Marmot Pass Spring Hike

Today we headed out to the east side of the Olympic Peninsula  near Quilcene to hike to Marmot Pass. This is a very popular hike, so I recommend hiking it during the week if possible. It is a 10.6 mile hike with 3500 ft of elevation gain.

The first half of the hike is through the forest. We saw some wood violets in bloom today.

I love that the trail goes along the Quilcene River as it cascades down the mountain.

 Most of the trail is soft dirt and needles.



















There were several streams to cross across the trail. One was from a waterfall.

Another was from a cascading stream, where we had a peek of mountain peaks through the trees.

As the trail climbed higher, we could see peaks across the valley.

The trail opened where we crossed a large avalanche chute, with rocky peaks towering above us. In the summer there are lots of gorgeous wildflowers.

 From here, we could see Marmot Pass ahead of us, covered in snow.

 There were some areas of snow and ice on the trail before we reached Camp Mystery. But after Camp Mystery the trail was mostly snow covered. We were happy to have our microspikes, but the trail was doable without them.

 We had the pass to ourselves and enjoyed the views!

 Looking back down the trail where we had hiked up. In the far distance we could see Glacier Peak, Hoods Canal and Puget Sound.

Panorama to the west: Looking toward the northern Olympic Mountains.

Panorama to the east: Buckhorn Mountain to the left.

 After enjoying our lunch in the sun, we headed back down the trail.
 We saw a grouse fly into this tree.

and saw some interesting fungus.