Trip Reports
Showing all trip reports for the hike "Hoh River-Five Mile Island"
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Olympics -- West
Wildflowers blooming
Mudholes
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We arrived at the trailhead around 10am. It was cloudy and rainy, we'd experienced light, intermitte...
We arrived at the trailhead around 10am. It was cloudy and rainy, we'd experienced light, intermittent showers during the 4-hour drive via the "southern route" from Kent. There is a visitor's center. This place is a world heritage site. Yep. It is that cool. There were a bunch of cars, but not so many people on the trail. The farther we hiked, the fewer people we encountered.
As you may expect from a world heritage site, this place is top-notch. The trail was impeccable. So very well maintained. It was muddy in a few places. It's almost level the whole way to Five Mile Island. I could gush on and on about the beauty of this trail, but I don't know how useful that would be to fellow hikers. The clouds limited our views, but that didn't really matter. The massive old-growth trees are magical (I know it may sound hokey to use such a term, but it is awe inspiring to me to consider the length of time these things have been alive and continue to exist), the wildflowers are like little jewels laying around on lush green carpets, and the absence of noisy people and machines made it a dreamlike experience. Ok, I'll stop gushing. This is a very low-impact hike out to five mile island. If you are out of shape or feeling tired, have young children, you may be able to pull this one off. Honestly, I feel you have a responsibility to yourself (I know I don't know you) to check this place out before you die. Make the time and do it. |
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Olympics -- West
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My first overnight in this area. We started right off with a group of Elk and one was not friendly a...
My first overnight in this area. We started right off with a group of Elk and one was not friendly and agressive even. He charged me twice. We finally had to go around the corner and wait several minutes till he was ready to eat in a different place. After that it was all good. Beautiful trail lush and green and very flat. We arrived at 5 mile camp a little over 2 hours and after chatting with a fellow hiker found out a bear just crossed the river a few mins prior...bummer we missed that! Set up camp next to river and explored a bit, headed to happy four shelter. There was a log crossing that I didn't enjoy too much, i just went low rather than high. Another person told us of a bear at Olympus Ranger station. Exciting they are awake...looking forward to my first sighting of the year. It was a lovely trip with a new friend I met through Hike a thon last year. Just another reason to do it..we were off to Kalaloch next for a nice car camp...from rainforest to beach in just under an hour.. life is good!
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Olympics -- West
Water on trail, Snow on trail
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Started our weekend in the Olympics with this great hike. Unfortunately, it had snowed the day befor...
Started our weekend in the Olympics with this great hike. Unfortunately, it had snowed the day before and so there were a few inches of snow along the trail. With a constant rain, the trail was a little wet along the way. However, despite the damp weather, the hike along the Hoh River was amazing. We only saw a few people at the start, and then no one for the rest of our hike.
Of note--there is one large tree down a few miles in that requires navigating over. Other than that, trail is in pretty good shape, despite the mud puddles. The Hoh River trail is a great trail and seems to be a great hike early in the season for avoiding the crowds. |
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Olympics -- West
Blowdowns, Water on trail
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It was a beautiful sunny day in the Rain Forest. The river was rushing and gorgeous. Not very many ...
It was a beautiful sunny day in the Rain Forest. The river was rushing and gorgeous. Not very many people there until the afternoon. We got to see several elk almost too close for comfort as there were warning aggressive elk signs posted, but very awesome to see. Two trees blocked the path, but were fairly easy to climb over or navigate around. There were a few muddy spots and some water on the trail, but the trail was actually fairly dry. Five-mile campground was not much to see. By this I mean it was not nearly as satisfying as other hikes such as reaching the top of Mt. Townsend. It did have a beautiful view of the mountain and river, and there were even a few campers. I think the small porta potty was the highlight. All in all it was a nice, easy day hike with plenty of opportunities for pictures and viewing wildlife.
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Olympics -- West
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Girlfriends parents are in town from Florida and we thought it would be a good idea to show them Was...
Girlfriends parents are in town from Florida and we thought it would be a good idea to show them Washington's rainforest. Took a short hike down the Hoh River Trail from the visitor center. Did not hike but 2 hours (rather boring) however the parents enjoyed their visit and that was what the weekend was about. What was awesome was the heard of 20 or so Elk at the parking lot of the visitor center. Weather was fantastic, sunny day not a drop of precipitation. Took a trip the next day down to the ocean. Too bad we could not bring the dogs :(
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Olympics -- North
Wildflowers blooming, Ripe berries
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We hiked 40 miles from the Hoh River trailhead past the Olympus Guard Station, up to Hoh Lake, and t...
We hiked 40 miles from the Hoh River trailhead past the Olympus Guard Station, up to Hoh Lake, and then up to the High Divide and into the Seven Lakes Basin, before returning. The trail was in good condition and snow free except for a 15' strip of easily passable snow in the Seven Lakes Basin just prior to the lakes.
On day 1, started out at the Hoh River trailhead and hiked in 9 miles to the Olympus Guard Station. There were few flowers left, but many red huckleberries, and a few blueberries and black cap raspberries. On day 2, left Olympus Guard Station and hiked 6.5 miles up to Hoh Lake. The first section is a difficult climb, with many red huckleberries to help sustain you. On a ridge about half way, there were some very nice western tea berries. CB Flats was a riotous mess of wildflowers. Hoh Lake was surrounded by many flowers. There were two active bears on the upper slopes on the north side of the lake, four deer, a marmot colony on the east side of the lake, and a river otter enjoying the lake's trout. The ranger was fond of the campsite's composting toilet, but be aware that the maggots enjoy it too, and you'll need to wipe the seat clean of them before sitting. On day 3, went 3.5 miles or so from Hoh Lake to the High Divide trail and into the Seven Lakes Basin (1000' up, and then 1000' down), camping at Lunch Lake. My favorite part of our trip was the ridgeline between Hoh Lake and the High Divide trail. The flowers and views were great, the dwarf blueberries were delicious, there was another marmot colony downhill to the east and a bear downhill to the west, and a flock of ravens above. Lunch Lake itself had very few flowers, but had a marmot colony on the south side of the lake, and three deer that were active in the area, coming within 10 feet of me during the day and visiting our campsite later that night. Lunch Lake was cold, but warm enough to swim in. After arriving at the lake, we took the side trail 250' down to Clear Lake, which was not very interesting. Then we took another side trail to see the Y lakes, which was much more interesting, with a series of lakes carved out of stone, and very little vegetation. One of them had frogs. On day 4, we did the 19 mile exit from Lunch Lake to the Hoh River trailhead. That was a long day. On the ridge between the High Divide and Hoh Lake, there was a hawk circling above, trying to get the marmots before eventually giving up. We saw a baby marmot in addition to the usual adults. Saw a bear again at Hoh Lake. Down in the Hoh River valley, saw a rabbit at mile 7. A downpour started soon thereafter, which brought out some more of the wildlife. At the shelter at Happy Four, a juvenile coyote slunk upon our arrival and waited on the hill nearby for us to leave. It was the cutest thing ever. A bit later, douglas squirrel tried to steal our jerky. At mile 2 or 3, a grouse ran across the trail in front of us. |
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Olympics -- West
Blowdowns
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The only scattered old snow was near the visitor center. The trail was in excellent condition all t...
The only scattered old snow was near the visitor center. The trail was in excellent condition all the way to 5 mile island. There were 11 blockages, most were easily negotiated. However, two large cedar blowdowns require considerable detouring. The day was sunny & warm, 40's, and the snow-capped mountains, with the raging Hoh River provided amazing photos for a midwinter hike. Highly recommended.
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Olympics -- West
Fall foliage
Mudholes
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I am embarrassed to say that this was my first hike on the famous Hoh Trail. Most of my adventures ...
I am embarrassed to say that this was my first hike on the famous Hoh Trail. Most of my adventures on the trails occur on the east and north areas of the Olympic Peninsula. My friend Jason and I hit the trail at around 9:00 AM and we wanted to make the Five Mile Island our day hike destination.
First off, for those of you that have never been within a rainforest in Washington----do so! The trail is in great shape throughout the hike, with perhaps only a few muddy areas to go around. No big deal. I suppose when it is raining (as it usually does) there would be water on the trail, but not today! There are some well made foot bridges and other wood structures that help one get through the obviously wet areas. The thing that I noticed the most while walking was how incredibly peaceful and serene the forest was. There were sections of the trail in which you hike over complete golden trails, filled with countless big leaf maple leaves. Birds and squirrels chirped away in their individual song, which made the experience a better one. The clattering of the glacier fed Hoh River as it moved through the area on its way to the sea, was always seemingly nearby. The trail moves along the river, then away, then back again. Along the banks of the river, big leaf and vine maples supplied an abundance of season color. Better hurry though, because this portion of the color will soon be gone for the year. Both Jason and I spent some time photographing some of the open areas along the Hoh, with some fine success. If I had any macro capabilities for my camera gear, I would have been in heaven shooting the abundant fungi that was everywhere. Mushrooms of all kinds were limitless. I suppose had I been putting focus on macro photography, Jason and I might never have made our destination spot of our trip! When we happened upon Five Mile Island, we plopped on down on the banks of the river and had a good lunch. The break felt good and we enjoyed views of a very snowcapped Mount Carrie to the east and perhaps a sneak peek of Mount Tom, also with snow on it. We also observed the devastation from a forest fire that occurred back in the 1980's that did some serious damage to the area (and trail) heading up to Hoh Lake on the way to the High Divide. We encountered seven other pairings of people during our visit on the trail. One couple, from Oklahoma City were simply stunned by all of the beauty of the Olympic National Park. They mentioned how comfortable the sunny fall day was and that they had nearly sixty straight days of 100 degree weather back home, this past summer! That is crazy hot :( As we made our way back, we happened upon a small heard of elk that were just slightly off the trail. We waited and watching them for about a half an hour as a few other hikers also appeared and marveled at this regal creatures. While we were watching the elk in the moss draped forest, all of a sudden a huge bull elk appeared about thirty yards away along the section of the trail that we were headed to. It was a six point and beautiful. Jason and I stayed in this area for several minutes attempting to photograph it. I was kind of spooky being so near and we decided to move away and go about our business. The encounter was defiantly a huge highlight of our hike! All in all, a wonderful hike on a clear, yet crisp fall day.....just perfect! |
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Olympics -- West
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Beautiful hike.The trees and the moss are amazing. Everytime we come to the rainforest it is never r...
Beautiful hike.The trees and the moss are amazing. Everytime we come to the rainforest it is never raining, go figure. Went to happy four shelter, total rt 11.6. Alot of backpackers.
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Olympics -- West
Wildflowers blooming
Blowdowns, Mud/Rockslide, Mudholes, Water on trail, Snow on trail
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Spent 3 days in the Hoh Valley with 2 good friends (Seth and Mikey) this past weekend. We were hopi...
Spent 3 days in the Hoh Valley with 2 good friends (Seth and Mikey) this past weekend. We were hoping to do a trail with some elevation for some views, but with the snow level still fairly low, we decided to hike the Hoh River Trail. Overall the trail is pretty flat and we were able to maintain a fairly blistering pace of 2.5 MPH (including some breaks) which is much faster than I am used to hiking. At the Visitor’s Center, the ranger quizzed us on bear etiquette and guaranteed us that we would see 3 to 5 bears if we made it out to the Olympus Guard Station. This was pretty exciting so we got our permit and hit the trail.
Visitor’s Center -> Olympus Guard Station The skies were clear when we left the Visitor’s Center around 11:00 AM and the trail was muddy in certain places, but not too bad. I was more concerned with dodging all the dung from pack animals that was on the trail than the mud. We stopped and used Seth’s Steripen for the first time at Mt. Tom Creek to get some water, but didn’t see the campground that is supposedly there. We had lunch at Five Mile Island and there were a couple campsites there next to the river which looked really nice, although I didn’t see too many large trees to hide out under if the rain would have been coming down. After lunch we hit the trail, going past Happy 4 (saw the group shelter, but didn’t check out the campsites) and rolled into the Olympus Guard station campground around 3:20. Other than pack animal dung and mud, the only other concern on the trail is that some of the stream crossings go over very small logs without handrails or are just rock hops. Not a big deal for someone steady on their feet, but I am not sure I would have been comfortable with my 5 year old daughter attempting them. Olympus Guard Station Campground When you get to the Guard Station, there is a sign that shows the location of the campsites and bear wires in the area, it is a little misleading though as we were confused on how the map was laid out. In any case, most of the sites are in the meadow or by the river. Seth and Mike went to scout out sites while I stayed at the station with our packs and immediately ran into deer. They were there all three days and we saw a couple young bucks, some doe and 2 very small fawns that hopped and played in the meadow throughout the day. The guys selected a site that was close to the river and had a small creek between the site in the river which we could easily get water from. Once we got the tents up, it started raining and we immediately realized we made a mistake in selecting our site as there were no big trees close by to hide under. TIP: If you have a choice and there is a chance for rain, try to pick a site in the meadow with a big tree or go to the site that is furthest from the Guard Station close to the gravel bar which also has a big tree to hide under. People slowly rolled into camp (the latest around 9:00PM) and all the sites were eventually taken. You can have campfires at all of the sites (something new to my backpacking experience) and all the sites have decent access to water either via the stream between the meadow and the river or the stream behind the Guard Station, so you don’t have to drink the water from the river which is full of silt. There were no bugs at the camp the whole time we were there nor on any of the other trails during our trip, not sure if it just wasn’t warm enough or if the rain kept them away. Hoh Lake: The next day, we decided to leave our camp where it was and try to day hike up to Hoh Lake. We were told that we wouldn’t get too far after getting to the top of the ridge due to snow, but we really wanted to see if we could get high for some views. Shortly after leaving camp, it began raining and it did everything between drizzling and pouring during the entire day hike. It appeared that we were one of the first groups to use the trail recently as we passed no one and didn’t see any footprints in the mud/snow. Along the way, we had to navigate around 5 -6 large downed trees. Unfortunately, since it was so cloudy, we only got small views of the valley below and the other mountains surrounding us. We did see a section where a bear had ripped the bark off of 3 different trees, so they are definitely out there. I was worried about my bad knee and was having trouble keeping up with Seth and Mike, so I turned around probably 2/3rds of the way up. They kept going and as expected ran into snow shortly after crossing the ridge onto the North side. They decided to turn around when Mike took a unintended glissade 10 feet down the mountain. I got back to the Guard Station about an hour and a half before they came back and hung out under a large tree to eat my lunch without getting rained on. When they got back, we hung out on the porch of the Guard Station to avoid the rain and eventually talked to a National Park employee who was doing trail work. We told him about the blowdowns and he proceded to tell us that at 63 years old, he was getting ready to retire and he wouldlet the young bucks take care of that. It was cool talking to him for a while and staying out of the rain. That afternoon, Mike hiked a little further down the tail (he wanted to hit 30 miles for the trip) and went to Lewis Meadows, but didn’t have anything special to note about the trip. Olympus Guard Station -> Visitor Center: We actually made it back to the visitor center even faster than the trip out, guessing we were motivated by the cheeseburgers awaiting us in Forks! The only things that were different than on the way in was that the mud was much worse (at least 50% of the trail was thick mud or standing water) and we saw a lot more hikers on the trail since it was a Saturday. Summary Overall a great trip with easy terrain and many options for camping and side hikes. Only thing missing was that we didn’t see any bear or even an elk the whole time we were there. |
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Olympics -- East
Blowdowns, Bridge out, Mud/Rockslide, Mudholes, Water on trail, Snow on trail, Bugs, Avalanche danger
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It seemed like the summer had finaly arrived on Saturday. I got off work and headed to the Hoh River...
It seemed like the summer had finaly arrived on Saturday. I got off work and headed to the Hoh River shortly after four and after a few brewskis got to the trail head at 11pm with my hiking partner. We strapped up all of our gear put on our head lamps and were under way for our trip to elk lake. After walking in the dark for five miles and seeing all sorts of spooky eyes glowing along the trail we decided to set up camp at Five mile Island. We woke the next day and pushed on through Olympus Guard Station, Lewis meadows, and Ffinally Ellk Lake. Along the path we noticed all sorts of bear scat and and elk scat (no big surprise). We set up camp at elk Lake. Patches of snow around the lake campsites are clear of snow and bear wire is up and in good condition. The next morning we decided to head up a bit further and see if we could reach the Blue Glacier of Mount Olymus. With streams flowing heavy and covered with snow the approach to the glacier was a no go. You will have to wait for a few more good warm days before attempting the glacier. So we made it back down to Elk Lake after defeating several streams and avalanche shoots and geared back up and made the 17 mile trip back. We did however stop for lunch at the guard station and noticed a large black bear toying with about 4 deer. He was heading for a few day hikers and ran off after we yelled "Hey Bear"!! Very long trip when hauling a big bag but well worth the walk in the woods.
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Olympics -- West
Wildflowers blooming
Mudholes, Washouts
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Great Hike! Hit the trail about 1 pm Sat. from the visitor center. We where told river was silty and...
Great Hike! Hit the trail about 1 pm Sat. from the visitor center. We where told river was silty and clogged filters but I had no trouble with my filter bottle. A little rain but no need for rain gear. Trail in great shape a few mud spots but nothing unexpected. After a few breaks and what not got to 5 mile before 5. Lots of people so had to make a low impact spot. Weather held out fine.
Next day left camp about 12 checked out happy and only 1 group there but they said there where more the night before. Hiked a mile or so till girlfriend got sore and we turned back to camp. Trail still in great shape 1 washout but not too bad to get through. Trail crews hard at work with drainage and fallen tree cutting all done as far as we got. Thanks for the great work!!! A little mist that night but didn’t get wet. Got up about 10 and the camp was almost empty. Hit trail by 12 and with lots of stops and lunch at mt. tom creek camp (witch was empty) got back to car about 3. Great hike, great, easy trail. Notice a sign at trail head that said Lewis Meadow closed due to bear activity. Here are the gps coordinates I got for different locations: Overnight parking: N 47 51.559’ W 123 56.188’ Mt. Tom Creek Camp: N 47 52.022’ W 123 52.888’ 5 Mile Island Camp: N 47 52.037’ W 123 50.424’ Happy 4 Shelter: N 47 52.112’ W 123 49.773’ |
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Olympics -- West
Mudholes, Water on trail
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Saw that the Saturday forecast was for sunshine...even in Forks!
Spent awhile talking with John, ...
Saw that the Saturday forecast was for sunshine...even in Forks!
Spent awhile talking with John, the ranger on duty at the Visitor's Center.He warned us that the trail was soft in spots and some creek crossings may be flooded. Sure enough, we encountered 5 major areas where gaiters would have been helpful! There aren't any bad blowdowns, but there are 2 areas where the original trail has washed out and there are obvious re-routes. We also encountered various wildlife, starting with a large Golden Eagle fishing in the creek just behind the visitor center! A few salmon were also working their way upstream at the bridge on the Mini Trail. Later on we met a few black-tailed deer, some bald eagles, and squirrels. We saw tracks for elk and raccoon, too. When we stopped for lunch at our turn-around point (Five Mile Island), there were fresh bear prints in the muddy flood bank by the river. We ate carefully by the bear pole area, but didn't see any other signs of the bear. The hike back was even more beautiful, as the afternoon sunlight made the moss in the trees glow. The two major waterfalls along the trail are flowing strong! Kept a good pace on the way back, and we were able to catch the sunset at Ruby beach a little further down 101. What a great day for a hike! |
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Olympics -- West
Wildflowers blooming
Mudholes, Water on trail
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We hiked 5.1 miles to Five-Mile Island. The day was beautiful and sunny. Because of recent rains muc...
We hiked 5.1 miles to Five-Mile Island. The day was beautiful and sunny. Because of recent rains much of the trail was wet and muddy. Forest wildflowers were blooming--foamflower, one-flowered pyrola,spring beauty, pinesap, starflower. We met hikers on our way in and our way out telling us about a young bull elk beside the trail, but he must have hid when he saw us coming as we never did see him. There were several different species of mushrooms and a few British Soldier Lichens.
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Olympics -- West
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From March 27 - April 3, WTA fielded a Volunteer Vacation crew out on the Hoh River Trail to repair ...
From March 27 - April 3, WTA fielded a Volunteer Vacation crew out on the Hoh River Trail to repair damage that occurred over the winter.
Crew leader Janice O'Connor reported: "Admidst the deluge of rain, sleet and hail we had seven wonderful days on the Hoh. Amazing volunteers with the patience of old growth, the strength of bull elk, and the attitude of a gaggle of ravens. (gaggle?) (kettle) (herd)" The crew hacked out a 500 yard reroute around the washout, including constructing two 10-15ft rock walls, three curb crib structures. They also repaired the trail along the way, removing roots and snags to keep hikers moving safely down the trail. If you like the new reroute, thank WTA trail crews. You might also consider coming out to work on some other trail some time. |
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Olympics -- West
Wildflowers blooming, Ripe berries
Bugs
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Trail is in passable condition all the way to Glacier Meadows @ 17.4 miles. Highly suggest camping n...
Trail is in passable condition all the way to Glacier Meadows @ 17.4 miles. Highly suggest camping near the river to cut down on the bugs, as there can be a lot of them. Also, much of the water is glacial runoff with a lot of silt in it, so plan accordingly so as not to plug your water filter.
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Olympics -- West
Wildflowers blooming, Ripe berries
Mudholes, Washouts, Bugs
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97 degrees made it a very hot & long hike to Olympus Guard Shelter camp area. The Hoh River is full ...
97 degrees made it a very hot & long hike to Olympus Guard Shelter camp area. The Hoh River is full of silt and very cold but yet refreshing. No water after Five Mile Island Camp until you reach the Olympus Guard Station. The creek is behind the guard station for those that haven’t been there before. A BIG Thank you to all of the generous people that had lent me their water filters between July 29th & 30th as mine was clogged before the trip. You all were a life saver!!!!
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Olympics -- West
Wildflowers blooming
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Mount Olympus has held a special attraction to me since my very first visit. It’s an amazing area...
Mount Olympus has held a special attraction to me since my very first visit. It’s an amazing area. I’ve always contended that I could spend a week on its slopes without summiting and still come back feeling joyous and fulfilled. I still feel that way today.
I always feel like I have unfinished business with this mountain from a photography standpoint. There just seems to be so much available, and the mountain seems to have so many moods depending on the lighting. Add in the views of Mt. Tom and the Pacific Ocean from base camp and it’s…well, amazing. I had hoped to enjoy Olympus as a desert last year upon finishing the Bailey Range traverse – the main dish if you will. No slight on the Bailey Range. I find it incredible too. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Earlier this year I began sharing my desire for another visit to Olympus with Roberth & Kathy Chrestensen, the Crest Pictures film team. They were hungry for it too. We set a date and I recruited my good friend Dale to join us. Trips are always special with him on board. Robert and Kathy elected to drive out to the Hoh the day before and get a jump on the trail. It’s a long approach. Add video and camera gear and the packs tend to make the trail feel a lot longer. Dale and I arrived around 10:30 Wednesday night and pulled into the parking lot next to someone sleeping beside their vehicle. We planned to socialize a bit before sleep, so we found a new spot further away so as not to disturb. As it turns out, Dale watched this person rise at 3:00 am, pack up, and head out in the dark. He proceeded to run to the summit in just over 11 hours; a truly incredible feat. As Dale and I relaxed in sleeping bags in the back of my truck while admiring the incredible star display, he announced at 12:01 that it was officially his birthday. He left wife and kids at home to celebrate his birthday doing what he loves. Happy birthday bud! We awoke around 6:00 and were on the trail around 7:30. We reached the Olympic Guard Station in 4 hours, answered the required questions by the attending ranger, and then continued on. It was a hot day and we were already feeling it. We pushed to High Bridge and took a break for lunch. I could never really get going again. Two more miles to Elk Lake – our destination for the evening, and I had to slow my pace drastically. We arrived at Elk Lake to find Robert and Kathy with their tent set up and a spot saved for us. They had arrived only a ½ hour prior. It was fun to finally catch up with them and exchange pleasantries. The team of Silence and I go way back to an ‘almost’ meeting in Lost Basin in which we camped within several hundred yards of one another, but never had the chance to say ’hi’. I’ve considered them friends ever since. Dale and I enjoyed swimming in the lake to cool (pronounced clean) off before dinner. It was nice. We shared the campground with an organized group of young climbers, whose party was split between Elk Lake and Glacier Meadows due to size restrictions. Yes, they were a big party. The next morning we were out of camp by 7:30 and soon arrived at Glacier Meadows, where we were greeted by a resident goat. While preparing our food cache, I ran into the climbing ranger. He reported that he had 37 people signed in as on the mountain this day, and he was genuinely concerned about having enough campsites and space on the bear wires that night. He appreciated that I was leaving a bear canister for our cache, and I appreciated leaving the bear canister! We continued on up to the moraine and were astonished to see the lower Blue Glacier. It was bare ice and rock. My previous climbs of Olympus have always been mid-July and there has always been ample snow on the glacier. I couldn’t believe my eyes. We descended down to the glacier and walked along the rocks, eventually leaving rock for ice – and streams. Water was rushing down the glacier and numerous deep pools had formed. They were quite pretty actually. Once across the glacier we began our ascent up Snow Dome and arrived at camp on Panic Peak around 3:30. Dale and I scouted out our bivy site while Kathy and Robert made their way up to join us. I could here them in the distance as I stood poised near our new camp. When they arrived I asked, “Of all the four letter words you uttered when you saw me up here, which one was the most prevalent?” I won’t repeat the answer. We set up camp and then watched a lone climber make his way down from Crystal Pass and traverse along Snow Dome. He paused at a pile of wood and began loading it onto a sled, which he dragged back to the research hut. He waived to us upon his arrival at the hut. As we prepared dinner, he approached us with clipboard in hand. I assumed he was a ranger wishing to check us for permits. Rather, he was a volunteer worker at the research hut for the UW. He introduced himself as Dave Skinner. His clipboard was actually a list of supplies he needed, and he was scrambling up Panic Peak to place a phone call. Dave was a really neat guy with lots of stories. We chatted for quite some time before he continued on with his task atop the hill. Later he joined us on the summit for sunset as we enjoyed the day’s final light. His final request was that we join him for Kool-Aid after our summit bid the next day. I could tell he was serious. He loved company and was excited to have us around. He also encouraged us to take from his water supply near the hut. He had more melted water than he could ever use. The next morning we awoke at a modest hour and began our ascent. We only had 1,100’ to go and the pace was casual. Spirits were good. We traversed Snow Dome and crossed through Crystal Pass to the back side of the mountain. This is where all familiar territory ended. We followed the tracks along the back side up to Fiver Fingers and the draw one needs to cross to descend to the wind cirque at the base of the summit block. Only, it didn’t look like the draw. It was bare rock, not snow covered. I was sure that in following the tracks, we had missed the route. I set off to explore above, only to find that we were indeed on route! We descended down the gully into the wind cirque, only to feel like we were lost. So much melting had occurred that it didn’t look the same. Much more rock was exposed. Dale began feeling his way around on the summit block along the scramble route we had previously done, but it didn’t seem right to him. So he bailed back onto the snow and we climbed up to an obvious ramp that appeared to go. We followed it to within ~30’ of the summit, only to find ourselves faced with a choice; follow a descending traverse over loose terrain to our previous route, or follow a solid low class 5 route straight up to the summit. We chose the latter. Dale free-climbed the exposed flake and set anchor on the summit. He then belayed Kathy up, followed by Robert, then me. Kathy impressed the heck out of me in how she approached the pitch. It was her first alpine rock pitch – ever. And she was nervous to say the least. But she shot right up it in no time at all. Robert followed in similar style, followed by me. I was able to add a little French pastry at the end with a direct vertical finish – much fun! We enjoyed the summit views as the clouds rolled in and out, adding an extremely interesting element to our experience. Then it was time for the rappel. Dale set up the rope and rapped first. Kathy and Robert followed. Their first alpine rappel! We collected our gear at the bottom and made our way back to camp, passing the only other people we saw on the mountain all day – a Mountaineer group of six climbers. They had approached East Peak via a direct route up the Blue Glacier, and were now preparing to tackle West Peak. They collected as much beta as they could from us and then headed up. As we headed back to camp, we could see the research hut and noticed the 5 lounge chairs set up on the porch. Dale asked what we were all thinking, “Are those for us?” I knew they were. Sure enough, Dave popped his head out and congratulated us on our summit bid. He had lemonade prepared and waiting for us – the best lemonade I think I have ever tasted! Dave continued to entertain us with stories; everything from “Jellybar” (a World War II era supply drop that missed its mark and fell to the glacier below) to stories of Rich Marriot’s years manning the hut to stories of cleaning the glacier and rock of garbage left by others. He shared pictures, including one of Mr. Fairchild’s plane taking off from Snow Dome. We were enthralled. Soon it was time to force our departure. We didn’t want to. Far from it. We could listen to Dave’s stories with wide eyes and open mouths for several more hours. But we knew we had to get going. What a shame. Dave left us with open invites, contact info, etc. – even offering suggestions as to when he would be back. He would be departing himself soon, exiting via the Bailey Range. We packed up and descended from Snow Dome to the depths below. It was difficult to leave the friendly place we had called home on Panic Peak. We all wished we could delay our departure an extra day or two. Our crossing of the lower Blue Glacier was straightforward, though icy. Our legs were tired. Upon Robert & Kathy’s insistence, I sped ahead to secure campsites at Glacier Meadows. Dale followed and soon joined me. By the time Robert & Kathy arrived, we had desert made and hot water ready for meals. Robert & Kathy were out of steam. It had been a long day that had taken its toll on them. Yet surprisingly, they arrived in warm spirits. All throughout our climb I was impressed with how they faced adversity. They met it straight on with smiles. I was very proud to be a part of their successful climb. |
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Olympics -- West
Wildflowers blooming
Mudholes
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We hiked 5.3 miles to beautiful Five Mile Island. Although we were not alone on the trail ( We must ...
We hiked 5.3 miles to beautiful Five Mile Island. Although we were not alone on the trail ( We must have seen at least 50 backpacking groups!) it never felt like we were crowded as most passed us as we were stopped to take pictures! What a beautiful day and trail with many wildflowers blooming and beautiful leaves on the maple trees! We saw no elk although there were signs warning of aggressive elk in the area.
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Olympics -- West
Snow on trail
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The Olympic Peninsula currently has more snow than the Puget Sound area. There was about a foot of ...
The Olympic Peninsula currently has more snow than the Puget Sound area. There was about a foot of snow on the ground, although 101, the access road to the Hoh Ranger Station and the parking lot were well-plowed and posed no problems.
Elk were everywhere. I encountered one group of elk between Lake Crescent and Forks, and four separate groups of elk along the Hoh access road approaching the Ranger Station. I started my hike at dawn. There were no other cars in the parking lot. The creek adjacent to the parking lot was filled with purple spawning salmon. The trail started out easy, as a well-packed snow trail. At 1/2 mile, I encountered a large group of elk, including several young. They had no interest in moving for me, so I had to take a tiring and time-consuming detour around them through deep snow. Rejoined the trail somewhat later. At about 2/3 mile, no more human footprints appeared and the trail was instead a reasonably well-worn elk track. I followed the elk tracks where possible, although some parts of the trail had not been worn down by elk and was virgin snow, 1 to 1 1/2 feet deep. I was only able to maintain a pace of 1 mile per hour. Shortly after Mineral Falls, I encountered yet another group of elk, in a spot that I could not pass without climbing a steep slope. They were rooted to the trail, so I hunkered down opposite them and just enjoyed their company for a while. Then I went to the river bed, where there were more elk, and walked along the sand bars before heading back. Although it was difficult to hike very far with the elk and snow, this was a great time to see wildlife. After seeing another group of elk on the way out, I had seen a total of 8 groups of elk, as well as spawning salmon, douglas squirrels, woodpeckers, a blue jay and other birds. I did not see any humans all day until returning to within 1/2 mile of the Ranger Station, where there were several day trippers. There were no water problems. The water level was low and many of the usual wet spots were frozen or covered with snow. The temperatures ranged from 31 to the low 40s, and the weather vacillated between sun and cloud. |
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Olympics -- West
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I read so many TRs from LDW where the weather was bad, I just wanted to share my LDW weather: perfec...
I read so many TRs from LDW where the weather was bad, I just wanted to share my LDW weather: perfect. Where, you say? The coastal strip of Olympic NP and nearby rainforest valleys. |
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Olympics -- West
Washouts
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Started out for a five night backpacking trip to Glacier Meadows on a beautiful Sunday with the thre...
Started out for a five night backpacking trip to Glacier Meadows on a beautiful Sunday with the threat of storms. Night one at Happy Four (5.7 miles in) we saw some lightning which was followed by a spectacular pink, lavender and gold sunset. It was a dry night. Day Two was an uneventful hike to campsite 13.3 just past the High Hoh Bridge. There were a few sprinkles during the night, but we stayed dry. |
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Olympics -- West
Blowdowns, Washouts, Snow on trail
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Hiking the Hoh is one of our favorites as a day hike or a backpack. This time it would be a day hike...
Hiking the Hoh is one of our favorites as a day hike or a backpack. This time it would be a day hike to 5 Mile Island. |
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Olympics -- West
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I hiked about 4+ miles up the Hoh River trail. At about 1 mile the trail is gone and there's a clear...
I hiked about 4+ miles up the Hoh River trail. At about 1 mile the trail is gone and there's a cleared/flagged way around the wash out. Just after 2 miles, there's another wash out and no flagged/cleared way...you just kind of find your own way through the bushes, keep as close to the river as possible, and watch out for the phone/internet/tv cable laying in wait for you..I tripped on it...sure hope the bears enjoy their new HDTV .. wherever it goes! The next 2 miles are up/down and nothing major to crawl over/under. Only a few patches of snow on the trail, largest about 100' long and stomped down. I turned around when I encountered some rather large black/hairy scat on the trail. Weather held up and didn't rain in the rainforest and I actually had some sun! Only saw 2 other people near the start of the trail and the walk was a really enjoyable winter hike. |
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Olympics -- West
Blowdowns, Water on trail, Overgrown
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Just back from a 5 day, 36 mile trip from Hoh River Visitor Center Trailhead along Hoh River Trail, ...
Just back from a 5 day, 36 mile trip from Hoh River Visitor Center Trailhead along Hoh River Trail, up to the High Divide, down to Sol Duc, back up to Appleton Pass, then out through Olympic Hot Springs Trailhead. We saw a band of elk and a deer at the Hoh River Visitor Center camp. |
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Olympics -- West
Bugs
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Headed up the Hoh River to Climb Mt. Olympus... The trail suffered a lot of damage over the winter, ...
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. |
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Olympics -- West
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Sixty years ago I climbed Mt. Olympus with the Seattle Mountaineers. I was 19 at the time. This July...
Sixty years ago I climbed Mt. Olympus with the Seattle Mountaineers. I was 19 at the time. This July I returned to the mountain with four friends to try the summit again. We left Seattle on July 11 and were on the Hoh River Trail by 2pm. In 90 degree temperature. We hiked five miles to Five Mile Island where camp was made for the night. The next morning was cooler and our group headed for Elk Lake some ten miles distant. The trail was in good shape with only one thigh deep ford. |
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Olympics -- West
Blowdowns, Bridge out, Washouts, Overgrown
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Started out on the Hoh River trail Saturday morning in spite of reports of bad conditions due to win...
Started out on the Hoh River trail Saturday morning in spite of reports of bad conditions due to winter storms. Indeed, the blowdown resulting from winter storms was quite astonishing, and it's amazing seeing 200-year old trees strewn about like pick-up sticks all over the trail. That being said, the park service has already done a lot of maintenance and largely cleared all the debris up to the sandbar camp at mile 7.8, making the trail very passable up to that point. If you plan to stay at that camp, there is a creek ford just before which will probably require you to remove shoes and socks to walk across, but the water is shallow and no current to speak of at that point, so crossing is relatively easy. After mile 7.8, trail maintenance has not yet been done this year and the effects of the winter flooding and wind storms are really seen in full force. For the next 1.3 miles to the Olympus guard station (where we camped) at mile 9.1, expect several areas of bushwacking, trail washouts, crawling on hands and knees under limbs of various sizes, and climbing over very large tree trunks in your path. Do not expect to make good time over this last 1.3 miles. I imagine however that some maintenance will be done on this last 1.3 miles within the next few weeks. |
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Olympics -- West
Blowdowns, Bridge out, Mudholes, Mud/Rockslide, Washouts, Water on trail
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Trail cleanup has only just begun to address down trees from last November's storms. Crews have made...
Trail cleanup has only just begun to address down trees from last November's storms. Crews have made it as far as Happy Four shelter with chainsaws, beyond which is a disaster. |
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Olympics -- West
Washouts
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We do not like long hikes in the trees, so we must have been crazy to choose this trip over the 4 da...
We do not like long hikes in the trees, so we must have been crazy to choose this trip over the 4 day weekend. Maybe it was because we had heard how stunning the Blue Glacier is, and we had the time and good weather forecast. |
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Olympics -- West
Blowdowns, Bridge out, Washouts
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Ignore NPS report about needing crampons and ice axe. There is no snow on trail until you hit Blue ...
Ignore NPS report about needing crampons and ice axe. There is no snow on trail until you hit Blue Glacier. However, there are two scary landlslide crossings about Elk Lake where the trail is less than a foot wide on crumbly steep terrain. |
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Olympics -- West
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We finally got to spend three days in the Olympics. On Sunday we did about a five mile stretch of t...
We finally got to spend three days in the Olympics. On Sunday we did about a five mile stretch of the Hoh River trail, the weather was great and it was wonderful to walk amongst the great ones. It was icy and cold in spots and then sunny and warm in others. We kept getting in and out of our warm clothes due to changing conditions in the forest. When we left we saw three elk standing there and when we got out of the car they were close enought to touch. Needless to say we took lots of pictures! Happy Hiking :0) |
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Olympics -- West
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Hiked the Hoh River trai to Olympus on Wednesday, day hiked to Glacier meadows on Thursday. Climbed...
Hiked the Hoh River trai to Olympus on Wednesday, day hiked to Glacier meadows on Thursday. Climbed the boulder field to the lateral moraine and beheld the Blue Glacier-- Whoa! Who knew? A once in a lifetime experience, incredible to get so high up in November without snow |
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Olympics -- West
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Trail in very good shape and clear all the way through to Glacier Meadows with one exception. About...
Trail in very good shape and clear all the way through to Glacier Meadows with one exception. About half a mile from Glacier Meadows there is a washed out gully where a new trail had to be hacked into the hillside. A downed tree was cut but for some reason it was left too long. The tree overhangs at a narrow and steep point on the trail so take care to watch your head and pack as you pass. |
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Olympics -- West
Mudholes
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Wonderful, wet, mudfest! Elk in the parking lot. Deer in camp. Bald eagles on the river. Moss, lich...
Wonderful, wet, mudfest! Elk in the parking lot. Deer in camp. Bald eagles on the river. Moss, lichens, fungus as thick as I've ever seen it. The trail is clear (although muddy) to the Olympus Ranger Station, about 10 miles from the trail head. Just wish that the clouds had lifted high enough to see the what lies above. kb |
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Olympics -- West
Washouts
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For us, a two-nighter up the Hoh. Hikers take note of trail wash-out near 5-mile. Otherwise a strai...
For us, a two-nighter up the Hoh. Hikers take note of trail wash-out near 5-mile. Otherwise a straight-shot to the Blue Glacier approach with snow before 3,000. Hoh lake a do-able and strenuous day trip even at this time of year. Great weather! Overall our trip perfect, but certain not-to-be-mentioned persons in our party, who were to be responsible for evening meals, left us having to rely upon the emergency bag of lentils for evening meals. Our apologies for other campers downwind of us over this weekend. |
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Olympics -- West
Bridge out, Washouts, Bugs
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The trail is in relativily good repair considering the amount of damage that could have been done. ...
The trail is in relativily good repair considering the amount of damage that could have been done. Tom Creek foot bridge is gone, but easy enough to cross over there. Some bridges that had been washed off their supports were put back in the last week or so. 5 mile island camp area has lost some sites, but personally, now that the river has moved further away and left a bed of river rock and sand, I think it is for the better. Now it's a fantastic place for lunch. The bear wire was just a few feet from being totally washed away, and the privy is fine. At 5.1 miles in, the trail is washed away. Completely gone. I was told there is a trail around it, but if so it's poorly marked. I chose to go down to the river bed and go back up to the trail when it was in evidence. The bridge from 7.8 mile creek is gone, but there is a log across it for those who want to cross that way. I chose to get my feet wet. A lot of the meadow at the guard station is gone or trashed with silt covering everything. It will take a couple of years to look like a meadow again. Also, a side note: something big died over by the horses area/privy. It really was rank and was a definite dead animal smell. The back two camp areas were most affected, but you could get an wiff once in a while in the other camp spots. Hopefully, that will go away in the next month, but until then, I recommend sleeping at lewis meadows. However, I didn't see what shape it was in, but most anything would be better than smelling dead carcass all night. |
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Olympics -- West
Blowdowns, Bridge out, Mudholes, Washouts, Bugs
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The PNWH posse all met up friday night for a relaxing evening of car camping at the Hoh campground,...
The PNWH posse all met up friday night for a relaxing evening of car camping at the Hoh campground, and got an early start on saturday morning. As Ldyblade commented (she is part of our group-but went out 2 days before us and we caught up to her)the trail is nice till just after 5 Mile Island camp. Then it is a fun climb down and thru the blowout. There are 3 fords of creeks afterwards, but besides depth, they are easy. Had a nice encounter with a bull elk on the trail maybe 6 miles out. Besides the bad rotting smell at Olympus Guard, it is a really nice campsite. We met up with Ldyblade there. Walked out early due to the hot temps all weekend-it was in the high 70's and low 80's. The forest is VERY dry right now. Had a herd of elk thunder in front of us, and heard the baby elks crying next to us. At the first ford back, I could smell very, very strong cat urine on the bed of the stream-cougar?? An excellent 18.4 mile hike-just expect lots of trail mud, fords of creeks and the big blowout and a couple small trees down. |
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Olympics -- West
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Jim, my two brothers and I did an ascent of Mt. Olympus the weekend of July 25 - 28. We drove over ...
Jim, my two brothers and I did an ascent of Mt. Olympus the weekend of July 25 - 28. We drove over Friday, hiked in to 13.3-mile camp just beyond the High Hoh bridge for the first night. We decided to split up the approach into two days. Day two we established a base camp at Glacier Meadows at just over 18 miles. The trail is nearly flat to abut a mile before the High Hoh bridge, after which it begins to climb to Glacier Meadows. There is a section of trail beyond the bridge that crosses a steep scree slope with a narrow boot path. It gave us pause, looking down hundreds of feet of hard-packed dirt and loose rock. Glacier Meadows camp is nice - they even have a boulder that you can practice using your prussiks. We spent a little time on the boulder. |
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Olympics -- West
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Bev and I decided to take a relaxing backpack to the Olympics. On Thursday, we hiked in on the well...
Bev and I decided to take a relaxing backpack to the Olympics. On Thursday, we hiked in on the well-graded Hoh River Trail to Slough Camp or as it now known, 7.8 Mile Camp. The camp is located on a sand bar and provided us with water front property the entire weekend. We could see and hear the rushing waters of the beautiful Hoh and enjoy its beautiful forest. Friday, we day hiked to Elk Lake, making our way along the gradually climbing trail, while enjoying the magnificent trees, undergrowth, birds and streams. Various hiking and climbing parties grunted their way past on their way up the trail to Elk Lake or Glacier Meadows. After enjoying the gorge bridge and admiring the plunging waters, we climbed towards Elk Lake to the old shelter. From here, the secondary trail climbs to Glacier Meadows. We weren't in the mood to climb another 2600' feet and it was getting late, so we turned back and zoomed down the trail back to our quiet camp. The dayhike was 14.1 miles, 1600'. |
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Olympics -- West
Blowdowns, Water on trail
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Mar 15-16
Hoh Rainforest Nearly the entire west side of the park was closed on this day due to rec...
Mar 15-16 |
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Olympics -- West
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I started out early on the trailhead as I figured even with the rain there would always been lots o...
I started out early on the trailhead as I figured even with the rain there would always been lots of people on the trail at least the first couple miles in. I was so wrong. I was one of the two cars in the lot and the first on the trail. I couldn't find anyone to give my entrance fee to, either, so figured I would pay on the way back out. I am always surprised how non-muddy I get on this trail. The clay in the ground must help. There were tons of puddles but you could walk thru most of them with good hiking boots. Lots of trees were down and only one cleared, but the others were easily crossed as was Mineral creek, which is running high and has no foot bridge. With long legs you can jump it, shallow end to shallow end. I took the little root system that crosses it. You can find it to the left a little ways. Just don't fall in, since it also looked to be the deepest part of the creek. I decided to jump the creek on the way back and got slightly wet feet in the process. I didn't think my luck with balance would work a second time. It rained most of the time and when it didn't, the moss in the trees constantly piddled on my head. The ferns shined a glorious green and when the sun came out, you could see the bottom of the river. No fish, though I looked for a good 10 minutes. The snow on the foothills made me remember that here it was mid-Febuary and I was hiking earlier in the season then I had ever had. I only hiked in about 4 miles and the wind from the mountain hit me. Chilled and reminded that I was still too out of shape to go much further then 8 miles with a loaded pack(conditioning myself for backpacking) I headed back out. About 1 1/2 miles before the trailhead, I started to see people in couples. It had stopped raining by then, but clouds had moved in and the ferns no longer shined..... |
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Olympics -- West
Water on trail, Bugs
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We left the trail head @ 4pm friday 6/28. It was already was drizzling, but not quite raining. We m...
We left the trail head @ 4pm friday 6/28. It was already was drizzling, but not quite raining. We made our goal of 5 mile Island camp around 7:30. The trail was a little mucky, but the clay provided a good base and you don't really sink down. Gaiters would have been nice. At about 3.5 miles in, we encountered an elk herd, and a little further in, another small herd. It was raining by then and people were leaving in droves. We hiked up to the ranger station the next morning and the trail was fairly similar, only no people. There are a few small streams that have no bridges, but are easily crossed. Saw some deer up at the ranger station and a couple of rabbits. The hike out was uneventful, other then a lot of people headed up now that the rain had cleared for the most part. Some elk decided to walk on the trail and made it a little more mucky than usual. A great three days even with the rain. I plan to come back with my 6 y.o. and do an overnight at Tom Creek camp. |
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Olympics -- West
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Left the empty parking lot at 0800 Sunday morning for a day hike to the Mt. Tom Crk. flats. Trail i...
Left the empty parking lot at 0800 Sunday morning for a day hike to the Mt. Tom Crk. flats. Trail is a little muddy in places but no major water problems following last weeks floods. About 500 feet of trail gone just above the 1 mile mark but a boot beaten path gets you around it without much trouble. Trail has been cleared to the Tom Crk. jct. Saw recent elk signs but no animals to be seen. All in all a nice day for a hike! |
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Olympics -- West
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I am a recent transplant from Spokane, WA to Hilo, HI. I guess I just got tired of the long winters...
I am a recent transplant from Spokane, WA to Hilo, HI. I guess I just got tired of the long winters in the Northwest. One can hike in Hawaii 12 months out of the year. I do need that occassional high alpine fix, however. So I recently decided to fly over to the mainland for a quick trip in the Olympics. |
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Olympics -- West
Bugs
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I hiked from the Hoh visitor's center to Blue Glacier on Mount Olympus and back from August 13th to...
I hiked from the Hoh visitor's center to Blue Glacier on Mount Olympus and back from August 13th to August 21st (I'm fairly slow). The black biting flies were very bad on the first few (hot) days. Once at Glacier Meadows (4,300ft), the bugs disappeared. The trail is in beautiful condition all the way until just before Glacier Meadows, where there are 3 landslide chutes which are pretty scary to get past. A whole herd of Roosevelt Elk were lounging on a sand bar in the river about 3 miles in. Blue Glacier was an awesome place to be on Friday the 17th, with sun all day and fog rolling in about sunset. Be sure not to miss going to the ""terminus trail"", which I preferred to the ""upper moraine trail"". I was surprised at just how blue Blue Glacier is! The crevasses were a startlingly deep cobalt. The rainforrest on the Hoh river trail was amazing, and the ""High Hoh Bridge"" is spectacular. Camping is allowed on sand bars in the river (privacy). |
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Olympics -- West
Bugs
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I left Friday after work and hit heavy traffic, then a looonnggg wait for the ferry to Kingston. Th...
I left Friday after work and hit heavy traffic, then a looonnggg wait for the ferry to Kingston. This put me way behind the rest of the gang, who had left 12 hours earlier. By the time I got to the trailhead, it was 10pm and time for a long nap. |
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Olympics -- West
Mudholes, Water on trail
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This trail is heavily used, especially when we have weather as great as we did on this weekend! Bes...
This trail is heavily used, especially when we have weather as great as we did on this weekend! Besides running into multiple parties of dayhikers and backpackers, it was a gorgeous trip: great views of the river and the sight of huge cedar and spruce trees. Whether you're doing a short hike or a long one, stop over at 5 Mile Island for a bit... it's a gorgeous group campsite right by the river with spectacular views. However, watch out for large mudholes in the trail and ""presents"" left by horses and llamas that use the trail. |
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Olympics -- West
Mudholes
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Well, I must have met Roger on the trail and not realized it. I was the camera and tripod toting gu...
Well, I must have met Roger on the trail and not realized it. I was the camera and tripod toting guy, working on my stock photography. The trail up the Hoh is in marvelous shape, at least as far as the Olympic Guard Station. The spring vegetation is just starting to come out further up the trail. However the ferns are out in full force for the first 2.5 miles (as if they ever left!). The rains hit about mid-afternoon, light at first but soon coming down cats and dogs. This is when I realized that the Hoh Rain Forest HAS to be the most incredible place to experience the rain in the state of Washington. I found myself finding every excuse to pause amidst the ferns and streams and simply admire the reflective greens and yellows (while getting drenched!). I have climbed Mt. Olympus twice, and have always galloped along this trail with a deadline to meet at Elk Lake. So this was a real treat. |
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Olympics -- West
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We hiked as far as Five Mile Island. The trail is in great shape and much drier than normal for thi...
We hiked as far as Five Mile Island. The trail is in great shape and much drier than normal for this time of year. You can tell it's spring by the birds, lots of twittering and other great bird music, especially the Winter Wrens, and Vaired Thrush with an occasional Woodpecker for percussion. There were quite a few people, day-hikers and backpackers on the trail this beautiful Saturday. |
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Olympics -- West
Blowdowns, Water on trail, Overgrown
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Began a 5-day trip on Aug. 10th from the Hoh-Bogachiel trailhead, located on the north side of the ...
Began a 5-day trip on Aug. 10th from the Hoh-Bogachiel trailhead, located on the north side of the Hoh River Road just before reaching the park entrance station. A parking area for the car is just up the road on the opposite side. I hiked the entire length of the Hoh-Bogachiel trail, also known as the ""South Snider-Jackson trail"" or ""Tumwata trail,"" the first day. The Park Service accurately classifies the Hoh-Bogachiel as a primitive trail, which presumably is shorthand for low maintenance priority. Generally speaking, the closer the hiker is to the Hoh Road at the south end, or the Bogachiel River at the north end, the better the trail's conditions. The middle portion of this 10-mile stretch is fairly rough going. It is, nonetheless, through exquisitely wild and beautiful forest. Oxalis covers the ground in incredible abundance the entire distance, even on the ridge top. After the first couple of miles above the Hoh, brush closes in on the trail, at times partially obscuring it. The ferns and the oxalis are no problem, but the salmonberry and hemlock saplings are a hassle to push through. Add to that a moderate-to-high number of trees down across the trail, some of them big, and you get an idea of the difficulty involved. There are a few places where the route can be lost, though it never took more than a few seconds of detective work to locate the proper course again. Carry a good topo map and familiarize yourself with the terrain prior to departing. Even when the trail is very faint, however, one is unlikely to become overly lost, as it mostly follows the top of the ridge (after ascending to it up a spur). The trail is also very narrow on some steep slopes, necessitating careful footing. Carry lots of water, as there is none available for the entire 10 miles. Upon the beginning of the descent to the Bogachiel Valley on a spur above Tumwata Creek, blow-down thankfully ceases almost entirely, though the trail retains its other aforementioned characteristics. It took me about 7 hours of hiking to make it from the Hoh River to the Bogachiel River. Tumwata Creek must be forded (very easy) just prior to reaching the Bogachiel. I was happy, though covered with sweat and hemlock needles. I then proceeded to embark on the way trail upriver for a mile to the Flapjack ford. En route, the way again crosses the Tumwata, and for the most part I lost the trail thereafter. Yet it is simple enough to follow game trails and the river's gravel bar to the ford. Cross the Bogachiel just above where the river swings a bit to the south. The Bogachiel is amazingly easy to cross during this time of year. I camped at the Flapjack site. The next day, I hiked the Bogachiel trail downstream four miles to camp at the junction with the Indian Pass (Rugged Ridge) trail. This section of the Bogachiel trail has some encroaching brush and a few minor blow-down, but is in pretty good shape. Day 3 found me hiking over low Indian Pass (with its unusually impressive grove of Pacific silver fir) to camp on the South Fork Calawah. I had to make another easy ford to reach the little campsite on the opposite side of the Calawah. Although mosquitoes were present my entire trip, they were especially thick here, and I was forced to build a rare campfire to subdue them a little. After I had some good wood smoke going, I was able to relax and enjoy this gorgeous little rain forest valley, and was visited by an eagle, kingfishers, a dipper, and bats. The Indian Pass trail to the South Fork also has only minor blow-down, but is somewhat more brushy and narrow than the Bogachiel trail. Rotten puncheon foot bridges require stepping with care. The trail leading on from the South Fork to Rugged Ridge has virtually disintegrated near the campsite, but improves after climbing above the river flat. On Day 4, I retraced my steps the three and a half miles to the Bogachiel trail, followed it two miles upstream, and utilized the lower ford to reach an alternative way trail that delivers one back to the Hoh-Bogachiel trail. A tree with a bright orange marker is easily seen on the Bogachiel trail where one should make the ford. Note that this ford is approximately three miles downstream of the earlier Flapjack ford. This time, the ford was much deeper, but the current was completely slack. I'd suggest crossing a few feet downstream of the orange marker where it's a bit shallower. More detective work was needed to find the way trail on the opposite side, but I eventually located it. It heads upstream for a mile and a half through rather open woods, most of the time covered in ferns or salmonberry. Blow-down is moderate and route-finding demands close attention, with a bit of trial-and-error involved. If in doubt, stay close to the river and follow it up. Eventually, I reached the meadowy area that I recalled seeing near the end of Day 1 when I finally reached the Bogachiel, and the beginning/end of the Hoh-Bogachiel trail (small sign here). There is decent, albeit unofficial, camping here, so I set up my tent in a grassy area. This way, I had only the 10 mile hike up and over to the Hoh on the final Day 5. No official campsite in the vicinity offered this small luxury. Not that I expected to bother anyone -- in the entire trip, I briefly encountered only one small group of people on the evening of Day 2. Otherwise, it was just me and the elements. To sum up, if you're a lover of the deep woods, orienteering, physical exertion, and solitude, this may be the trip for you. I came away quite moved by the regal quality of the seemingly endless forest and its sparkling rivers. In closing, I would like to propose that the U.S. Forest Service study the possibility of re-establishing the portion of the Snider-Jackson trail that formerly ran through the old Soleduck district. It was decimated many years ago by logging roads and clearcutting, and now no longer exists outside Olympic National Park. Such a trail, which would stretch from the Soleduck River on national forest lands to the park's Rugged Ridge trail (and onward to the Hoh via the route I took), would have great historical and recreational merit. |
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Olympics -- West
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I'd say this was the trip from hell, but I don't think any place associtated with hell could be thi...
I'd say this was the trip from hell, but I don't think any place associtated with hell could be this wet. My luck started out ok, the weather on the morning ferry to Kingston was beautiful; perfect mixture of clouds and sun. Had a few rain showers on the drive over the north end of the Olympic Penninsula, but nothing serious. The town of Forks doesn't have a Mcdonnalds or fast food of any kind. This was a disturbing sign of bad things to come. |
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Olympics -- West
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The Hoh River trail is in excellent condition and has reaped the rewards of outstanding work by the...
The Hoh River trail is in excellent condition and has reaped the rewards of outstanding work by the recent trail crew. Much work has been spent in re-routing a section of trail, as well as raising a long section of it between 5 Mile Island and Olympic Guard Station. Just before Glacier Meadows the trail traverses some avalanche gullies and is very thin. In fact, it is more a goat trail and caution must be taken. The original trail has slid out. Also there is sign at the trailhead warning of a recent cougar kill at the 14.3 mile mark, a cow elk who's carcass has been hid only 25' off the trail. Warning: it is no longer fresh! You don't have to look for the landmarks posted as your nose will pick up on it about 1/4 mile before you get there! There is also the usual bear hanging around Glacier Meadows, very accustomed to people. |
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Olympics -- West
Snow on trail
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For those of you just looking to see what the conditions are I can tell you that the trail was snow...
For those of you just looking to see what the conditions are I can tell you that the trail was snow and mud free (following a dry week) until Glacier Meadows. There is a lot of snow still in the meadow and there are no flowers are in bloom yet. Travel beyond the ranger ‘tent’ is challenging and requires the proper knowledge and equipment. |
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Olympics -- West
Mudholes, Water on trail
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I decided to experience the rain in all its glory in the Hoh Rainforest. The rainforest did not let...
I decided to experience the rain in all its glory in the Hoh Rainforest. The rainforest did not let me down; it rained, alot. What better place to test my new tent and boots' |
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Olympics -- West
Mudholes, Water on trail
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Just a reminder to you guys that the rain forest and the ocean are out there waiting for you. It’...
Just a reminder to you guys that the rain forest and the ocean are out there waiting for you. It’s the perfect time of year - too early for most tourists, and there’s too much irritating slush in the Cascades. Snow has worn out it’s welcome. I wanted something different, so we went to the coast. The scent of dripping moss, skunk cabbage and one particular mysterious fragrance I wasn’t able to identify permeates the rain forest. Pink and yellow flowers are in bloom, skunk cabbage is everywhere (“pink”and “yellow” are about as technical as I care to get – they’re flowers – they have petals and stems, and they come out each year). Too early for ‘shrooms, I guess. |
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Olympics -- West
Bridge out
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Only a few cars in the parking lot when I arrived at 0900. Weather was cold and clear and made for ...
Only a few cars in the parking lot when I arrived at 0900. Weather was cold and clear and made for a nice hike. Trail is in good shape, only one small bridge over a side channel collapsed at about the 2.5 mile mark. Lots of elk sign but no elk spotted. Turned around at Tom Creek Meadows at the 3 mile mark. An eagle flying upriver capped off an enjoyable day. |
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Olympics -- West
Mudholes, Water on trail
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When we arrived at the Hoh Visitor Center parking lot at 9 a.m. on this beautiful Saturday, there w...
When we arrived at the Hoh Visitor Center parking lot at 9 a.m. on this beautiful Saturday, there were no other cars there, and even the overnight parking lot was empty. Could this be the off-season' We hiked up to Five Mile island and back. The trail is in very good condition, if you don't count mud and standing water as there was some of both. We saw salmon in the creek on the nature trail, and one about 18 inches long in a stream about 3 miles in. There was a doe sunning herself at Five Mile Island, and not about to move just 'cause we were there. We saw only one other hiker all day, and the parking lot had about six vehicles in it when we got back about 2 p.m. |
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Olympics -- West
Blowdowns, Mudholes, Snow on trail
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Made the trip from the Hoh River trailhead to Bogachiel Peak via the Hoh Lake trail. No great need ...
Made the trip from the Hoh River trailhead to Bogachiel Peak via the Hoh Lake trail. No great need to describe the river trail in any detail. Suffice to say it was in good shape, busy, and beautiful. After camping the first night at Olympus guard station, we ventured up and up and up the Hoh Lake trail. The first half mile or so is more of the lovely rainforest that is so ubiquitous on the river trail. We then worked our way up switchbacks to the top of the ridge. The trail meanders in and out of the remains of a 1978 forest fire. The regenerating trees are not yet quite large enough to provide good shade. Good views down to the river, both upvalley and downvalley. Raptors and ptarmigan noted our presence. After attaining the ridge, the trail penetrates dark and wet montane forest, gradually transitioning to subalpine country, as it contours the upper portions of the Hoh Lake Creek basin. There are slightly more than a dozen trees down on this stretch, though only two are difficult to get over with a full pack. A last round of switchbacks precedes Hoh Lake, a full 3600 feet above the river back at the trail junction. The lake is still three-quarters frozen, with large broken trees resting on its ice. We camped here in complete solitude, which I thought was amazing for Labor Day weekend. Mounts Olympus and Tom were visible for a while before fog, wind, and rain rolled in. A bear grazed in the meadow nearby. A frisky blacktail buck entertained several does. The next morning, I briefly separated from my hiking companions to make the short trip up to Bogachiel Peak. The weather was poor, with horizontal rain. My ice axe was needed on two fairly small but steep snowfields on the way up. Otherwise, it was easy. Bogachiel Peak was very different than what I experienced two summers ago while backpacking the High Divide/Seven Lakes basin area. Instead of views, sun, and concerns about heat exhaustion as in '97, this time I had a view of only 100 meters or so and thought more about hypothermia. Very surreal. The Soleduck side of High Divide is still buried in snow. I wouldn't dream of approaching from that side right now. I passed one other hiker from there, all the way back to the river trail. We camped at 8-mile island the final night, and had the pleasure of seeing two bull elk, both with their harems of cows, bugling their way across the river near our tents within five minutes of one another. |
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Olympics -- North
Blowdowns, Mudholes, Water on trail, Snow on trail
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Hoh River-Mount Olympus Area-Bailey Range Traverse, 7/19-26/99 Three of us completed a traverse of ...
Hoh River-Mount Olympus Area-Bailey Range Traverse, 7/19-26/99 Three of us completed a traverse of three Mt. Olympus glaciers and the Bailey Range Traverse. We entered at the Hoh Valley Visitor Center and exited the trip by way of Seven Lakes Basin and the Canyon Creek Trail to the Soleduck Trailhead. Day 1 - Mon. 7/19 - Began our trip at 11am after our support team dropped off a car at the Soleduck trailhead and then us at the Hoh trailhead. We filed a trip plan with the ONP rangers at the Hoh with tentative campsite locations for the next seven nights. The trail along the Hoh is in excellent shape with minimal mudholes. The day was sunny and warm. We arrived at mile 12.4 around 6pm, Stove Hill Camp. We would be using a coated nylon-type tarp with bivy sacks for shelter to save the weight of carrying a tent. Day 2 - Tues. 7/20 - Left Stove Hill Camp about 6:30am for Glacier Meadows. Trail in good shape. Snow in open forest and meadows below GM. Flagged so could generally be followed without much trouble. No snow at cliffy areas just below GM. Rangers working on trail this side of last gully. Some branch-thrashing because of snow just before GM. 8-10 ft. of snow at shelter in GM. If had to, could just ‘slide’ down into the shelter from the roof line. Ascended to the moraine south of GM for first view of the Blue Glacier. Some crevasses showing but appeared, and found to be, narrow and filled in. Roped up and headed for Glacier Pass. Straight line route with no crevasse passage difficulties. Very warm sun. Cool and breezy at Glacier Pass. Descended to the Hoh Glacier just south of Glacier Pass. Didn’t have crampons so knew descending from here in the morning would be difficult, if not dangerous. Again, no crevasse problems on the Hoh. Traversed to Camp Pan on rock outcrop above the east flank of the Hoh Glacier. Rock was bare with a snow melt stream running for fresh water. Day over at 5:30pm. Day 3 - Wed. 7/21 - Left Camp Pan at about 8:30am. Sunny and clear. Ascended snowfield above camp roped with plans for descending the Humes Glacier. Reached Blizzard Pass in about 45 min. Great views to southeast and Queets Basin. No difficulties with the glacier. Toe of glacier completely blanketed with snow so a direct descent of the toe was accomplished over moderate snow without having to circumvent bare slabby cliffs normally present. Unroped here. Dropped down gully with avalanche debris (lots of tree debris) to 3500’. Ascended a steep, short snow finger changing to roots/rocks/mud to gain meadows/open forest above northeast side of gully. Easy traverse to Queets Basin. Crossed river on good snow bridge. Climbed to 4700’ level - Dodwell-Rixon Pass area. Established camp on bare ground just north of the pass overlooking the basin with a great view of the Humes Glacier and the Olympus massif. Camp set up around 4:30pm. Day 4 - Thurs. 7/22 - Left Queets Basin camp about 7am. Another sunny and clear day. Ascended to low area between Mt. Barnes and Bear Mt. Found water running through open area just below the saddle. Climbed to snow on south shoulder of Bear Mt. Traveled easily along spine of the range to Lone Tree Pass, just south of Mt. Pulitzer. Several bare ground sites available. Necessary to melt snow for water. Camp established about 3:30pm. Day 5 - Fri. 7/23 - Sunny and cool. Left camp about 7am. Climbed shoulder of Mt. Pulitzer and descended through Ferry and Upper Cream Lake basins. Gained low point of ridge southeast of Mt. Stephen for reconnaissance of possible route to basin east of Mt. Stephen. Decided to keep to west side of ridge (normal Bailey route) due to lack of knowledge of alternative and possible avalanche danger near shoulder of Mt. Stephen. Descended Cream Lake Basin to lake. Some difficulty finding route through the basin because of snowbanks along creek and the meandering nature of the creek itself. Set up camp around 4:30pm. Water dipped from lake outlet stream (Cream Lake Creek). Weather appears to be changing. Clouds of various formations at several levels forming. Does not appear to be an organized system. Day 6 - Sat. 7/24 - Woke to clouds and drizzle. Left camp @ 7:30am. Dropped to meadow area north of lake. Began ascent of avalanche gully toward Mt. Stephen to gain the 5300’ level for traverse of the ridge. Observed massive destruction of whole stands of trees. Several areas here had trees snapped off 15-20 feet above the ground. Snow must have avalanched all at once with a very heavy structure from the southwest faces of Mt. Stephen. One debris path reached all the way to Cream Lake (had to find our way through yesterday). The avalanche gully we climbed was filled in well and safe, although, steep. Had been ‘flushed out’ several times. Steps held well. Exited left and up through thinly forested area at head of gully. Reached 5300’ level in the clouds. Visibility is less than a 1/4 mile. Traversed all day through basins, over small shoulders, and some open slope areas. Expected to come across Eleven Bull Basin. Never could see well enough to know. Could have been disguised because of snow. Continued at 5300’ until we encountered large, deep gullies near Mt. Carrie. When we came upon a particularly deep and wide gully we couldn’t see across (except for a brooding shadow), we decided to climb above the difficulties. 1300’ vertical feet later we had climbed out out the cloud to a beautiful sunlit vista of Olympus and the higher Olympic peaks. Established camp at 8:30pm at the 6600’ level just south of the Mt. Carrie summit and at the head of the Carrie Glacier. Well-established bivy site complete with flat ground and rock windbreaks. Awesome views of surroundings as we ate a very late supper and watched the sun go down. Day 7 - Sun. 7/25 - Weather returns to sun and clear skies at our level but the Hoh Valley is blanketed with fog and clouds. Left camp @ 9am. Climbed the head of the Carrie Glacier to the summit area and bagged it. Descended the long, ragged ridge toward Boston Charlie’s Camp. Hard snow and chossy rock made the ridge time-consuming. Descended the climber’s track easily to BC Camp. Pond is melted out and one campsite available. Proceeded onto the Catwalk. Completely clear of snow. No particular difficulties except for the rough construction of this aréte. Lots of ducking, twisting, sliding, and cursing. Once we ascended the other side, we again descended looking for the way trail extension of the High Divide trail. We hoped with the southwest exposure that it would be melted out and clear but snow accumulation between trees in haphazard patterns made it clear this was going to take a lot longer than we hoped. We retreated and ascended the south spur of Cat Peak to the summit area. We dropped through meadows, brush, and thick trees to the snow-covered meadows on the divide south of Cat Basin. We had some trouble keeping to the divide at certain places because of spur ridges and contouring around knobs. We could most often find an open area to check our bearing since we could recognize the ridge that would lead us over an intersecting ridge into the upper reaches of Soleduck Park. Eventually, we found some water running in a tree well and replenished our low stock of water. We climbed the ridge south of Heart Lake on the High Divide, traversed to just above the lake and set up camp on snow at 7:30pm with no flat, bare ground to be seen anywhere. Day 8 - Mon. 7/26 - Weather is clear and sunny. Left camp at 7am headed ‘for the barn’ - the hot pools and grill food at Sol Duc Resort. Followed the High Divide route to above Seven Lakes Basin on snow shoulders on the north side of the divide. The cornice accumulations and snow banks on many of the north sides made for easy ‘highways’ for walking. Most were flat and large enough so we didn’t have to walk anywhere near the edge of the snow where a cornice collapse would catch us doing something dumb. We dropped into the easily recognizable Seven Lakes Basin. We descended to Lunch Lake, traversed the south side and headed for what we hoped was the normal trail approach to the basin. Everything is still snowed in and iced up except for Round Lake. Very little bare ground visible. As it happened, we hit the trail right on. We had hoped that someone had visited the basin recently so route-finding would be simplified but it was not to be. Our job was not done yet. As we all had been to this area many times before, collectively, we deciphered the short sections of trail that were exposed and found the long traverse above Bogachiel Basin. Through the trees was difficult because of the uneven melt out. The open slopes still had a couple feet of snow although in one section the trail was clear for perhaps a hundred yards. When it appeared that the trail disappeared around a spur and entered the forest for an extended period, we climbed to the top of the ridge to find a view of distant Deer Lake. We had heard Deer Lake was melted out, and we found that to be a confirming factor of this landmark. A direct descent to the lake was inadvisable because of thick woods and steep terrain. We dropped to the meadowland in the area of The Potholes on the High Divide trail and began to contour to the north which generally follows the structure of the trail. As we entered the forest, we found more exposed parts of the trail. From then it was pretty much following a gently descending contour and our noses to Deer Lake. We had finally returned to the fringes of civilization when the ranger popped out of the privy at Deer Lake with a “Where have you guys been'”. We had not seen another person (except for the helicopter travelers passing by Cream Lake) since noon last Tuesday when we saw climbers returning from the Snow Dome route on Mt. Olympus - six days. We proceeded down the Canyon Creek trail to Soleduck Falls and on to the trailhead where friends and family were there to greet us and celebrate our accomplishment. Notes - Route-finding: We found that four factors were extremely important in finding our way; 1) our previous experiences in these areas (we had all done parts of the trip before); 2) a use of map and compass for identifying landmarks mostly. We all knew how to do this so collective input was valuable. We generally all agreed where we were most of the time; 3) the use of an altimeter. We all had them and knew how to use them. We kept checking for any weird readings that may indicate reading changes due to weather, and we reset them as often as we could when an identifiable landmark was reached. Exact elevation was not super important but we were always within a hundred feet or so; 4) background information from guides and others’ accounts. We found guides are not always written with all the details you might need but landmark references are pretty accurate, route descriptions less so. Wildlife: We saw several bear. All kept a a very healthy distance from us, and if we got within a couple hundred yards they were taking off in the opposite direction. We also saw only evidence of cougar, elk and deer. Several adult and juvenile goats on the slopes of Mt. Carrie. They didn’t seem to care we were there but they kept an eye on us. Not as many marmots as we have seen before. Many dens are still covered with snow. Some have dug their way out and have made distinctive den entrances. We were glad to see that the wildlife was wary of us. We would much rather have them be free from human influence and interference. As such, we were always careful to not leave garbage or to leave food that may attract wildlife. As would be a fitting final understatement, it was quite an adventure. For further information contact Mike at mdraymond@waypt.com. |
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Olympics -- West
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Looking for snow free hiking I went as far as the Hoh river and found just that. I only hiked as fa...
Looking for snow free hiking I went as far as the Hoh river and found just that. I only hiked as far as 5 mile island and stayed the night.The trail is in good shape with only a few muddy spots and a couple of small stream crossings. New gravel has been spread on much of the trail. Park rangers advised snow above 1400ft. Be cautious of cow elk with calf. |
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Olympics -- West
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The Hoh River trail is now open to stock use and in good shape for the first nine miles to Olympus ...
The Hoh River trail is now open to stock use and in good shape for the first nine miles to Olympus Guard Station. The park trail crew will be clearing the trail to snow line in the near future. Snow line remains below Elk Lake. |
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Olympics -- West
Snow on trail
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Snow become solid but hard below 2000' elevation, about one half mile above the High Hoh Bridge. Th...
Snow become solid but hard below 2000' elevation, about one half mile above the High Hoh Bridge. The trail has been damaged damaged by avalanches in several places a mile above the bridge. There is steep hard snow in the switchbacks below Elk Lake. The lake is frozen and covered with snow seven to ten feet deep. A dead (stinky) goat is reported in the shelter at Hoh Lake. Above the lake, the trail is completely obscured by snow ten feet or more in depth. Recommended to be expert in map and compass, and carry an altimeter for travel beyond the lake. There are many avalanches that have come down across the trail above Hoh Lake and there is no sign or clue of where the trail is. Near Jemrod Creek, travel is along a cliff on very steep and exposed terrain; belaying is recommended. Snow depth is over fifteen feet near Glacier Meadows. Avalanche hazard above Glacier Meadows. |
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Olympics -- West
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There is a forty foot long washout of the Hoh Trail just upstream of the junction with Hoh Lake ...
There is a forty foot long washout of the Hoh Trail just upstream of the junction with Hoh Lake Trail. Six big trees were undercut by the river and took the trail out with their rootwads when they fell. The washout can be skirted without major problems, but the snow above Olympus Guard Station is reported to be deep and collapsing. |
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Olympics -- West
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The Olympics</B><BR>
My sister and I went on the Hoh River trail in August. We decided to go on tha...
The Olympics
My sister and I went on the Hoh River trail in August. We decided to go on that trail because it was the longest one out of the other Hoh rainforest trails. We went a total of 10 miles up. We had a great time despite some small problems. It was raining almost constantly with some sun breaks, although we were covered by the canopy most of the time, so it was actually humid and nice. Once you get 3 miles or so up then it starts to get more beutiful. We came across about 3 waterfalls, and played in them for a while to cool off. We were on the trail for 4 days. I strongly recommend having mace and cow bells, because there were cougar warnings all over at the recreational area. I really liked the fact that you had to sign in, at the rec. area. The trail is mainly cross country with some hills occasionally. My sister and I being young 23, and I 20, we were definately inexperienced, and we packed in with 100 pound packs. We decided to go in with 45 pound packs, next time. WATER- we ran out of water, so we did the boiling water thing, although we got sick, if you know what I mean, the last day of the trip, and that was NOT fun!!! I recommend boiling and filtering and tablets, hey why not' There were elk all over the place, and fecees as well. Sites-- Day 1 we stayed at the 4th place up. Not recommended, for there were a lot of people there, like families who had kids. Day 2 we crossed a little foot bridge that is like a fallen tree that's cut flat, with a railing, and stayed at that designated place. Day 3 we crossed another foot brige and went off trail and followed a animal trail (with our compasses, so as to not get lost) this trail put us on a little side stream that was about a quarter block from the hoh river. This is where we caught a 12 inch rainbow, and 1 baby salmon a couple inches long that we threw back. We ate the rainbow and it was wild and great. We tried fishing on the Hoh river, but it was the wrong time of season I guess. This last place was the last place to go before it got cold, and black flies were a regular occurance. On the 4th day it took half a day to pack out to the rec. area. This trail is a horse trail also and horse poop is not too bad, although the horses make big ruts, and big mud pits occasionally. Evereything makes up for it in the end, and I would reccomend and Internal backpack and light weight and a water purification system of some type so that you don't get diarriha. This is not a very populated trail and you don't have to deal with a lot of people. ANIMALS- There were raccoons trying to get our food that were in bags in a tree, and elk are everywhere and are not shy( a buck charged us less than 10 feet away) so be cautious, the bucks are MEAN!! We also saw chipmunks and some weird looking small deer. Cougars are a warning in the park and we saw tracks on occasion near the waters edge, just keep your wits about you and never let your guard down, and don't be alone, and you'll be fine. Remember that this is a park and don't be too antimedated. This is the most beutiful park I have seen so far and my sister and I have gone to almost a couple in Verlot and Olympia. It truly is a rainforest, like they say. Oh and by the way take a great aps camera, because if you don't you'll wish you had, for that area is truly one of washington's greatest places. There were people from all over the world who signed in in the rec. area, and we were among a few from washington. Other places: Check out Forks Park and Lake cresent looked cool as well. Be prepared for wasting half the day on the road. We came from Everett, WA. and we left at 6 and got there at 12:00pm. Well worth the drive I'm tellin ya!!!! |
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Olympics -- West
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The Hoh trail is in
great shape, a good thing as it is 18.2 miles long! It is hard to get lost in ...
The Hoh trail is in |
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Olympics -- West
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I spent Saturday, May 8 through
Tuesday May 12 on the Hoh river trail. Camped at the Olympus Guard...
I spent Saturday, May 8 through |
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Olympics -- West
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Day hike up the hoh. Went as far
as Happy Four. No blowdowns and trail was clear. Park has droped l...
Day hike up the hoh. Went as far |
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