Marmot Pass — Saturday, Apr. 25, 2015

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

Great trip up to Marmot Pass from the Upper Big Quilcene trailhead. The trail was in great condition. The mountains are still snow covered, but the trail is greening up with spring foliage. There are a lot of little waterfalls along the trail. It was a great hike, and the views at the top made it excellent. There was still a good bit of snow at the top, but the trail was relatively uncovered and it was a quick hike to the top. The trail to Buckhorn Mountain looked very accessible. We saw about 10 sooty grouse...great time for birders! DOGS: We took our Weimaraner. This is one of the few hikes on the Olympic Peninsula where dogs are allowed. There is a short section about halfway up that is rocky. We ended up carrying our dog, but I think most dogs would do fine crossing it slowly. HIKING TIME: We made it to the top in 2.75 hours (breaks not included). We made it down in about 2 hours (breaks included). We were walking a normal pace with packs.