The Mount Walker trailhead located up a well signed gravel road on the left of Highway 101 traveling south between Quilcene and Brinnon, is a good hike after recent heavy Olympic snows. We arrived at the gate blocking the road and counted two other cars at the parking area. To get to the proper trailhead, you must walk around the gate and up the road a ways until you arrive at the signed trailhead on the right side of the road. The trail was clear until about the 2,000 ft. line when snow became abundant. At first we donned gore-tex as is was melting from the trees and falling on our heads. Further up in elevation the temperature dropped and the snow was no longer melting allowing us to shed layers. The depth steadily increased as we approached the summit stretch to about six inches or so of powder on top of older, more compacted snow. The summit contained up to a foot to a foot and a half of fresh powder in some places. The clouds had cleared out nicely by the time we arrived at the summit allowing us to see parts of Mount Townsend and Buckhorn and Iron Mountains in the northeastern Olympics and Hood Canal and Quilcene below. From the north summit at 2,804 ft., we trekked about ten minutes down the road to the southern viewpoint which yeilded views of Hood Canal and Pleasant Harbor below. We probably spent an hour and a half on the summit and returned back down encountering five cars, not including our own, upon departure. The weather was pleasant with just occasional light rain at the trailhead and at lower elevations with occasional light snow at the summit from a passing cloud. I completed the hike wearing cotton sweat pants with gore-tex pants over them, a t-shirt with the occasional application of a fleece zip-up and a gore-text shell and the occasional application of gloves and a fleece beanie.

I was the only car at the trailhead at noon. The trail is in good conditon. There were no blow-downs, nor any snow on this hike. I enjoyed an extended stay at the top, where I was joined by mulitiple birds; and, unfortunately, numerous mosquitos. There were great views of Mt. Constance and Buckhorn, but clouds obscured everything else. Overall, this was a great hike for a Tuesday afternoon. The trail ascends 2000 feet in 2 miles making for a short cardiovascular workout.

Mount Walker is a great place for a vigorous, short, conditioning hike. It's steep (2000 feet elevation in two miles) and very scenic. Unfortunately, the fog prevented us from seeing the full view of Olympic peaks, but there were still some fine moments when the fog lifted enough to see the shoreline of the hood canal open and then fade away. The trail was bare until about the half-way point when small amounts of snow lay on the ground. The trees were heavy with snow and melting quickly, so we became as drenched as if it had been raining. There was usually only about a half-inch or so of snow on the trail and at the top, maybe an inch with a few drifts of a few inches more. Just enough snow to make it beautiful; not enough to make walking difficult. It was especially nice to walk from the north to the south summit on the road, which had numerous animal tracks--deer, rabbits, squirrels, etc. It was also fun to be up there on a day when we were the only humans around.

A great way to beat winter doldrums! With 2,000 feet of gain in 2 miles, you might feel a little stressed by the steepness, but the pain is shortlived and you will soon be sauntering on the Mount Walker's summit. Facing north from the summit on a clear day(several have been recorded), you'll see the Port Townsend, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Mt Baker and bucolic Quilcene. Look west and the high peaks of the Olympics look formidable and enchanting amid low clouds. To the south, you can look over Hood Canal to Mount Rainier. There are two key benefits to hiking Mt Walker in the winter. The first is that the road to the summit is closed, thus eliminating any chance that you'll pant your way to the top and there find a group of presentable, ably breathing people who've only left their cars a minute before. Feature two is that at just 3 hours round-trip, you don't have to leave at dawn to make it to the summit and back in daylight. There was not even a hint of snow on the trail in late January. The suurounding forest was filled with rhodendrons that will soon set out to bloom. Two small trees had fallen over the trail, but the are easily surpassed.

We took a quick trip up Mount Walker today. We started out in drizzle but as we climbed we actually got a bit of sun through the clouds. It was very cold on top, however, and breezy. There is no snow on the trail (except for a brief scattering just as you get to the top and a dusting on the road between the two summits). The trail is in great shape. I only saw two very small trees down across the trail, and they were easy to step over. Despite the clouds, we could see portions of the Olympics--especially Mt. Townsend, covered with snow. The view back to Puget Sound only provided brief glimpses of the Hood Canal. We only saw one other person and that was when we were nearly finished. It was a good outing on a gloomy day.