Great winter hike for a short, snow-free romp. At 1000' elevation/mile it's decent exercise to the Notch.

The last 1.4 miles to the trailhead on FR 27-010 has huge potholes. We did fine in our Explorer, but would not suggest any car without 4x4 or very high clearance to try it.

Beautiful trail. The first 1/2 mile is a bit less steep than the rest to the Pass. The long switchbacks reminded me of Rattlesnake Ledge, but the undergrowth was more lush here. Lots of moss, fern, oregon grape and rhododendron beneath alder, cedar, fir and occasional hemlock.

At 2.1 miles, the Notch was like a scene from The Hobbit - dark and almost completely covered in moss. Then you break out of the forest onto the logging road. Instead of continuing down to the river, we went on about a mile up the road with occasional glimpses of adjacent ridges.

It got very cold and windy as the clouds rolled in, so we headed back down. Our 6.5 miles roundtrip took less than 4 hours.

Warning to low-riders (we have a Prius): some of the potholes will scrape your undercarriage! My husband dropped me off just over 1/2 mile from the trailhead as we both winced at that scraping sound no one except a repairman likes to hear. Someone in a Toyota wagon had made it, though.

The trail from TH is quite good, a few downed trees easily negotiated. Trillium everywhere, a few calypso orchids, Oregon grape now in bloom, salmonberry and wood violet. Almost ready are false Salomon's seal, rhodies, and queen's cup lily. It's a good, steady grade up to the pass (?) - hard to tell it's a pass - no views, just a road. Lovely hike through the woods, though, with solitude - ran into only one couple. I like a trail with more slugs than hikers, and that was certainly true on this one! After the pass, you go down a ways then cross the road straight over to the trail for another little bit, then come to big FR 27, with space for parking. Turn right here to pick up the trail again down to Townsend Creek and Lower Big Quil trail.

Oh, a note - be careful on the small log bridges - they are SLICK! I fell off (landed on my feet in the creek, thank you very much), as had the other hiker we saw. The 1st one is the slickest. Hold that railing! And thank you WTA for the beautiful, HUGE one-stringer log bridge over Townsend Creek -- WOW!!!!

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Having morning commitments but wanting to get out on a forecast sunny 60+ - degree day, a friend and I sought a trail that didn't require driving very far along forest service roads. Notch Pass is a great little spring time conditioning jaunt, with its immediate 2,000-foot elevation gain, and the subsequent loss of ~1,000 feet just past the notch. You won't find sweeping views like you would on Mt. Walker or some of the other Olympics hikes, but you'll find the trailhead just a scant 3 miles past the Penny Creek Road turnoff.

Hiking through the trees, salal, ferns, and the narrow notch at the top is rewarding in its own way. We started from the side nearest Quilcene, off FR 27-010 (directions found in Romano's book Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula). We turned around after walking a few hundred yards down the trail where it crosses FR 27 and drops down toward Townsend Creek Valley and the Lower Big Quilcene Trail; total roundtrip mileage was probably around 6 miles including some meandering along FR 27 to look for views. Note that the views from FR 27 that Romano mentions of Mts. Townsend and Constance don't really exist any more, because trees have since grown up. The one blowdown occurred at a switchback turn, and we easily navigated around it.

Parking at the trailhead along 27-010 is limited to two cars on the shoulder. Sorry I don't have photos to share. I carried my camera but forgot to take pictures because I was absorbed in the surroundings and in conversation. I did this hike in my Merrell Trailgloves (Merrell's version of a barefoot shoe) and my feet and legs felt better and less tired at the end of the hike than they did at the end of my Duckabush hike the day before, wearing my regular Timberland hiking boots. Barefoot shoes may be the way to go, for me, on certain trails.

The trail is in excellent condition. Some insignificant snow patches at the top before the descent to the lower big quilcene trail. It has been interesting to see how this trail has developed after helping on a few work parties that re-opened the trail.