The payoff of seeing the transcendent Blue Glacier after 18+ miles (one way!) of hiking is something to behold. There are few experiences like it. We found the trick to this backpack adventure is planning the evening camps appropriately in terms of distance traveled in between and number of nights. (Unless you are like the absolute rock-star 2 women we saw who hiked the entire trail in less than 24 hours straight, no camping!)
Context - Who We Are. 3 50-something guys and 2 of our 20-something sons. We backpack 2-3 times a year at most. We're runners, cyclists and in decent cardio shape. We stick together, so we do get passed by other younger hikers regularly; our pace is not rapid.
The Trail Overall. The trail is in excellent condition the entire way. Water is plentiful - every few miles is a lovely creek to ford or cross or access to the river. You are in shade perhaps 85% of the trip. Trees are massive; not many wildflowers. You are in forest cover most of the time, but the creeks make for very interesting sights and crossing adventures - most are very simple; a few take your attention. All are pristine. The washout rope/ladder is as promised by other reports - it is No Joke, but it is doable if you’re in condition. We found going down more challenging technically, and going back up more physically challenging. It is very steep; the rope is a game-changing help. The ladder "rungs" are about 3' apart; some are broken. But the combination rope with ladder makes it achievable with patience and persistence. Gloves helped a few of us; the younger ones opted for bare hands.
The Glacier. I see no point in trying to describe the view of the Glacier. It is just simply stunning. Obviously, no photos on this site or anywhere can do justice to the expansiveness and majesty of the real thing. It is as awesome (perhaps more in some ways) as being on the glacier at Mt. Rainier, trekking toward Camp Muir. The size and scale - and proximity - of Blue Glacier all play tricks on your visual senses; we just don’t see things like this very often.
Trip Planning. We found for us, 2 nights/3 hiking days was a bit too rushed and high-intensity for 38+ miles. In this scenario, you’re left with two 11-mile days and one 16-miler up and downhill. Doable, but a 16-mile day back and forth from Lewis Meadows was difficult up and down hill, then up and down the washout rope/ladder.
Next time, we’d plan 3 nights/4 days, which would allow more time at the really peaceful and wonderful campgrounds along the way and more time at the Glacier. And less time with 25-30 lbs on your back each day. We agreed that next time our plan would be:
Day/Night 1 - hike 11 miles to Lewis Meadows (again, camp on the river bed sand bar was exceptional)
Day/Night 2 - hike 5-6 miles (all steep uphill) to Elk Lake or Glacier Meadows. The decision here: if you camp at Elk Lake, you can handle the washout rope/ladder with lighter packs. If you camp at GM, you get a couple more miles in on Day 2, but you have to do the ladder both ways with full packs. We’d opt for Elk Lake.
Day/Night 3 - Hike 10-12 miles. Leave Elk Lake camp set up, hike to the Glacier and back. Have a restful lunch, pack up camp and head down a few more miles either to 13.3, 12.4 or back to Lewis Meadows.
Day 4 - Hike either 13.3, 12.4 or 11 miles out, all flat/gradual downhill.
In Summary. This is a seriously long hike for the occasional backpacker, with an unbelievable payoff at Blue Glacier. Because 2/3’s of the trail is flat, you certainly can rip through the hike in a couple days, but if you are into enjoying the journey, take a couple more. The trail portion from Lewis Meadows to the Glacier is more interesting than the trip from the Visitor’s Center to Lewis - less crowded, and varied terrain, hilly and very lovely creeks/waterfalls. It is also challenging in elevation gain, but very doable. The High Bridge just past 13.3 is a terrific highlight as well. The Hoh River itself is ever-present, dynamic and beautiful.
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