Maynard Peak by Tyler Peak overlooks the Dungeness River inside Buckhorn Wilderness. Mount Zion sits directly east on the other side of Dirty Face Ridge. Meanwhile, the southeast Three O’Clock Ridge takes one to the top in under two miles.
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Maynard Peak at a Glance
Access: NF-2860
Round Trip: 3.3 miles
Elevation Range: 3020′-5080′
Gear: none
GPS track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Road 2860 to the Starting Point
I discovered Maynard Peak after two recent trips to the area. The short climb also offers stunning views of the north-central Olympic Mountains. So today, we returned to the peninsula after an outing in the desert.
It was cloudy over the Hood Canal Bridge, so I thought we wouldn’t see much on top. Soon, we drove through several service roads before turning onto NF-2860. We were 14 miles from the highway when we reached the pullout as the sky slowly cleared.
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Traversing Three O’Clock Ridge Atop Dungeness River
From the road, I saw Mount Townsend in the Buckhorn Wilderness. Meanwhile, I also notice the neighboring Tyler Peak around the corner. Shortly, we walked onto the ridge and scrambled, following animal tracks through the forest.
The initial 600′ felt the steepest before the clearing, where the incline lessened a bit for a breather. The constant south views improved the higher we were on the steep ridgeline. Soon, the Dungeness River Valley began to take shape.
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The Final Stretch Through the Ridgeline
There were several places with outcrops on the ridge. At 4100′, we bypassed the first group from the west before going above it and saw the false summit. Later, at 4300′, we bypassed cliffs from the east, which quickly turned steep.
So we returned to the crest and worked our way above the cliffs but didn’t get far. So, we left the ridge from the west before the terrain became too steep. Then, after we dropped onto the saddle, the route became more straightforward.
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Viewing Buckhorn Wilderness from Maynard Peak Summit
The ridge grew increasingly woodsy, and I still couldn’t see the summit from the false peak. We followed a faint path through snow patches for a quarter of a mile. Before long, we reached the high point on the Buckhorn Wilderness boundary.
The flat top offered phenomenal views, as it turned out! The inversion that started earlier now hovered over Juan de Fuca and the lower valleys. Tyler Peak took up most of the view. I looked at the other peaks but didn’t recognize any of them.
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Retracing Steps to Road 2860
It turned out to be a warm day and not too breezy, so we enjoyed a pleasant stay on top. The Olympic National Park wasn’t too far west of here. I also saw Hurricane Ridge spanning across Grand Creek Valley in that direction.
We dropped 200′ west of the crest back at 4400′. Then we traversed sideways through steep inclines and, during which, bypassed the outcrops. We came out below the first set of cliffs before reaching the road shortly.
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