. Views of the Green River Watershed, Howard Hanson Reservoir, and Puget Sound can be seen.

There is a trail to go down the opposite side, but it’s rarely ventured. Head back the way you came.