To get up a perch overlooking the peaks of Mt. Olympus and Blue Glacier, there are many options for organizing your trip. It's about 18 miles and 4700' elevation gain from the Hoh trailhead to end of the end of the lateral moraine spur (the endpoint of the hike), and most of the elevation gain comes in the last 6 miles. There is another potential endpoint, the terminal moraine, but the ranger told me that spur is hard to follow and the endpoint is the bottom of Blue Glacier rather than the view across Blue Glacier to the summit of Mt. Olympus afforded by the lateral moraine spur.
I opted to camp 10.5 miles in, at Lewis Meadows, which made for a 16 mile dayhike with 4300' gain on day 2. Lewis Meadows had ample tent sites, and I was able to get one of the five or so tucked away riverside sites. Lewis does not require reservations for parties under 6 people. I considered going a bit further on day 1, but the next two sites, at 12.4 and 13.2 miles in and also unpermitted, had only one and three tent sites respectively and were forested. If they were occupied, you had to go on to at least Martin Creek or Elk Lake. In the end, I preferred the open gravel bar expanse of the Hoh River at Lewis Meadows and the longer dayhike.
From Glacier Meadows camp, you ascend the well-marked lateral moraine trail through steep meadows followed by a well-established gravel path up through the moraine. The endpoint is a narrow ridge with an awe-inspiring view to the spiky peaks of Mt. Olympus and the frozen blue pocked river that is Blue Glacier. The vegetation on the ridge is worn away so it is dusty among the large rocks, and it was quite windy up there with lots of dust blowing around.
Even though the destination was the close-up view of Mt. Olympus, it should be emphasized that the long relatively flat walk through the lush Hoh River valley is a meditation and features every shade of green you can conjure. The walk among the towering giants and intermittent views of the mighty Hoh upstream and downstream are plenty of destination for many. At the impressive High Hoh bridge, you see the river at its most upstream in a narrow deep canyon (picture below) and the confluence of the Hoh River and Glacier Creek, which all descend from the various glaciers of Mt. Olympus.
Miraculously timed this outing to optimize three factors: not too cold in the evening, bugs were minimal, and an abundance of blueberries (starting above Elk Lake). The only factor which would have made it more ideal was to do it earlier in the season to see more wildflowers in Glacier Meadows, but that would have likely meant more bugs. I did see a herd of elk in the Hoh River (on the road just before the visitor center), a pair of black salamanders, a couple of grouse, and maybe 30-40 tiny hopping frogs on the short section between Martin Creek and Elk Lake, particularly in the late afternoon. It was hard to avoid stepping on the frogs in some parts.
There was one significant obstacle on the trail about 1/3 mile before Glacier Meadows. A slide has wiped out a section of the trail, and the park has installed a cable and rope ladder that you descend on the way in and ascend on the way out. I found it quite treacherous because of its length, its near vertical angle, and the precariousness of some of the rungs. In addition, there were rocks falling from above as I was descending the ladder, even though nobody was above. Other WTA trip reports this summer include pictures of the ladder. The ranger at the Hoh visitor center said there were no plans to repair the ladder, which has been there 3-4 years, because the view is that those who are hardy enough to get to this point will not find it a significant challenge. If you feel differently, as I do, the ranger said they welcome comments (at their website) in support of repairing the trail and removing the ladder to improve both accessibility and safety.
Met a research group (with very heavy packs) from the National Park Service installing surveillance to determine whether martens have come back in the park and also a work group from the Conservation Corps who were doing trail maintenance up to both Elk Lake and Hoh Lake. Mules had hauled up equipment for the work party.
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