Mount Townsend
Main Quilcene-Side Trail
The Route
The main Quilcene-side trail passes Olympic forest and rhododendron slopes before reaching open upper meadows.
- Upper TrailheadQuilcene-side selected start
- Camp WindyAbout 2.6 miles
- Silver Lake JunctionSeparate lake trail
- South SummitFour miles from selected start
- Upper Trailhead ReturnNot a north-side loop
Quilcene Forest Approach
The main upper-trailhead approach climbs near Townsend Creek through old-growth forest and rhododendron understory. Traverses cross ravines among fir and hemlock before reaching more open slopes, meadows and small waterfalls. The lower trailhead is a different start farther down the access road and adds walking; its distance should not be merged into the upper-start listing.
Camp Windy & Summit Ridge
Camp Windy lies about 2.6 miles from the upper start near shallow Windy Lake. Farther on, the Silver Lake junction separates from the Townsend ascent. The route climbs through stunted subalpine fir to the open south summit, about four miles from the trailhead. Return follows the same route past the Silver Lake junction and Camp Windy to the selected upper trailhead.
Published reference figures for the named itinerary. Source dates and access notices are separate from current terrain observations. Reference Set: 2026-10-23.
Weather
Current forecasts open at the providers below. NWS forecasts describe a terrain grid cell, not an exact summit.
Access
Quilcene-Side Trailhead, Washington · Olympic Peninsula
Road
From US 101 south of Quilcene, Penny Creek Road connects to FR 27.
Pass
Published guides disagree on a parking pass; confirm the requirement with Olympic National Forest.
Road Approach
From US 101 near Quilcene, Penny Creek Road leads to FR 27. The signed fork after about ten miles on FR 27 separates the lower trailhead from the upper start used in this briefing.
Start & Facilities
The lower start adds 1.2 miles and about 400 feet of climbing before the upper-start approach. WTA lists a toilet at the trailhead. Its pass listing conflicts with another published guide, so that requirement remains unresolved rather than asserted.
Source information checked 2026-10-23. Road snapshots are dated separately.
Reports
Trip Reports & Route Guide
Open the original publisher’s material. A guide or permit page is not a live condition report.
Links open the publishers’ report pages. Reports are not automatically imported or filtered to a forecast date.