Trip Report
Day Hike - Marmot Pass
Beautiful, sunny, but very warm and busy day on this popular trail.
Nancy Lloyd
- Sun, Jul 24, 2022
- Day Hike - Marmot Pass
- Marmot Pass & Buckhorn Mountain
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road rough but passable
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The trail is in great shape, but the unpaved road to the trailhead is chock full of holes for the final few miles, some pretty deep. Sedans were doing it, however slowly. The parking lot was packed on our arrival before 8 a.m. Vehicles were lined up along the road, both before and after the parking area.
It was a Sunday, so lots of weekend campers were heading home. The forest was nice, but heat and sweat crept up on us as we got higher and into sunshine. There were about a half dozen streamlets along the way to filter water, and a couple of them had potential to cause wet feet, but we had no problems. No bears or goats were seen, but a couple of campers hiking out said they saw a bear. Wildflowers were a bit disappointing; they appeared to be either past prime or not at prime yet. On a more positive note, bugs were not bad and views at the pass were sweet. It's worth hiking a bit higher to the left at the pass (or continue straight depending on your angle). Rock outcroppings up there offer a more expansive Olympics scene. I gave this hike only 4 stars because of the heat and unexpectedly few wildflowers.
