For the activity this trail receives, it is in great condition! It is a hard trail, and elevation gain starts right away. Well maintained, only one down tree but a walk around has been created. Tree cover for a few miles that turns into full exposed sun (when out). Ruts in the last mile give a few options of the last climb. It gets windy toward the very top and loose pebble rock which can be slippery. There is another trail leading to Mount Townsend North (or something like that). A few trail runners, few backpackers at Camp Windy, not too crowded for a Labor Day excursion. Horse flies were out and followed us down for more than a mile, no bites tho. The road is paved, goes to gravel, and then paved and very winding. One big pothole and many chipmunk crossings.

Made a loop by connecting Silver Lake to Tull Canyon. Unofficial trail is rough but established with some cairns and plastic ties. We went via the ridge by staying left when the trail forks at Silver Lake, but could see there is another route that goes from the lake through the boulder field. Ridge has some loose sections but is definitely doable. 

One thing to mention is that the Little Quilcene Trail #835 is marked on my Gaia map as allowing bikes but had a no bikes sign at the trailhead. It was not technical but pretty steep so I’m not dying to ride it, but I had considered connecting this loop by stashing a bike which now is definitely inadvisable. 

Used the lower of the two lots; adds 1.2 miles each way, and we were the only ones in the lot. There's a pretty cool shelter near the beginning of the trail, right as you get to "Sink Lake" (currently a grassy field and not a lake).

Overnighted at the lower of the two lakes at Camp Windy. The lakes here are again, less lakes and more tadpole breeding factories/ponds. This means the water is less than pleasant, but not many bugs! Fear not, for there is running drinking water located in a small creek between the two waterfalls. Continue towards the end of the path, the lower down you are the better the water collection opportunities. 

Cross the stream to get to the lower pond. Getting there requires a little bushwhacking/off trail navigation but is worth it, there are a few spots down there and we were the only group down there on a crowded weekend.

Thimbleberries are out right now!! They are the best I've seen them and there are fields and fields of them. Huckleberries probably still have another 2-4 weeks before they pop off, though the red ones down near the bottom are good.

The north peak is very worth visiting. Not much further at all and the trip there is the most beautiful part of an already stunning hike.

1. This trail is for masochists only. 

2. Whoever designed the trail was clearly a sadist with a pathological hatred of switchbacks. You'll only encounter one until you reach the Mt Townsend / Tubal Cain fork. Until then, you'll climb and climb and climb up a steeply graded slope. A sign at the trailhead claims it's 15-20% during this early section of the hike, but that is patent nonsense. It's closer to 30-40% with a brief reprieve before you reach the fork. Once you join the Mt Townsend trail, the climb becomes a little easier.

3. We drove from Port Angeles via Palo Alto Road, which becomes FS 2909. It has the typical potholes you'd expect from a forest service road. But once you turn onto FS 2820, which takes you to the trailhead, the road becomes significantly narrower and rougher. I would not recommend driving a low-clearance vehicle on this road.

4. Pack all the water you think you'll need. There's a shallow rivulet within the first tenth of a mile - precisely when you don't yet need water - but it's the only water source you'll see the entire hike.

5. The designer was a sadist, but whoever named the trail was a comedian - because you will neither see nor hear the Little Quilcene River during this hike.

6. On a clear day, Mt Townsend affords some spectacular views of Sequim Bay, Discovery Bay, Hood Canal, Puget Sound, Mt Baker, and Mt Rainier, along with the surrounding canyons & valleys in this beautiful part of the Buckhorn Wilderness. It's a popular place. We encountered half a dozen hikers at the top, and almost a dozen on our way back down. 

7. Although this probably goes without saying for the kind of conscientious and knowledgeable hikers who read trip reports on this site, please remember to park perpendicular to the border of the parking lot at the trailhead. When we arrived, there were already half a dozen cars there, four of which were parked parallel to the border, taking up far more space than they needed to and turning the parking lot into an insane and stupid puzzle. 

what a fun climb! I really enjoyed this hike. forst of all, because it was dead quite, I didn't see one person on my way up. once I reached the peak and hung out for a few minutes eating a snack, others started arriving over the next few minutes. I saw no more than maybe 30 people coming down, so it wasn't bad at all. parking lot was full when I got back down. that view at the top was just spectacular and I would rate the climb as moderate. glad I did this one.