What a day! Emma and I had been meaning to do McClellan Butte forever, but could never get our schedules to align when the conditions were right. Today, we made it happen, and it was awesome.
The trail is currently in great condition and wasn’t crowded when we were there (early on a Tuesday morning). We had the summit to ourselves.
The trail ends in a rocky scramble that has been rated Class 3-4. I’d heard the scramble described as everything from “not that bad” to “terrifying.” Yes, there’s a lot of exposure and if you fall it would not end well. I was definitely paying attention. But, the holds are super solid and overall it was really fun. Great day in the mountains with a great friend!
Evergreen Endurance Coaching 
Geologist on sabbatical in the mountains? Sounds wonderful. The Butte is fun!
I know, she’s livin’ the dream!
Great report – I was there in March, lots of snow. We did not do the scramble, it looks kind of scary; it is definitely a fun hike. We saw a mountain goat that day, which was very cool.
Glad you enjoyed the post. And I probably wouldn’t do the scramble in snow either!