Mount Ellinor
6 days ago
Snowfields to cross, icy patches
5 this month · 157 reports
Buckhorn Mountain
Olympic Peninsula
updated 3 weeks ago
The trail to Buckhorn Peak is generally in good condition, with snow free conditions reported as of October 18. The access road has standard potholes and is rough but passable, with the last 4.7 miles of dirt road to the lot being particularly bad with BIG potholes. Hikers should be prepared for loose scree and a final scramble over boulders to reach the summit, with trekking poles recommended. Some downed trees were noted on the switchbacks down to Boulder Shelter as of July 24, but were easily passable.
Generated from 24 trip reports. Trails change faster than reports do, so check anything you’d turn around for.
What hikers ask about Buckhorn Mountain
Generated from the most recent trip reports, newest 3 weeks ago. Check anything you’d turn around for.
No trip reports on this trail in 3 weeks, so everything below is at least that old.
The access road has standard potholes and is rough but passable. The last 4.7 miles of dirt road to the lot are noted as having BIG potholes. Despite this, the road was suitable for all vehicles as of September 6.
The trail is described as smooth and flowing to Marmot Pass. However, the ascent to Buckhorn Peak involves tiresome loose scree and a final section of scrambling over boulders, testing skill and agility.
The final push to the summit involves navigating loose scree and wedging through boulders, with two possible routes to the top. Some blowdowns were reported on the switchbacks down to Boulder Shelter as of July 24, but were easily passable.
Water sources were reported as fine up to Mystery as of October 18. Hikers should be aware that Camp Mystery may be dry, as was a concern on August 21.
More in Olympic Peninsula
Mount Townsend
1 week ago
Recent potholes near the end of the road
4 this month · 87 reports
Lake of the Angels
1 week ago
Steep climbs and muddy bogs await
4 this month · 38 reports
Big Creek
1 week ago
Many mushrooms and rocky stairs
3 this month · 64 reports
Lena Lake
4 days ago
Some blowdowns to duck under
2 this month · 116 reports
Dosewallips River Road
3 days ago
Fall color has arrived
2 this month · 63 reports
Trail notes generated from recent reports. Conditions change fast.
Sources
Recent3 weeks ago
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
Fantastic outing on a near perfect autumn day. Road has the standard potholes, slow down if you don’t want to blow a CV. Trail is smooth and flowing to the pass, obvious and manageable with attention ...
Older1 month ago
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
Hiked out at dawn with only 1 other car in the lot. Trails are in great shape with the Quilcene River to follow from the start. Saw only 3 other hikers all day. Taking the path to the right over Ma...
Older2 months ago
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
I backpacked up to Marmot Pass and had a very amazing experience. The weather was perfect and I decided not to camp out at camp Mystery. Instead, I set up my tent right along the pass. I really loved ...
Older2 months ago
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
We hiked up to Marmot Pass to camp, and continued on to summit Buckhorn Mountain in the afternoon after setting up camp and taking a quick nap. The whole trail up to Marmot Pass was smooth and in fant...
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
This was a 7 day Olympic traverse from Irely Lakes Trailhead via Big Creek and the Skyline Trails, through Low Divide to the Elwha, over Hayden pass down the Dosewallips to Constance Pass, past Home L...
Older3 months ago
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
Forest Road 2880 was its usual potholed mess. One car in the Tubal-Cain trailhead when I arrived at 7:45am. Very few people on the trail.The trail is in excellent condition. The two miles of rhododend...
Older3 months ago
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
Out & back from Tubal Cain with one night at the mine and two nights in Marmot Pass. Lots of side quests led to about 34 miles total. Hiked over a long weekend with a friend. We love this area of Olym...
Older3 months ago
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
The sweeping views from Buckhorn Mountain are probably best earlier in the season when the surrounding peaks are snow-capped, but even now in midsummer this hike puts the vast and varied beauty of the...
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
G’atch and I departed Seattle 6:00 AM, Monday July 20 and arrived at Tubal Cain TH around 9:45. We quickly unloaded my bicycle and locked it to a tree. (We used it to retrieve the car at Dungeness aft...
Older5 months ago
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
We arrived at the parking lot on Thursday afternoon around 1:30pm. The lot was almost full then, but we met a lot of day trippers coming down. There were 4 groups of people we saw at Camp Mystery, 3 g...