Hoh River Trail to Blue Glacier — Wednesday, Sep. 17, 2025

Did this as a long day hike starting at 5:00 am and got back at 8:00 pm. The trail is in excellent shape and well maintained, maybe 5 downed trees across 19 miles. I started in the dark and was startled by a couple elk crashing through the forest. I only saw their eyes in my headlamp which was unnerving. A little while later I saw a large male elk which proceeded to just stare at me. At mile 8 there is 2 river crossings both of which can be avoided by using downed logs. The incline starts a little after Lewis Meadows and is never too bad except the last section from Glacier Meadows to the Moraine. There are some great views of Mt. Tom and White Glacier right before the ladder. It's crazy to think how much the glacier has receded from the LIA, in 1815 it was connected with Blue Glacier. The ladder is a bit tricky due to a couple missing rungs. There is a sign which just has an arrow at Glacier Meadows that indicates the way to the moraine. It's easy to miss and I spent some time wandering among the campsites. I arrived at the terminal Moraine at 1:00 pm and spent 45 min admiring the view. On the way down I encountered a bear bathing in the tarn. It was very cool to see, and I must say bears are much less intimidating than elk. It was in the way of the trail, but it eventually scampered off. At this point I was running low on time, so I picked up the pace and only took 3 short breaks on the way out. I saw two more male elk around 4 miles out from the parking lot. Stats 38 miles, 6300 ft of gain.