Mount Walker by Buck Mountain in the Olympic Mountains / 沃克山

  • Reading time:6 mins read

Mount Walker by Buck Mountain is a lowland hill in the Olympic Mountains. It’s the highest point in the northeast Olympic Foothills. Meanwhile, Highway 101 on the west offers the most direct way to this notable peak.

Mount Walker panorama from the south summit
Mount Walker panorama from the south summit

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Mount Walker at a Glance

Access: Mount Walker Trailhead
Round Trip: 5.5 miles
Elevation Range:
760′-2804′
Gear: microspikes
GPS Track: available

Dog-Friendly: yes

The Preface

The pup and I woke up early but still felt the effect of yesterday’s trip. After staring at each other for a while, we went back to sleep. We later rolled out of bed in the late morning to check out Mount Walker so as not to waste a beautiful day.

We were last in the Olympic Mountains in late 2015. But after a two-hour drive and missing the exit to Quilcene twice. The gated NF-2730 had forced cars to park by Highway 101, so we walked under half a mile to the trailhead.

Gated road
Gated road

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Mount Walker Trail

Some people noted the snow and ice higher up, which didn’t surprise me. Besides winter, we’ve had a few snowstorms this year. Soon, we walked up the steep path and found snow and ice at the halfway mark.

It was pretty slippery; some people had difficulty descending a steep, icy area. So I put on microspikes there, and we continued through several more switchbacks. There were no views en route, and we’d stop and talk to a few folks being a popular trail.

The ridge signage
The ridge signage

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The Two Summits of Mount Walker

We quickly stopped on the north summit before continuing to the south peak. Most hikers turned around at the north point, even though the south was sunny and quiet. The south also offered the three-volcano view by the 90-degree clearing.

We stayed a long time here. Later, we returned to the north summit for a different view. Here, the 90-degree viewpoint featured the eastern Olympic Mountains, a stark contrast to the Puget Sound side. The tip of the 7000′-plus mountains like Buckhorn Mountain was visible through clouds. I also saw Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan off in the far northeast.

Mount Walker panoramic view on south summit
Mount Rainier

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Outro

Later, we met two hikers and their chocolate lab. After a brief chat, they then continued their conditioning hike. The two-mile walk down went by in the blink of an eye. Only two other cars were down by the gate when we returned in the early evening.

Mount Walker panoramic view on north summit
Mount Walker panoramic view on north summit

See more trip photos here.

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