Still no snow (just a teeny bit at the top, none on the trail at all...),great views the w hole way up. Didn't see any hunters, but took precautions and wore bright clothing anyway (per prior trip reports for this trail). Great trip and great trail!

There’s around a half-dozen blow downs right now, probably the result of the bad weather earlier this month. At this time, there’s very little snow, and the trail is clear all the way to the summit. At this time of year, it’s common to see hunters in this area, and I saw two today. Wear bright colors if you come up here.

With all the reports of snow in the mountains, I wasn't sure if we would actually be able to hike Mount Townsend all the way to the summit. But it turned out that there were only a couple of inches on sections of the trail, particularly around Camp Windy. The sky was completely blue when we set out at 11 a.m., although the heavy cloud bank over Puget Sound began to make its way upwards into the Olympics by the time we reached the summit. Dark clouds alternated with sunshine and while they partially obscured the view to the West, also made it even more dramatic and beautiful. The view to the East was a sea of clouds with a few Cascade peaks (including Baker) standing above them. The summit ridge was completely snow-covered (only a few inches deep. We ate our lunch at the 6280 foot summit, hunkering down out of the wind under some boulders. There was only one hiker up there and he left before we were through. It was wonderful being alone in such a magnificent place. We saw only a few other hikers the whole day, something unusual on Mount Townsend, a popular trail that is usually packed with people. There was much less snow on the trail as we descended; the sunshine had melted it rapidly. I suspect that with the rain predicted for today, all the snow will be gone soon.

We did this hike over Labor Day weekend and weren't the only ones with this idea; the parking lot was almost full by the time we arrived mid-morning. Undeterred, we made fantastic time up to the summit, stopping along the ways to marvel at Rainier and all the mushrooms, in particular some excellent fly amanitas. The hike is quite steep but the trail is in excellent condition. The saddle at the top of the mountain made for a great lunch spot with outstanding views and enough room to dine alone even though it was pretty crowded.

We had a fantastic hike up to the peak of Mount Townsend--the trail is well-maintained, and the wildflowers are out in all their glory. Blueberries and strawberries are on the verge of being ready, and we encountered virtually no bugs. I just wanted to provide some information about the multiple-trailhead situation for this hike. Both the 100 Hikes guide description, and the flyer from the Quilcene ranger station, contain confusing text about where the trailheads are. The lower trailhead is reached by taking Forest Road 27, then bearing left onto Road 2760. The lower trailhead is marked, though discreetly, on the right about .7 mile from the fork. The upper trailhead is reached by staying on FR 27 past Road 2760, and then turning left on Rd. 2700 (190). Confused, we started at the lower trailhead. The lower start adds about 1 mile each way--fairly flat, through a pleasant forest.