Many hikers and trail runners find themselves on the Olympic Peninsula's Mt.Townsend for challenging vert and full Cascadia views, but few experience this part of the Olympics as anything more than an out-and-back. The Goodro Round - whose namesake, Mark Goodro, can frequently be found looking for connections among great Olympic trails - takes the road less traveled. It gives runners the ability to summit not one - but five peaks on a moderate-distance loop on the east side of the Olympics. The Goodro Round is special because of its variety. Runners are treated to steep, difficult climbs on smooth single-track, spectacular, runnable ridgelines, challenging, off-trail travel, light scrambling, a WWII-era plane crash, and a buttery smooth descent. Completing the Goodro Round quickly requires selective decisions on where to push the pace and where to accept the pitch or rocky ridgeline as a governor. FKTs will be made or lost on the ascent up Dirty Face Ridge in the waning miles of the loop.
The Goodro Round has become a standard training ground for the 'Bainbridge Ultra Running Team' (or BURT). Virtually non-existent on the Strava heatmap, it's just too good to keep as a BURT secret.
Begin at the Little Quilcene trailhead and proceed uphill towards Dirty Face Ridge. Take a left at the junction to ascend Mt. Townsend via Dirty Face Ridge. From the summit, begin to descend Mt. Townsend via the standard Mt. Townsend trail. Break off of the Mt. Townsend trail at the junction to Silver Lakes trail and stay on that trail to the Windy Pass saddle. At Windy Pass, depart the main trail and take the way trail southbound towards Welch Peaks. Follow the primitive trail and off-trail ridge to summit both Welch Peaks, Silver Peak, and Hawk Peak. From the summit of Hawk Peak backtrack 0.2 miles to safely drop into the Tull Canyon drainage, connecting with the Tull Canyon trail and following it to the Tubal Cain trail junction. Head northbound on the Tubal Cain trail all the way to the Tubal Cain trailhead. From the Tubal Cain trailhead, head southeast up FR2870 for 100 yards and turn left onto the Little Quilcene trail. Ascend the lower portion of Dirty Face ridge until you reach a junction that will take you back to the Little Quilcene trailhead. Return to the start at the Little Quilcene trailhead.
Water is generally available in Tull Canyon and along the Tubal Cain trail. Fill up before you ascend Dirty Face Ridge. It's a very long two miles.
