Backpacking to Marmot Pass, Washington
Driving Time: Seattle (2 hours 35 minutes away), Portland (3 hours, 45 minutes away)
Distance: 11.5 miles, out and back
Elevation Gain: 3,500 feet
Difficulty: moderate/difficult
Traffic: crowded/no solitude
Dogs allowed: yes
Bathrooms: yes, at trailhead
Oh man, if you haven’t added this backpacking destination to your list, add it now! We went last weekend (August 1st) and the weather was amazing, it hovered around 70 degrees during the day and the low 50s at night, the wildflowers were in full bloom and so diverse, the marmots were out and being spunky and the views were endless. We opted to drive up to the Olympic Peninsula Friday evening and do some dispersed camping close to the trailhead so we could get an early start Saturday morning. We arrived to the trailhead around 8:30am and the parking area was packed full of cars. The hike begins in a beautiful mossy forest with a gorgeous crystal blue river running through it. The first mile is mild in terms of elevation gain but then the trail takes off uphill. You pop out of the forest around mile 3, after which there isn’t much shade so make sure to bring sunscreen (also another reason why you should start this hike early)! We arrived to the campground around 11:00am and got one of the last good spots along the little creek. As soon as we dropped our packs on the ground and started setting up camp, group after group hiked past us looking for campsites. We got really lucky with the site we snagged! We decided to spend the afternoon reading, relaxing and napping before hiking up to Marmot Pass for the evening sunset. When you hit the pass, the views open up to the spectacular Olympic mountain range and if you find a rock to sit on you’ll be sure to encounter a few of the local marmot liaisons. Closer to sunset the clouds started dropping into the valley and we were socked in within an hour, so we ventured back down to the campground where we made spiked ginger lemon teas and enjoyed the rest of our evening. The next morning we took our time waking up and decided to hike a short way towards the pass to a meadow of wildflowers. There was a little clearing where we made our breakfast before packing up and heading back to the car. We encountered a lot of people on the trail, but 90% of them were wearing masks and everyone gave each other a lot of room to pass.
The hike is definitely difficult for backpacking, but not extremely hard. If you start early you’ll be able to do the hike before any afternoon “heat.” If you’re not into backpacking this hike could easily be done as a day trip!! I would start early regardless, but spend the entire day up at Marmot Pass :) For more information on the hike go here: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/upper-big-quilcene-trail-via-marmot-pass
This hike is on the land of the Klallam. To learn more about Native Land please explore this resource: https://native-land.ca/ & https://native-land.ca/resources/