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1 Hamma Hamma Cabin
YOUR BEARINGS
50 miles northwest of Olympia
70 miles west of Seattle, approximately (via ferry)
75 miles northwest of Tacoma
170 miles north of Portland
AVAILABILITY: Year-round, weather permitting.
CAPACITY: Six people. No pets.
DESCRIPTION: Single-story cabin with gabled and hipped roof lines. Living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, full bath. A delightful and very popular lodge in a beautiful setting.
COST: $40 per night plus reservation fee. $25 refundable deposit is required.
RESERVATIONS: Call the toll-free National Recreation Reservation Service at 1-877-444-6777 or make reservations online at www.ReserveUSA.com.
HOW TO GET THERE: The road is paved all the way. During the winter months access may be limited to cross-country skis and snowshoes for the final four miles, though Hood River Ranger District tells us this happens only rarely. Consult them regarding current road and snow conditions prior to your departure. From Hoodsport, travel 14 miles north on US Highway 101 to Forest Road 25. Turn left. The sign reads hamma hamma recreation area. Continue on the Hamma Hamma Road six miles to a driveway on the right. Watch for the sign on the right: HAMMA HAMMA CABIN: OCCUPIED RESIDENCE. The cabin is about 100 yards up this driveway. The access road is gated; please respect the renter’s privacy. To view the cabin, walk the Living Legacy Nature Trail.
ELEVATION: 560 feet
WHAT IS PROVIDED: Living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, one bathroom with flush toilet. The only water available is to the toilet. Bring your own water for drinking, cooking and household uses. Potable water is available from a hand pump well at Lena Creek Campground two miles west on Forest Service Road 25 during the recreation use season (June-September). Propane heater, cook range, refrigerator, and lights. Propane is furnished. Inquire at Hoodsport office for accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
WHAT TO BRING: Drinking water, or the means to treat the local water. Bring camping supplies as well as garbage bags (pack it in, pack it out), candles or a lantern for emergencies, first aid kit, sleeping bag/bedding, toiletries, washcloths and towels, dish soap, and bar soap.
THE SETTING: If a contest were held to decide the most sought-after rental cabin in this book, Hamma Hamma would be the certain winner, and the runner up would surely be its sister cabin on the Olympic Peninsula, Interrorem. There are compelling reasons for this popularity, beyond the proximity to Seattle. Hamma Hamma is a rare and delightful place where one easily feels at home and at peace. It is more akin to a lodge than a cabin; its lovely living room is embraced by a semicircle of bay windows overlooking the Hamma Hamma River drainage.
HISTORY: The skill and craftsmanship of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which constructed this fine Guard Station during 1936 and 1937, have earned Hamma Hamma Cabin a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. We were intrigued by the origin and meaning of the name “Hamma Hamma.” Having dismissed our suggestion that it was of porcine origin, possibly the name of a Native pork pie, the ever-resourceful Susie Graham of the Hood Canal Ranger District told us that, originally, it was thought to be the Twana Indian name for “Stinky Stinky,” but that further research indicates that it may be the Twana Indian name of the root of a rush that grows in the area. Local Girl Scouts have undertaken the maintenance of the cabin since March 1992. Please help them by keeping the site as you found it—or, at least, as you would like to have found it.
AROUND YOU: The Olympic Peninsula and Hood Canal. To the west is Mt. Skokomish Wilderness; to the northwest, Brothers Wilderness; to the east, Hood Canal. Two miles west on Road 25 is the trailhead for Lena Lake, Trail 810. There is parking, a vault toilet and well water at Lena Creek Campground. It is less than three miles to the lake—and the junction with Trail 811, which takes you to Upper Lena Lake—and 3.5 miles to the junction with Brother Trail 821, which takes you several miles into Brothers Wilderness. To reach Skokomish Wilderness, continue west from Hamma Hamma Cabin on Road 25 for about six miles to access Putvin Trail 813, classed as “most difficult.” Or travel eight miles west to Trail 822, also classed as “most difficult,” which leads to Mildred Lakes, 4.5 miles from Hoodsport.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Hood Canal Ranger District—Hoodsport Office P.O. Box 68, Hoodsport, WA 98548 (360) 877-5254