Hiked in to Lewis Meadows to camp on Friday and on Saturday made a long trip to Blue Glacier and back out. 

Traffic: Was surprised at how packed this place has become. I think my GPS had me arriving around 1:00 on Friday, when I rolled up entrance was metered and I was stopped around the "wait from here could be up to 2 hours" sign. I think it ended up taking around 60-90min to get through the gate. I can't imagine how packed this place must be on weekends. 

Elk Meadows/food storage: One of the two bear wires is broken. On my way out the next day I was barely able to hoist the single functioning wire back up after removing my bag. I could definitely see some single hikers being unable to lift it back up and be forced to find someone to help or if no one is available (seems unlikely but possible) leave everyone's food on the ground vulnerable to bears etc. Probably a good idea to use a bear canister if you have one. 

Bugs there were a little worse than I expected but I don't regret not bringing my bug net since I did not spend much time in camp. If I had been hanging out during the day I might have wanted one. 

Trail is in generally great condition. One or two river crossings required some thought/brief route finding and I was able to keep my shoes on. Be safe on the ladder at the washout. 

Two small snow patches as you are getting up to the glacier view. Easy to enough to walk through and you could probably walk around them on the scree if you wanted to. 

I ran to Blue Glacier on June 5. Ladder was in a good condition. It was snow free before Glacier Meadows. After that, snow patches, and eventually deep snows. It was difficult to climb up, but I was doing fine without poles. You will need some navigation tools to go through the snow field. The top ridge was fantastic and worth the efforts.

We didn’t plan to make it to Blue Glacier, but we hiked to Olympic Guard Station and wanted to include that in this report for Five Mile Island. So glad the road to the Hoh is repaired!

This was a bucket list trip for our friend—and his first backpacking experience—and the Hoh River Trail was a fantastic choice. We reserved backpacking permits for Lewis Meadow and Five Mile Island through recreation.gov, and I emailed the WIC to ask about destination flexibility. A ranger confirmed that along non-quota zones (like the Hoh), we could adjust our itinerary as needed. With our printed permits and bear canisters, we didn’t need to stop on the way in. The entrance had a short wait to check parks pass, and there's signed parking for backpackers near the visitors center.

The trail is mostly flat, with lush mossy trees and ferns throughout—stunning scenery. However, it’s also extremely wet and muddy. Expect lots of puddles and deep mud. Waterproof boots were barely enough, and trekking poles were crucial to avoid slipping. Some parts of the trail are nearly impassable due to water, with side trails forming up on the banks.

There are signed campsites at 1.5 and 3.9 miles. The spur to Tom’s Creek (3.9 mi) was flooded and inaccessible, so I wouldn’t recommend planning to camp there until conditions dry out. We had lunch at a beautiful bridge with a small waterfall to the left. The trail occasionally touches the river, but the river is often out of sight or inaccessible.

We spent two nights at Five Mile Island, which has a flat meadow, pit toilet, and river access. No bear wire, but our canisters worked fine. We camped in the trees near a fire ring.

The next day, we took a day hike to Olympic Guard Station (10 miles RT). We saw deer and elk along the way. About ¼ - ½ mile before the station, there’s a wide stream crossing marked by orange tape. We crossed upstream at a large tree with branches for support, then continued through the forest and crossed again at a log jam to rejoin the trail. Follow the orange tape.

Olympic Guard Station has a big meadow, group site, bear wire, and a shelter—great base for further exploration.

Rain was constant for two days, really testing our gear. I recommend bringing an extra rain tarp for cooking and staying dry. Even our MSR tent had water inside after night two. Thankfully, the first afternoon was dry and we managed to build a small fire with dry driftwood and fire starters.

We’ll definitely be back. Happy trails!

UPDATE:  Washington State is stepping up to fund the entire cost of the road repairs along with some private donations.  No word yet on when work might be started/ completed, but at least things are moving in a generally positive direction (they do assume that repairs will take about a month once they are able to start).  Link to information below.

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Surprised this isn't noted on the WTA site yet, as the road has been closed since late December due to a wash out that's now taken out one entire lane of the Upper Hoh Road. Maybe they figured it was going to be a quick-ish fix as per usual when the road gets washed out, but as the repairs are reliant upon federal funding, it doesn't look like it's going to be happening any time soon.

The Park is advising people with campground reservations into the early summer that they might want to make other plans just in case...

More information at the links below.

I did a 2-night backpack, camping both nights at Olympus Guard Station and day hiking up the Hoh Lake Trail to its junction with the High Divide Trail.  On Day 1 I arrived at the Hoh Visitor Center at about 9 a.m.  There was no line at the entrance station, which wasn't even staffed at that time, and there was plenty of room in the parking lot. 

Before starting my backpack, I walked the Spruce Nature Trail and the Hall of Mosses Trail, totaling about 2 miles.  Both were lovely, though of course they were crowded.

I started up the Hoh River Trail at 10 a.m. and reached Olympus Guard Station at 3 p.m.  The trail was crowded with day hikers for the first 3 miles, but the numbers thinned out after that.  There were no obstacles on the trail, aside from a few puddles and the two river crossings about 8 miles in.  At the first crossing, I opted not to ford.  Instead, I turned left and followed a rough path about 100 yards to a solid log crossing.  After that, I made my way back to the trail and followed it for a quarter-mile or so to the second crossing, which I made on a big tangled log jam.

Olympus Guard Station is a spacious camp, with meadows and lots of tent sites under trees, along with a bear wire, a shelter, and two privies.  The guard station was locked up tight.  There were a few other parties who made camp there after I set up, but there was enough room to spread out that it didn't feel crowded.  Rain started just after I set up, and I was glad I'd brought a tarp to cook under.  The rain continued intermittently through the night.

That afternoon, a pack train passed on its way to Lewis Meadow, carrying tools for a trail crew.  So I'm guessing that the trail up to Glacier Meadows will get some attention in the coming days.

On Day 2 I started up the trail at 7:30 a.m. and came to the junction for the Hoh Lake Trail .6 miles later.  Shortly after starting up that trail, it reached a spot where the trail skirts the crumbling edge of a washout for about 75 feet.  The trail needs to be rerouted there.

The first mile or so of the trail were pretty free of brush and logs, but it soon became brushy, and it was brushy for much of the way to CB Flats.  The brush was wet from the previous night's rain, and my pants got wet from pushing through it.  As the trail entered an old burn, the downed logs became more numerous.  I counted 80 logs on the trail from the bottom to its junction with High Divide.  There were 64 logs between the bottom and CB Flats, 14 logs from there to Hoh Lake, and two minor logs between Hoh Lake and the top. 

At 3500 ft I came to the usual "Stoves Only Beyond This Point" sign, and another sign pointed toward a campsite down a spur to the right.  This was a surprise, as maps don't indicate a site here.

I stopped for a break at CB Flats Group Camp.  It has a bear wire and a privy, but not really a lot of room.  Maybe space for 4 tents.

Elevation gain from the bottom to Hoh Lake was 3500 ft, and it was another 700 ft to the High Divide.

I didn't see another hiker the whole way up, and I didn't see anyone camped at Hoh Lake.  I spotted a total of 5 bears:  three working the slopes above the far side of the lake, and then two more close up near the junction with High Divide.  Both of those bears took note of me, but were more interested in snarfing up berries. 

I'd been hoping to climb to the summit of Bogachiel Peak for its wonderful views, but it was too misty to be worth it.  On past hikes, I've had glorious views of Mt Olympus from the High Divide, but the mountain was hidden that day.

On my return leg, I met a hiker who pointed out what first looked like black sludge washed up on the lake shore.  On closer examination, the sludge was alive with movement.  It was thousands of tiny black frogs hopping around.  This was certainly one of the most amazing natural wonders I've seen in the Olympics.  I've included a link to a video clip.  I think they were western toads.  I'd seen several mature western toads on the Hoh River Trail.

On my descent, the weather cleared a bit, permitting some views of the braided channels of the Hoh River.  I was back at Olympus Guard Station by 5:30.

On Day 3, I broke camp and hit the trail by 7:45, and was back at the trailhead at noon.  Total mileage for the trip was 32, and elevation gain was 5344.

As I drove out, I saw a line of cars backed up at the entrance station.