page_title: Quilcene, Washington
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Quilcene, Washington / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: The US Fish and Wildlife Service's Quilcene National Fish Hatchery located on the West side of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.
context_page_description: Quilcene is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 596 at the 2010 census.
  The community is located on the Olympic Peninsula at the head of Quilcene Bay, an arm of the seawater-filled glacial valley of the Hood Canal. Each year many visitors enjoy the panoramic views of Mount Rainier, Puget Sound and Seattle from the 2,804-foot summit of nearby Mount Walker, the only peak facing the Puget Sound that has a road to its summit. The Olympic National Forest lands in Quilcene hold Douglas fir, spring-blooming Pacific rhododendrons, Oregon grape, and salal. Leland Lake is located north of Quilcene.
  Quilcene oysters are named after the community. Quilcene has one of the largest oyster hatcheries in the world.
context_section_description: Quilcene is located in eastern Jefferson County at 47°49′55″N 122°53′7″W (47.831838, -122.885339), at the north end of Quilcene Bay, an arm of Dabob Bay, which extends north from Hood Canal. The Big Quilcene River forms the southern edge of the community, and the Little Quilcene River forms the northeastern edge; both arise in the Olympic Mountains to the west and flow past the town into Quilcene Bay.
  According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 9.2 square miles (23.8 km²), of which 8.8 square miles (22.8 km²) are land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²), or 4.25%, are water.
  The Olympic National Forest is west and south of the community. The 2,804-foot (855 m) summit of Mount Walker, 2 miles (3 km) southwest of the CDP, offers views of Mount Jupiter, Buckhorn Mountain, Mount Constance, Mount Baker and the town of Quilcene.
  At the southwest edge of the Quilcene CDP, at the union of the Big Quilcene River and Penny Creek, the Quilcene National Fish Hatchery has been operating since 1911. There, the US Fish and Wildlife Service raises coho salmon for on-station release and provides coho salmon eggs and fingerlings for tribal programs.
caption: USFWS Quilcene National Fish Hatchery
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