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.

Schedule: 3 day trip.

Day 1: Walked a gentle rolling hills trail for ~ 11 miles from trailhead and camp ed at Lewis Meadows by the river. Two stream crossings via a log and a log jam which we avoided by cross a pebble path on the river on our way to the camp. On the way back we met some trail crew workers (Washington Conservatory?) working on the log jam and suggested it a safer route than the river which was rushing this morning. Good suggestion, and a big thank you picture for making it easier for us hikers. Large campsites good for a dozen or so campers. Campfire allowed. Privy available and in decent condition. Bear wires available. We started at 1:00 p.m. PT and reached campsite at 6:30p PT.

Day 2: Climbed to Elk Lake - 4.0 miles. Short break for snack. A nice wooden shelter here with bunkers built in for emergencies. Elevation gain picks up rapidly from this point. Some steep and deep fall offs. Great views of the mountains on the side. Found skin shedding on the trail and some bones from a fresh kills, possibly a small animal that was killed based on the bone size. Bear poop. Elk coughing remotely. A mile from Glacier Meadows we met the much talked about ladder. It looked treacherous and I turned back at this point. My two hiking buddies went ahead, slow and steady. They said it wasn't technically hard but can give one the jitters if not use to climbing or fear of depths. My partners were able to go well to the Glacier Meadows but turned back when they hit a difficult snowfield that probably was the last mile to the lateral moraine. Plenty of Glacier summitters suggested we take the left to the lateral moraine and not the terminal to the right which was loose and steep to navigate. Tiger Lilies, India Paint brush, Huckleberries on the way. Multitude of avalanche lilies at the Glacier meadows based on my buddies pictures. We started the day at 8:00 a.m. PT, reached Elk Lake at 11:00 a.m. PT, the ladder point at 1:30 p.m. PT, Glacier Meadow snowfield turnaround at 4:00p PT, back to Lewis Meadows camp at 9:00p PT.

Day 3: Packed tent and walk back to the trailhead. Stopped at the Olympus Guard station for a break. Privy available here. Met and thanked Ranger Andy for his insights the previous day when climbing to Glacier meadows. Emergency shelter at Happy 4 Creek if needed. Another stop at 5 mile camp for lunch. Said hello again to a beautiful waterfall around 3:00 miles from the trailhead. We started out at 9:00 a.m. PT and reached the Visitor Center at 4:30 p.m. PT. Plenty of rest stops included.

Summary, a great trail, green, lush, blue rivers, snow capped mountains and a long slog to the top. We would have been better planned to make this a 4 day trip to nicely match our pace.

Gorgeous trail the whole way— but gosh is it long! We did a two night/three day trip, and it was doable but challenging for us. Camped at Lewis Meadows two nights and day tripped to juuuuuust below the glacier from there. Don't let out the secret of how lovely Lewis Meadows is. It's prettier and quieter than the guard station but only if we keep this between us. We saw work groups doing trail maintenance—thank you! The first 15 miles are beautiful but nothing especially to report. The ladder before Glacier Meadows… I can't imagine doing it with a pack. Lots of people obviously do. I was prepared for the ladder, and I'm not afraid of heights, but honestly, that was the most frightening thing I've ever done. Maybe if I'd seen someone do it before me I'd have felt better about it, but wow… the trip reports did not prepare me for that. Honestly, most people seemed fine with the ladder, but I was unexpectedly petrified. All I could think of was, if there are missing rungs right now, why couldn't one more break while I'm on it? However! The Meadows below blue glacier absolutely blew me away. Anything less and I think I would have regretted my decision to do the ladder. They made me forget for a few precious minutes that I had to go back up the damn thing. We decided to go to the lateral moraine, which has the best views, we were told, and a stunning meadow. We did not do the terminal moraine so I can't say I can recommend one or the other, but the meadow was amazing. But when we encountered the incredibly steep rock scramble/snow field to climb to get to the viewpoint, I couldn't do it. Not enough energy with the amount of time we had left in the day, and I worried about the snow field, which I could see had water flowing beneath it. It looked waaaay too steep. Again, people do this successfully all the time, but we were the only ones there and it just didn't seem smart or possible. Of course then we stupidly decided to try a rock scramble up to the peak on the right to save time and avoid snow because we could see others had gone that way before… I don't recommend that because it felt unsafe, and there was no view of the glacier at the top to reward our stupidity. I usually dislike a lengthy out and back because I feel like I'm doing the same thing twice. I'm trying to work on being more present in the journey and enjoy the different perspective of all the things I've seen before. This trail was so gorgeous every step of the way and was worth it, but if I were to do it again (and it is my second time to Lewis Meadows and back) I might try a "loop" from Sol Duc … the rewards are tremendous but require a lot of miles and effort. I still want to see that elusive glacier!

Summary: My hiking partners and I spent 3 days on the trail with nights 1 and 2 camped at Lewis Meadows. The first 12 miles or so are quite flat with some small hills but the trail climbs steadily after that. The trail is in pretty good condition and not too steep (just long, consistent climbs). This trail should be doable to just about anyone given enough time.

Permits: We arrived at the Hoh Visitor Center and got permits there for Lewis Meadows (an unreserved campground). You will be asked if you have a bear can or if you know how to hang your food (bear wires at most campgrounds). 

Bugs and Animals: There are lots of bees and mosquitos on the trail from the trailhead until 5 Mile Island. The bees were not aggressive but very curious and would pester you like flies. If you're allergic, remember to pack your meds. Mosquitos were typically thick around small streams but in much smaller numbers after the Olympus Guard station. We saw a very large elk at the visitor center who has earned a reputation for being aggressive with park guests so keep an eye out for him. After starting the trail we saw a few deer, one coyote, and the bones and fur left behind from some other animal's kill. As far as animal sightings go, it was pretty tame. 

Trail Obstacles: There are 4 log crossings between the trailhead and Lewis Meadows; the first one is the most difficult with a very knotty tree to balance on and there was also a log jam / obstacle course (trail crews were cleaning this up on our way out). All of the downed trees are cleared up to High Hoh bridge where you will find a few to crawl over on your way to Glacier Meadows (none of them were particularly difficult). 

The Ladder: I feel like this should have it's own section. The ladder deserves it's reputation. It is a cable ladder, about 100m long across a very loose slide area with 2 or 3 broken wood rungs in the middle. There is a rope along the side that can be used for stability (more useful when going up, I think). Getting to the ladder itself is scary as you have to scramble across a loose and narrow dirt path through the slide area to reach the cables; on your way down, crossing the broken rungs requires some creative stepping. I brought fingerless gloves for this and was glad I did. The height is dizzying but swearing helps! ;)

Glacier Meadows: Reaching the meadows (not the campsite) was definitely a highlight. There was a huge field of avalanche lillies and patches of magenta colored indian paintbrush popping up. The views to the surrounding mountains, snow fields and glaciers were incredible. If I did this trail again, I'd prefer to stop here long and eat lunch. 

The Glacier Morraine: Immediately after the meadow you reach a snowfield straight ahead with runoff beneath (the only snowfield on the trail) and a talus field to the right. We had hiked from Lewis Meadows and reached this point at 3:30pm; our turn around time was 4:00. Looking at the snow field we decided that a) it was steep enough that it made us a bit uncomfortable -- especially with water running beneath it, b) the snow was quite soft in the afternoon and we didn't feel well equipped to cross it, c) we weren't sure we could make it up to the top in our remaining 30 minutes. I figured I could get up the talus in that time so I made an attempt with hopes to find the glacier on the other side. I didn't. There were only more ridges. Also, there were far fewer stable rocks at the top and the soil was quite powdery which made me very nervous. I turned around and carefully climbed down the rock field. In hindsight, I do not recommend trying to cross the talus field. Give yourself enough time and try to cross the snow. Also, we found evidence of a mountain goat on the rocks and had heard there was one getting curious with hikers so be aware.

We were sad to leave without actually seeing the glacier but it was important to keep the turn around time and was ultimately the right decision; we arrived back at Lewis Meadows just as it got dark at 8:45pm. 

Shout outs: Huge thanks to everyone we met on the trail. Y'all are the nicest people -- Ranger Andy, the Boston Boys, Jason, and Steve (our trail angel). 

Run from Hoh River Ranger station to Mount Olympus and back. It is some constaraction in the park, so you can expect some delays. Also they plan some closures from July 10.

Hoh river trail in good shape, few fallen trees, but nothing special. Glacier have a lot of small crevasses, direct route to summit blocked, so you need go around.

 

Full report bellow.