These groups usually include an adult male, two adult females, yearling offspring, and newborn offspring. Gregarious bonds are made between individuals in a family. Olympic marmots identify each other by touching noses and smelling of cheeks. This behavior, along with grooming, establishes the standing of each individual in the family. Little contact occurs with a neighboring group, though a border may be shared.
Olympic marmots are diurnal and terrestrial animals.
During the morning and afternoon on summer days, they feed and spend time sunbathing on rocks. In the evening, they return to their burrows. Well used trails connect their burrows. A mother and her offspring generally live in their own burrow. Adult males usually inhabit a burrow with one or two females.