We arrived at the Big Quilcene trailhead a bit before 10, and the parking lot was mostly full. Camp Mystery was already quite full when we reached it, though we were able to find a spot to pitch three tents fairly close together.

After a decent break, we headed up to Marmot Pass, passing a few campsites (most of which were also taken) and we soon reached the pass itself. Two of us made the trek up to Buckhorn - it was fairly warm and smoky out, so it took us close to an hour to reach the summit (I'm not in peak conditioning, admittedly). Views from the summit itself were decent, albeit hazy.

On the way back to camp we passed a number of folks who were pitching tents in the remaining campsites: I would hazard to guess nearly every campsite in the area was taken by the evening.

Great 2 nighter at Marmot Pass! We got to the Upper Quilcene TH around 10:30am on Friday and were pleasantly surprised to snag a spot in the actual lot. Saw only a few groups (including a WTA work party, thank you!!!) on the way up. Stopped at Camp Mystery to fill up lots of water (last source), there were lots of open sites at Camp Mystery at this point. We made our way to Marmot and hiked up the ridge and landed a very dreamy site, it was here we decided to stay put for 2 nights and just do day hiking the following day. The last push from the junction to the top of Marmot is a short but steep little slog! We were up top here with only 2 other people Friday night.

The next morning it was a bit hazy but we did a quick walk down to Mystery to grab more water. After that we did Buckhorn Mountain, which was beautiful. Even with the haze the mountain views were quite beautiful. We made our way down the side trail that connects with Tubal Caine and took that down to Buckhorn Lake. Saw maybe 2 parties camped at Buckhorn. After lunch we marched back up to Marmot along Tubal Caine— it got HOT and no water sources between Marmot and Buckhorn so definitely be sure to pack enough because big chunks of it are exposed! We had a dog with us, who is sensitive to heat with a thick black coat, so we took our time coming back with lots of water breaks and shade rests. Got back to camp around 3pm and saw 4ish other parties up top! Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of crowds for an August weekend on the peninsula—can’t speak to what Mystery was like. Maybe smoke kept people away? There were quite a few dogs out and about! I couldn’t find a great place to dig a deep enough hole at Marmot so packed out my waste along with the 4lbs of poop our dog somehow created. Wildflowers were past prime, but still some dotting the meadows.

 DAY Hike.  Arrived at Trail Head #833 Upper Big Quilcene Around 10:15am there was still plenty of parking in lot. Started Hiking around 10:30am. Someone put up a Post-It note at beginning of trail stating that they sighted a cougar Aug 2nd about 1.5miles up the trail by the river. There was a blanket of smoke that partially obscured views of peaks. The Smoke Seemed to fade through the day, and also with elevation. The trail to marmot pass was well maintained and on the sides of the trail were wild blueberries, wildflowers, and thimbleberries (they looked like they will be ripe in one to two weeks). I was not bothered by bugs but but a hiker I passed on the way up stated that they were getting worse with the elevation. I had Difficulty finding the trail to continue from camp mystery to marmot pass but with a bit of searching it was found. Made it to marmot pass by 1:00pm and took a break till 1:15 before continuing on to Summit Buckhorn Mountain. From Marmot Pass if you look North-Northeast you can see a steep trail going up the side of a mountain and a peak beyond. this is the trail to Buckhorn Mountain, Buckhorn Mountain's Summit is hidden behind this lesser peak that you see when looking from Marmot Pass. Took me about 30min to reach the summit of Buckhorn Mountain after leaving Marmot Pass. The trail was easy to follow but steep and had a many sections with scrambling on loose unforgiving rock. I arrived on the summit at about 1:45PM took about 15 minutes to soak in the views and then proceeded to start the hike back down. I made very few stops on the way back down and it took me about 2 hours to get back to the parking lot from the top of Buckhorn Mountain.

One night overnight trip. Arrived at trailhead Sunday around 10:45am. Saw plenty of cars leaving as we were heading up. Also saw a number of parties heading down as we were heading up. Trail is in great shape. Wore trail running shoes instead of hiking boots based on reading prior reports and didn't regret it. It's a steady climb to Camp Mystery walking first along the river then rising up above where there were nice views on this sunny Sunday. Got to Camp Mystery in about 2.5 hours and set up camp. At about 3pm we headed up, sans packs, to Marmot Pass. Very pretty. Took a break and soaked up the views. From the Pass you can look East and see Hood Canal and Puget Sound. Saw a cruise ship headed up the Sound. After a short break decided to head up to Buckhorn Mountain. The first 600 or so feet of elevation gain is quite steep. We took several breaks to catch our breath. After that you get to a less steep shelf that's gradual all the way to the false summit. The views at the false summit were better than the actual summit - looking all the way from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the NW to the heart of the Olympics to the South. The actual summit is a short walk from the false summit and pretty rocky with a couple steep points but pretty passable. It was around 5pm when we got there and the clouds were swirling around so the views weren't as clear but still very cool. It was a tough climb up and down Buckhorn from the Pass but very rewarding.

Two night trip via the UpperBig Quilcine. Snow is gone until you hit the other side of Marmot Pass. Then there’s a few snow patches, one was kind of tricky and trekking poles would be good to have! Buckhorn Mountain was straightforward with gorgeous views from the top. A few more snow patches on the way to Charlia Lakes but again nothing too bad. The lakes are beautiful, and well worth visiting. A few good campsites nestled along the upper and lower lakes. We stayed along the upper lake the last night and got all the way back to the car easily the next day.