Field trip: Conditioning Hiking Series
CHS 1 Hike - Marmot Pass & Buckhorn Mountain
We will be hiking to Marmot pass and not continuing up Buckhorn Mountain. One of the great Olympic hikes in the Buckhorn Wilderness! This trail will take us through old growth forest along the pristine Big Quilcene River, then up out of the trees to alpine meadows and views of snow-capped peaks. CHS hike led at a CHS 1 pace (1.5-2.0 mph).
- Sat, Jul 20, 2019
- Seattle Hiking Committee
- Day Hiking
- Adults
- Strenuous
- Challenging
- Mileage: 11.8 mi
- Elevation Gain: 3,600 ft
- High Point Elevation: 6,000 ft
- Pace: 1.5-2.0 mph
- 2 (12 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
Marmot Pass is a popular summer hike so we will plan to leave the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center at I-5 exit 178, leaving at 5:45 am to catch the 6:10 am Edmonds to Kinston ferry and arrive at the trailhead shortly after 8 am. There is a privy at the trailhead. We expect to stop in Quilcene or Kingston for the after hike social and, due to distance and altitude gain of the hike, will be taking an evening ferry back from Kingston.
I hiked the trial in early June and even at that time the trail was almost snow free with only small amounts of mud and water on the trail. Most of the trail was in very good condition with just a couple of small blow downs. The exception is at a couple of talus rock crossings that start at about 4 miles up the trail. While the crossings are relatively short in distance and with minimal grade, there have been some small rock (baseball to softball size) sliding onto the trail over the winter so these areas need to be crossed with some caution and I found hiking poles helpful there. The crossings will be perhaps be cleaned up by the time of our hike.
The last 5 miles of road to the trailhead has quite a few shallow potholes so will need to be driven at 15 to 25 mph. We did navigate through it in a Civic without issues.
The ferry cost is about $16 per person and the distance is about 110 miles round trip.
Marmot Pass & Buckhorn Mountain
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Custom Correct Buckhorn Wilderness
Green Trails Tyler Peak No. 136
Green Trails Olympic Mountains East No. 168S
Trails Illustrated Olympic National Park - See full route/place details.
Required Equipment
Ten Essential Systems
- Navigation (map & compass)
- Sun protection (sunglasses & sunscreen)
- Insulation (extra clothing)
- Illumination (headlamp/flashlight)
- First-aid supplies
- Fire (waterproof matches/lighter/candle)
- Repair kit and tools
- Nutrition (extra food)
- Hydration (extra water)
- Emergency shelter (tent/plastic tube tent/garbage bag)