Snow has come to Mt Townsend. The trailhead was snow-free, but the trail soon turned white. By Camp Windy, we were in a winter wonderland. The trail is in great shape and is easy to follow, even in regular hiking boots. (The Silver Lakes Trail didn't yet have any footprints though.) Some post-holing was necessary to reach the summit, where the snow was about a foot deep.

Today I hiked Mt Townsend with a group of 8 from the Mountaineers. we started the hike at 8:15 am from the Upper Trailhead. only 1 other car was at the parking lot then.

The road to the Upper TH is in good shape, minor potholes, little bit narrow but manageable.
The bathroom at the TH surprisingly very clean, has Toilet papers too.

The Trail is very straightforward. It is steep from the beginning, pretty much uphill the entire way to the summit.
First part of the trail is in the trees, much like any other PNW trails, final part is exposed. the wind was howling today, very strong and cold. It was so cold that my nose froze 😅
Gladly it wasn't raining or snowing up there, the trail is completely snow free. There are few traces of snow left in the mountain, but nothing in the trail.

No major blowdowns or obstacles on the trail.. pretty well maintained throughout.

9.25 Miles in total, 3120 feet of elevation gain.
We took 2.5 hours to summit and 2 hours to get down.


The views from the summit were gorgeous! one of those rare days when its cloudy yet you could see 4 volcanoes - Baker, Glacier, Rainier, Adams!

Very less crowded it was today, saw only 6 other people in the entire hike.

Just updating to note that all snow was melted as of 10/17! This might change with weekend precipitation as it was still COLD up there as previously mentioned.

Gorgeous views with the snow. It can get windy and cold at the top so dress appropriately. The snow wasn't deep. If I had to guess, it'll soon be completely gone at lower elevation and may melt then freeze higher up so if you hike this soon, you may want to bring traction if you have it. It took us about 4 hours.

Trail in great condition. Super clear, with views of the Cascades (roughly Baker through Rainier) and the Sound to the East, Juan de Fuca to the Northwest, and the rest of the Olympics to the Southwest. Windy and cool up top, but relatively warm and chill the rest of the way. Great hike.