We reached the entrance booth at 9:30 a.m., where there was little wait.  Plenty of space in the parking lot.

We hiked to Olympus Guard Station and spent a night.  The weather was perfect, but this followed several days of rain, and the trail was quite muddy for much of the way.  Lots of flowers blooming:  western bunchberry, Siberian spring beauty, vanillaleaf, and fairy bells. 

There were, of course, lots of hikers near the trailhead, but we saw few other hikers once we passed Five Mile Island.

Aside from many big puddles, there were no obstructions until 8 miles in, where the trail reaches a point where the river has carved a new side channel.  Orange flagging marks a ford, but the river was deep and swift there.  The better option was to turn left and follow a well-beaten path about 50 yards upstream to a solid, if slightly rotten, log that crosses the stream.  Then, it was back down the other side to regain the main trail.  About a quarter-mile further on, the trail again reaches the new channel.  Here, a big tangle of logs offered a crossing with dry feet, albeit with some gymnastics.

Olympus Guard Station was a nice place to camp.  The guard station itself was locked up tight.  There are plenty of tent sites, a bear wire, and two privies.  Only one other party was camped there that night.  We walked out to the main channel of the river, which required hopping several smaller channels.  Nice view up the valley from the riverbank.

We hiked out the following morning, and saw no other hikers until we passed Five Mile Island.  Once we were within a couple miles of the trailhead, the trail was mobbed.

Total round trip mileage:  19.

Hiked to Blue Glacier this weekend. It rained constantly with little to no breaks making the trail extremely muddy. There is a creek crossing around 8 miles where you have to hike upstream to reach a log that you can walk across. It is a bit tricky when wet with heavy backpacks. The rope ladder wasn't a problem, but we lost the trail following the ladder. The trail goes back up and regains the elevation lost (just follow the cairns). Other than there were no notable obstacles. There are a few snow patches before Glacier Meadows. Once at Glacier Meadows the snow becomes more consistent to the lateral moraine. We did not use traction. 

Hiked this as a two night trip 5/11-5/13.

Day 1 - Hoh Trailhead to Elk Lake. Trail snow free and in good condition until Elk Lake with only a few downed trees.

Day 2 - Elk Lake to Blue Glacier then back to camp at Elk Lake. Packed up camp and headed down to Lewis Meadows for the night. Intermittent snow between Elk Lake and the washout. The washout with the ladder is snow free. Snow is consistent after the washout. Put on snowshoes starting at Glacier Meadows which were helpful in the sun baked snow, but other people had ascended without snowshoes the previous day.

Day 3 - Lewis Meadows to Hoh Trailhead.

Solo overnight to Olympus Guard Station 3/25-3/26. Perfect early season backpacking trip! No competition for passes if you’re okay with the possibility of some mud, rain, and cooler temps.

The trail was surprisingly dry, only a few muddy spots going out. It was muddier on the way back and a few puddles had formed after the overnight rain.

There were a few downed trees which were easy to cross even with a full pack. The trees that required me to duck were more of a challenge. I’m sure most of them will be cleared come summer. One log in particular is helpful for the creek crossing about 7.5 miles in and there’s a log jam shortly after where the trail crosses back over the creek. These crossings have been mentioned in many past trip reports and I included a photo of the single log which is looking much more worn than it was in previous photos. I recommend using microspikes when crossing the logs. On my way back I remembered I brought mine and was much more confident on those crossings. I managed to keep my feet dry the whole hike!

Only saw a handful of people on my way out and didn’t see anyone past the 5 mile mark. Lots of birds, elk, and deer. No bear or cougar sightings and only a small section had cougar prints.

The Guard Station was the perfect spot to camp and turn around as most elevation on this trail is gained after that point. Going any farther wasn’t something I was comfortable doing in March alone. The camp area has a large meadow and a few creeks surrounding it but enough tree coverage to offer some privacy between camp sites. I had the whole place to myself other than the group of five deer I shared it with. I brought a bear can so I didn’t scope out the condition of the bear wires. Outhouses were nice to have and were in adequate condition.

It was a thankfully uneventful night, most likely because of the rain. My bear can was untouched and I didn’t hear any noises other than the rain on my tent.

The hike back to the trailhead was busier than on the way out but I still didn’t come across anyone until I went by the Happy Four camp site. The weather was wonderful for late March and the only significant precipitation was the rain overnight.

Overall a great trip, highly recommend!