Trekked up to Elk Lake for night one on the 3rd-- lots of groups up at this point, including several set to summit for the 4th or 5th. Morning started drizzly but cleared up by afternoon and the rest of the weekend was unbelievably good weather! Elk Lake up to the Terminal Morraine on the morning of the 4th for sunny skies, warm weather, and a terrific view! Then down to Lewis Meadows for night two and out to the trailhead the following morning to get back to the grind.

Of note:

Trail is in great shape. All blow downs have been removed at this point--many looked to be freshly cut and the sawdust was still fragrant, so thank you to the crews that got the trail in tip top shape before the weekend!

For some reason I thought I needed a bear can... While a couple of the small sites don't have wires and Five Mile is currently requiring cans, save yourself the weight, all the wires appear to be up and the ones I saw were in good shape. Microspikes were also unnecessary weight. On the way up to the Terminal Morraine there were 2-3 very small snow patches and that was it. 

The washout is no joke. While very doable and not something that should deter the adventurous from setting out to the glacier, the upward direction was more difficult with a pack than the down so if you're hesitant at the top I would recommend turning back. The ladder is missing a few rungs. DEFINITELY go down one at a time, a lot of rocks tumble down during the descent and you don't want your noggin on the receiving end of any of that.

There are a handful of water crossings that require some degree of balance but aren't all that difficult. My feet stayed dry the entire weekend which definitely says something!

I hiked in the Hoh Forest a couple of days ago and it was just perfect. Enchanting. Only went 3 miles in and we saw very few people on the trail. Most of the people were doing the nature walks around the ranger station.I've done this trail many times in the past, but never did the mini loop that takes you to the maple grove. We did that at the end of the hike as an after thought and it was amazing. Those maples are decorated with moss all the way. Full, lush beards.

First of all, someone picked up my gold MSR trekking poles at Five Mile Island. I accidentally left them on the way in on Saturday, Nov 2, and figured I’d grab them the next day on the way out. Someone took them. If you grabbed them and see this, I would like them back, no hard feelings. I’ll even Venmo you cash to reimburse shipping.

Now to the trip report: this hike was perfect. How we found four straight days of cloudless, rainless skies in November in the Olympics is beyond me. We drove up Friday night, and hiked in to Mt Tom campground (~3 miles). The next day, we hiked up to 12.4 mile camp. We saw a herd of about 10 elk at the Olympus Guard Station. The next morning we left camp 12.4, immediately ran into 3-4 more elk, then continued up the mountain. We made it all the way to Lateral Moraine (5100’) which is about .75mile past Glacier Meadows and the ideal viewpoint for Mt. Olympus and the Blue Glacier. The view is amazing.

On the way to Lateral Moraine, make sure you know where to go during the “ladder” washout crossing. After climbing down the washout via the ladder, you go skiers left or climbers right and uphill. Basically, the best way to think about it is that the trail should have gone straight all along. The washout just took out a section.

Snow was almost nonexistent. I crossed one tiny snow patch (actually went around it) at 5050ft. That was the only snow on trail and there was very little even off trail until maybe 5500+ft. We returned to camp at 12.4 and then moved camp to 5 Mile Island. This made for a very long day of about 20 miles. I don’t recommend it. On the way out the next day we saw a couple huge herds of elk, totaling maybe 50 elk. Most were around Mt Tom Campground.

We had no problems with the supposed problem coyotes in 5Mile Island. We neither heard them nor saw sign of them. We saw plenty of elk and lots of bear tracks in the mud.

This was an awesome hike that I highly recommend. The first 12.4 miles is amazing (and very easy) rainforest hiking. It turns from a huge, open, glacial river to a smaller, bluer river in a nice tight valley. The forest is green beyond belief, with a blanket of lush green moss, algae, and ferns laid all over everything. The stark contrast between the greenery and the powder blue river is something to behold.

After 12.4 miles, the trail changes drastically. Physically, the trail goes from almost flat to quite steep. Visually, things start to change around mile 15. The thick blanket of rainforest greenery starts to lift right as you begin to catch glimpses of Olympus. Once you cross the ladder washout, then pass glacier meadows, you make a steep, 3/4mile climb up to lateral moraine. This last bit is above tree line. At the top, the view is stunning. You will not be disappointed.

Mileage from the parking lot to Lateral Moraine and back was about 38-39 miles according to two Suunto watches that have proven very accurate over the years.

First of all, someone picked up my gold MSR trekking poles at Five Mile Island. I accidentally left them on the way in on Saturday, Nov 2, and figured I’d grab them the next day on the way out. Someone took them. If you grabbed them and see this, I would like them back, no hard feelings. I’ll even Venmo you cash to reimburse shipping.

Now to the trip report: this hike was perfect. How we found four straight days of cloudless, rainless skies in November in the Olympics is beyond me. We drove up Friday night, and hiked in to Mt Tom campground (~3 miles). The next day, we hiked up to 12.4 mile camp. We saw a herd of about 10 elk at the Olympus Guard Station. The next morning we left camp 12.4, immediately ran into 3-4 more elk, then continued up the mountain. We made it all the way to Lateral Moraine (5100’) which is about .75mile past Glacier Meadows and the ideal viewpoint for Mt. Olympus and the Blue Glacier. The view is amazing.

On the way to Lateral Moraine, make sure you know where to go during the “ladder” washout crossing. After climbing down the washout via the ladder, you go skiers left or climbers right and uphill. Basically, the best way to think about it is that the trail should have gone straight all along. The washout just took out a section.

Snow was almost nonexistent. I crossed one tiny snow patch (actually went around it) at 5050ft. That was the only snow on trail and there was very little even off trail until maybe 5500+ft. We returned to camp at 12.4 and then moved camp to 5 Mile Island. This made for a very long day of about 20 miles. I don’t recommend it. On the way out the next day we saw a couple huge herds of elk, totaling maybe 50 elk. Most were around Mt Tom Campground.

We had no problems with the supposed problem coyotes in 5Mile Island. We neither heard them nor saw sign of them. We saw plenty of elk and lots of bear tracks in the mud.

This was an awesome hike that I highly recommend. The first 12.4 miles is amazing (and very easy) rainforest hiking. It turns from a huge, open, glacial river to a smaller, bluer river in a nice tight valley. The forest is green beyond belief, with a blanket of lush green moss, algae, and ferns laid all over everything. The stark contrast between the greenery and the powder blue river is something to behold.

After 12.4 miles, the trail changes drastically. Physically, the trail goes from almost flat to quite steep. Visually, things start to change around mile 15. The thick blanket of rainforest greenery starts to lift right as you begin to catch glimpses of Olympus. Once you cross the ladder washout, then pass glacier meadows, you make a steep, 3/4mile climb up to lateral moraine. This last bit is above tree line. At the top, the view is stunning. You will not be disappointed.

Mileage from the parking lot to Lateral Moraine and back was about 38-39 miles according to two Suunto watches that have proven very accurate over the years.

What an awesome trip! I had a blast, the Hoh Rainforest is absolutely stunning and the Blue Glacier is more than worth the trip. I did it as an overnight hike, which was a little on the longer side of things but definitely doable if you're confident in your hiking abilities. The trail is almost perfectly flat for around 13 miles, but the last 4 are a pretty gnarly uphill. The trail is really well maintained all the way up from the Visitor Center to the glacier, with the only exception being the washout right before Glacier Meadows CG. The ladder down the washout is broken in a couple spots and generally pretty sketchy, although someone has tied a rope from the top to bottom as an alternative to the ladder. I stayed at Glacier Meadows, which was lovely although I did see a couple bears in the campsite so be sure to put all smellables in a bear can. The hike up to the glacier is pretty steep and mostly in rock fields, but there are cairns. I went to the lateral moraine, which was an epic view and I've heard it's the better of the two. All in all, great hike and I highly recommend it!