Three heartbeats in our party: myself, my girlfriend and our pup. We arrived at the trailhead around noon Friday. The lot was partially full and the registry indicated most hikers were just in for the day, but a few parties also had their sights on Buckhorn Lake for overnight stays.

The trail is in terrific shape and is graded very well, with gentle, steady climbs. The lower portion of the hike that hugs the east side of Copper Creek is primarily under the cover of tree line and is flanked by countless rhododendrons, although most of their blooms had expired on the forest floor by this time. This hallway of rhodies must be quite a sight earlier in the season. All this foliage made for a cooler accent in the otherwise warm mid-day sun.

The way trails to the old mine shafts and airplane wreckage are easy to spot, but with securing a campsite in mind, we did not stray too far from the main trail. Relics of the old mining activity and airplane crash are also easily visible from the trail, and apparently most pieces from the crash been carried downslope. However, we could hear the voices of several enthusiastic men exploring the crash site upslope. Perhaps the remains really are worth the jaunt. We also spotted a couple of parties lounging near the crossing of Cooper Creek.

Jog upstream from the horse ford to find some foot logs to keep those boots dry as you cross. Once on the western slope of the canyon, head back downstream, or north, as the first switchback of the trail continues this way. The trail grade increases slightly here, but is well worth the advancement in elevation. The wild flowers are in full effect. After a couple of switchbacks, the trail breaks from the tree line in to full open slope. It was hard to put the camera down, as the show was simply breathtaking. Once you are through the switchbacks, you’ll ride out a gentle climb up the Cooper Creek Basin. Iron and Buckhorn Mountains are soon within sight a mile or so up the canyon.

Just before the junction to Buckhorn Lake, we encountered a scout troop returning from the Dungeness River Basin. Made a mental note, as this would make for a nice short loop hike with a minimal shuttle car required. They did advise us that the lower route to Marmot Pass was still covered in snow. These were useful details for our planned day hike the following morning.

The short trail to Buckhorn Lake gets steep as it undulates over two small confluences prior to reaching the lake. There are a couple of campsites near these streams as you make your approach. The most established sites are adjacent to the inlet of the lake. The larger spot was already occupied and a party just ahead of us was claiming the site beyond.

We headed to the shores of the lake to try our luck. We first discovered a built-out landing, which hardly constitutes a campsite, but appeared to have been used as one. We pressed on, bush-whacking our way through thick entanglements of dry brush and trees to a small clearing at the outlet of the lake. This sloped spot has a well-established fire pit and just enough room for a tent. The recently downed trees also provide a small, tree-framed window onto Iron Mountain. We called this humble site home for two nights.

Buckhorn Lake is a beautiful little blue gem, but has steep banks and is densely vegetated. Don’t expect A+ lakeshore camping here. The nicest sites are definitely by the inlet. Surprisingly, bugs were not an issue at all, even near the outlet where the water was calmer.

A warm meal accompanied by silence was indeed a treat. The unseen sunset broadcasted its rays on the peaks seen from the lakeshore. Broken clouds moved in for most the evening so stargazing was limited.

The following day, we had our sights set on Marmot Pass, but expanded our ambitions to the stoic ridgeline of Buckhorn and Iron Mountains. The subalpine beauty continued once past the Buckhorn Lake junction and did not let up for the remainder of the day. There is no reliable water source past the junction with Buckhorn Lake, so if you are camping at a higher altitude, be prepared to play camel.

We encountered some snow patches, but nothing posing any significant danger. Rarely did the small fields cross the trail. You can easily avoid or cross these sections. From the saddle, rather than continuing down to the potentially snow-covered route to Marmot Pass, we pressed on higher, following the way trail upslope along the ridge. We ate lunch at the high saddle above Marmot Pass with nearly 360-degree views. The sun was warm and the breezes cool.

Sadly, once we scrambled up to Buckhorn we found ourselves within the clouds. Visibility was limited to a mere 50ft. We waited out the clouds for 20 mins or so, but they didn’t dissipate enough to award us with a view for our efforts.

We greeted many other hikers on our decent back to camp. And later in the evening, others stumbled into our camp in search of their own place to pitch a tent. As an avid backpacker and dog owner, here’s a hot tip for other canine keepers: As a courtesy to others, it’s best not to approach campsites with your dogs off leash. It’s bad backcountry practice to have your dogs lead the way, especially if it’s a LONG way and the humans are nowhere to be seen.

We had one neighbor for the night, just downstream from the outlet. Earlier in the season, this spot would likely be too marshy, but is dry enough now. The clouds socked us in for the evening but burned off by morning.

I expected to see many more hikers on the way out, but it was pretty quiet on the trail. (Perhaps because we slept in.)

This is a great little piece of the Olympics. If you’re hiking in for the day, be sure to cross the creek bed get up above the tree line. The wildflowers are out of control.

Most difficult part of this hike is driving to trailhead. Be sure you have good directions on how to get there and back too!
The rhodis were past their bloom at the trail head. A mile or so in, the flower show began with the rhodis being in the tail end of their bloom. Crossing the stream going out of Tubal Cain Campsie was on some logs - which add a little excitement to the trip. Having poles helps alot - but the water isn't that deep that a good dunking might not be unpleasant on a hot day! The wild flowers going up towards Buckhorn Pass were out in their full glory. Just before the turnoff for Buckhorn Lake, there is a bit of snow - easy to walk around or thru. We opted to head for Buckhorn Pass. Just before the pass, their is an easily navigatable snow patch for which poles are helpful, but certainly not necessary. Views from the pass were spendid!
Just pass the pass, we ran into considerable snow - well consolidated and a bit on the steep side. We opted to turn back at this point - but not before Mt Baker came into view.
Be prepared for bugs! They seem to coming out.

Three nights hiking and camping along the Buckhorn Lake Trail and Marmot Pass.

Ian and I enjoyed the opportunity the recent snowmelt afforded us to hike into the high elevations.

Trail conditions: excellent, only a few patches of snow remain, the largest just above Buckhorn Pass, but all the snow is easily negotiated in boots. Only two or three blowdowns above Tubal Cain Mine Camp, easily crossed. A little water/mud in the trail before you get to Tubal Cain Mine Camp. I can’t comment on the conditions along the official trail between Buckhorn Pass and Marmot Pass (we opted for the way-trail over Buckhorn).

Wildflowers are still showy, and are in their prime up high, above 4,500 feet. The rhodies are still around, starting about 2.0 miles from the Tubal Cain trailhead.

Perhaps most enjoyable, mountain goats made appearances at Marmot Pass and both north and south of Marmot. There was no aggressive behavior, but we kept our distance and used zoom lenses to capture pictures.

We hiked several ridgelines and peaks in the area. This was our first ridgeline run along the ridge that you can access from Buckhorn Pass and follow roughly northward parallel to, but above, the Buckhorn Lake trail. We followed boot tread / game trails much of the way, and made it up, over, and along the entire length, until we ran out of ridge to walk. This was both rewarding and physically challenging but we found it hikeable with only trekking poles (no climbing gear).

Please, be sure to to dig and use cat-holes and leave no trace! We had to clean up two - ahem - messy piles of toilet tissue (and more) left behind by previous visitors in the trees at Buckhorn Pass.

Two up-and-back hikes:

1. Tubal Cain & Buckhorn Lake Trail (two nights at Copper Creek Mining Camp, day hike to Tull Canyon and second day hike to Buckhorn Pass)
2. Upper Dungeness Trail to Heather Meadow (overnight)

My wife and I originally planned this as a loop, but a trail report delivered in person by friends on the trail who had spent the previous two days on top of Buckhorn Mountain told us the conditions between Buckhorn Pass and Boulder Shelter were daunting at best. We just didn’t feel comfortable traversing the snow on the steep sections.

Summed up in three words: Oh, the wildflowers! The highlight was definitely the day hike to Buckhorn Pass. The wildflowers were showy in their abundance, variety, and bright colors. The views along the whole walk, especially across the Dungeness River valley from Buckhorn Pass, made the gentle climb in elevation worthwhile. There are a few fields of snow and some water on the trail above the cutoff to Buckhorn Lake, but we traversed it all in hiking boots and using trekking poles, no crampons or snowshoes.
We are grateful to our trail acquaintance Ian for taking the time to tell us some of the history of the Tubal Cain mine. Thanks to friends Tim and Deborah and their kids for offering to help us with the shuttle, and for scoping out the trail ahead of us!

Monday July 4, we shared the mine camp site with one other group and one other individual. On Tuesday, everyone cleared out, and we had the place to ourselves.
Wed. July 6, we hiked out, drove down to Upper Dungeness Trailhead, and hiked to Heather Meadow for the night. We saw only day hikers, no campers, from our trailside camp site. We saw a lone bald eagle above Hawk's Ridge. In Heather Meadow, we saw evidence of Black Bear, but no furry critters walking around.

Trail is snow free all the way into Heather Meadow. Bugs were minimal. No mosquito bites!

Total mileage for the four days: ~26 miles