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A beautiful trail accessing the eastern boundary of the National Park, Camp Handy, or more of the Buckhorn Wilderness.


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Map Key

8.2

Miles

13.1

KM

Point to Point

5,966' 1,819 m

High

2,534' 772 m

Low

3,590' 1,094 m

Up

160' 49 m

Down

9%

Avg Grade (5°)

33%

Max Grade (18°)

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Fishing · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Family Friendly The first mile is a pretty easy ramble along the river. You don't have to far!

Need to Know

No privy at Camp Handy or Boulder Camp. Dogs on leash in Wilderness.

Description

Whether you use this trail to camp at the junction with the Royal Basin Trail, continue south along the Dungeness River to Camp Handy, or continue all the way up to Boulder Camp and Marmot Pass, you won't be disappointed.

Starting from the trailhead, this one begins to follow the Dungeness River through a dense evergreen forest. Within less than a mile, there is a junction marked by a sign and tall timber bridge. To the right (west), is the Royal Basin Trail. To the left, over the bridge, this trail continues (note the dispersed camping spots in this area). There are also quite a few fishing holes here.

Heading south, the trail has a very manageable upward trending grade with a fairly wide path. Don't be fooled, there are still lots of loose rocks and twisted roots to turn your ankle on. After almost 3.5 miles, you may notice some user trails heading toward the water, this is Camp Handy, a dispersed campground. Don't worry if you take a side trail as they'll all rejoin to begin the ascent toward Boulder Camp. Continue heading up and left (east/southeast), keeping an eye out for the Heather Creek Trail on your right (there should be a small sign).

From here, the trail continues to climb steeply crossing a few small drainages that could require hopping on exposed rocks or getting your feet wet. Some sections are steeper than others but none are that sustained in length and the higher you get the more views you'll be afforded to the west across the valley.

Finally, after six miles or so, keep an eye out for the sharp lefthand turn to continue the ascent toward Marmot Pass (signage isn't always present here). Luckily, if you miss the turn and continue a few hundred feet or so on the Constance Pass Trail, you'll arrive at another drainage crossing at Boulder Camp that has a shelter but no privy.

Heading up from the junction with the Constance Pass Trail, the trees continue to thin out with more and more opportunities to take in the views and catch your breath. After the last switchback, the trail will sidehill along the contours passing some impressive hand-hewn erosion retention work. Wildflowers can be beautiful through this section as the trail ends at Marmot Pass and the junction with the Tubal Cain River Trail and the Upper Big Quilcene River Trail.

Contacts

Shared By:

Zander Göpfert with improvements by Tilman Giese

Trail Ratings

  4.8 from 6 votes

#967

Overall
  4.8 from 6 votes
5 Star
83%
4 Star
17%
3 Star
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Trail Rankings

#60

in Washington

#967

Overall
5 Views Last Month
1,694 Since Oct 1, 2019
Intermediate Intermediate

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Photos

View up the Heather Creek drainage towards Mount Mystery.
Jun 10, 2023 near Quilcene, WA
Buckhorn Mountain, from south side of the Pass.
Jan 2, 2020 near Quilcene, WA
Junction of Tubal Cain, Upper Big Quilcene, and Upper Dungeness aka Marmot Pass.
Oct 15, 2019 near Quilcene, WA
Early morning, on top of the south ridge above Marmot Pass, looking out on Hood Canal.
Jan 2, 2020 near Quilcene, WA
Mount Fricaba from the junction of Upper Dungeness Trail and Constance Pass Trail.
Jun 10, 2023 near Quilcene, WA
Views distracting from the push heading up to Marmot Pass.
Oct 15, 2019 near Quilcene, WA

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Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Jul 16, 2023
Michael Young
Sep 6, 2022
Tilman Giese
Jun 25, 2020
Private User
Jun 22, 2019
Gary LaVoy
May 3, 2019
Jeffery Gascoyne
Jul 8, 2018
Samuel Peckham
Jun 11, 2018
Stefan W
Great hike through dense forests and sprawling meadows. there are several camp sites along the trail that you can camp at without a reservation!… 3.5mi
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