Hoh River #15
Jul 13, 2007
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Hoh River-Five Mile Island
- Region: Olympics -- West
- Agency: Olympic National Park
- Trails: Hoh River (#15)
- Avg Rating: 3.31
- Be Aware Of
- Bugs
Headed up the Hoh River to Climb Mt. Olympus... The trail suffered a lot of damage over the winter, but the park service has basically cleaned it all up, and things are in really good shape. Of course, the forest along the trail is stunning - the gigantic trees make one feel small, like a little kid again. Just thought I'd note a couple minor obstacles.
About 7 miles in (a mile before Olympic Guard Station), the trail crosses a side-channel of the Hoh. You can ford the stream just about 20 feet downstream of where the more obvious ""horse ford"" is... it's about knee-thigh deep and maybe 20 feet across, and moderately swift. (the horse ford spot is chest deep, so don't cross there!) Or, immediately downstream from that (like another 20 feet downstream), there is a log-jam, and you can cross on two logs. The second of these can get covered by water when the runoff is high (i.e. evenings after a hot day), but when we were there, the water was down about 8 inches in the morning vs. evening, and this will be less of a problem as the season goes on.
Then, about a mile from Glacier Meadows, the trail traverses a washed-out area. If you're a little unsteady on your feet, it might cause you some angst. There's a bit of loose scree to cross, but if you take your time and watch your step, you'll be fine.
Mosquitoes were out, but only horrible in random patches in the thick woods. Near the river, where there's often a breeze, you might find some relief.
FYI, the trail crews were working hard on the trail to Hoh Lake, which had a lot of blowdowns... I imagine that'll be cleaned up in the next couple weeks.
The climb went well btw. But that's a different story!
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