Day Hike - Mount Townsend

The Little Quilcene/Little River Summit is my favorite approach to Mt. Townsend. It's uncrowded and all but the last mile or so is under trees. We'll tag both the north and south Mt. Townsend summits.  The trail from the south summit is steep and rugged, but it's short. The rest of the trail is  good, or at least it was the last time I was there.  If the weather is clear, the view from the top is pretty good all around. 

This trip is about 7 miles and takes 5 hours with lunch. You can expect a roughly 2.0 mph pace overall. The elevation gain is over 2200' to visit both summits, but the grade is generally moderate. It's not as strenuous as the main trail, so if you've done that one, you can be sure that you can do this approach. That said, 2200' isn't trivial; don't overestimate your abilities.

Meet at the Mt. Townsend, Little Quilcene trailhead  (https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/olympic/recreation/little-quilcene-trailhead) at 0830. Boots on the trail NLT 0845. There are no facilities at the trailhead except bushes. No parking permit required.

Important!  Do NOT follow the Mountaineer's driving directions for this hike.  Do NOT take Penny Creek. If you enter by Penny Creek, much of the route north to FS 28 is a bombed-out ruin.  Follow the Forest Service directions. Leave the highway via Lords Lake Loop Rd, a few miles north of Quilcene. 

The drive to the trailhead  is on pavement until you reach the Lords Lake reservoir. The rest of the route is on gravel road until you reach the  the intersection of FS 28 and 2820 near Mt. Zion. This is where the relatively good gravel road ends. 

 Road 2820 is heavily eroded by water runoff and it's not suitable for low-clearance vehicles.   The road is steep in places, rutted by runoff, and rocky. Nevertheless, it's passable by ordinary vehicles with at least 6" of clearance, and thousands of people drive up there every year. However, I bet not many of them do it in a Mini, or with a timid driver at the wheel. Allow 20 minutes to reach the trailhead from FS28.