We did a 3-night trip up and down the river valley all the way to the glacier, with stays at Lewis Meadows, Martin Creek and Happy Four. Arrived at the trailhead around 8AM on a Friday (after camping at nearby Bogachiel State Park, which I highly recommend if you want to drive over to that side of the peninsula the night before you start your trip), no wait to get in and plenty of parking in the backpacking/overflow lot.

The first day was a straightforward 10ish miles from the trailhead to Lewis Meadows. The trail is well maintained and relatively flat, and you'll surely have company on and off until at least the 2 river crossings. The 1st crossing is around 8ish miles in, after Happy Four camp but before the Olympus Ranger Station (see my AllTrails link for exact waypoints). At this time the water was maybe calf-deep, never above knees depending on your route. It was very easy with poles and water shoes. I've read reports and saw evidence of people making new trails a bit further up and crossing on a downed log, but I could see this being very sketchy if the log is wet. My advice: just bring some sandals and enjoy the brisk stream, it'll be over in 2 minutes. The 2nd crossing is at a log jam that can be easily navigated over without getting wet. Other than that the hike is a beautiful but uneventful day through the woods.

Lewis Meadows campground is nice though I could see it being very crowded in busier times. Make sure to continue past the meadow you start at until you get to the river where there are many nice campsites. At this time the only water source was the silty Hoh River itself. The pit toilet was useable.

The 2nd day we backpacked from Lewis Meadows to Martin Creek, and this is when the real uphill began. You'll still be entirely in the woods for this portion. I would highly recommend camping at Martin Creek rather than Elk Lake. Right next to an easy water source, wide open spaces, and less distance/elevationt o carry your heavy pack. Only downside is no pit toilet. 

After setting up camp we day hiked up to the glacier itself. Be prepared for the distance and elevation you'll be doing, we were not and it was an absolutely slog by the end (didn't help that it was a 90+ day). You'll still be mostly in forest until beyond Glacier Meadows (which did not look like a very nice place to stay honestly). The slide-area ladder was not too big of a deal with daypacks, though I'm sure it'd be much more harrowing with a full pack. The final mile up to the glacier was the only truly exposed part of the entire trail. There were so many berries just above Glacier Meadows that I was shocked we didn't run into a bear.

You'll eventually reach a fork with options to go to the lateral or terminal moraines. While we did not go to the terminal, many people told us the lateral was the choice to make if you had to make one. It's a tough final mile up but the view from the ridge is absolutely worth the entire effort, an absolutely stunning view of the glacier and Mt. Olympus. 

When we got back to Martin Creek we met some people that said they had just seen a bear at the creek, and then not 5 minutes later we saw the bear maybe 50-100 yards above our camp. We yelled but he did not seem particularly interested in us. He tore up a stump for a while and then headed deeper into the woods.

Our final day was spent retracing our steps back to Happy Four camp. There's no pit toilet here either but I really liked this campsite. There were many campsites that were shaded but right next to the wide open gravel bar and river.

Overall is a really great 3 night trip, personally I would not want to do it in any more or less days. The forest is gorgeous, though by the last day you'll probably be ready to just put your head down and march out. The glacier view is a tough dayhike from the campgrounds along the river but absolutely worth it.

Started on the trail about 9 AM on the Wednesday after Labor Day.  Got right through the entrance station, and there were quite a few spaces available in the parking lots.  (Note that Saturday, when we left to head home about 3 PM, was a different story- there was a line of 50-60 cars waiting to get in.)

We camped the first night at Lewis Meadow (good sites right along the river), then two nights at Elk Lake (no working toilet).  Best water at Elk Lake was from Martin Creek, about 0.25 miles back down the trail.  The lake itself was quite muddy and difficult to access, and did not appear to have very good water quality.  There was a small outlet stream from the lake back down the trail, and some people were getting water there, but the water didn't seem as clear as that available from Martin Creek.  

The first day we hiked from the trailhead to Lewis Meadow, which was quite straightforward since the trail was fairly level.  The second day we hiked from Lewis Meadow to Elk Lake, which was a pretty short day in terms of miles, but with a substantial elevation gain.  The third day we day-hiked up to the lateral moraine overlooking the Blue Glacier, with spectacular views of Mt. Olympus.  The fourth day we hiked out from Elk Lake to the trailhead, 15-plus miles.  Although this last day was generally downhill, there was still over 600 feet of ascent, mostly climbing back up river valleys after crossing a wash or stream.  The trail was generally in very good condition.

As noted, there are two river crossings before the Olympus Guard station.  Some of our party used the logjams to cross, others just walked through the water (about calf-deep). 

The ladder through the washout was in good condition.  It was a bit challenging to get over to the rope and ladder from the trail, but once there it was relatively easy to navigate the ladder.  It also was easier going up rather than down, at least from our group's perspective.

Once past Glacier Meadows, the trail works its way through some very rocky terrain, but it was relatively easy to follow, with strategically-located cairns in places where you might get off-track.  

It was a challenging backpack, but the view from the lateral moraine on a sunny day was very much worth it!

We were lucky to be able to delay our departure by 1 day so as to avoid the rain. We arrived to the Hoh Park entrance around 9:30 and did not have to wait and found parking. We hiked into Olympus Guard Station for our first night's camp and met many waterlogged and defeated hikers coming out, never having made it to Blue Glacier. The initial 5 miles or so were pretty muddy, but to be expected after the heavy rains in the rainforest.

The river crossing noted by many previous trip reports can be done with a short calf deep water crossing or one can travel north (turn LEFT where most folks are donning and doffing shoes) and walk past 2 downed trees to a third downed tree that made for smooth passage across the river.  You can make it across the next section by carefully picking your way across a log jam.

Plenty of nice camping sites available at the Guard Station. Saw Elk & deer hoof prints and scat, but never saw any Elk or deer. The next day was another 8.5 miles with about 3500' elevation gain up to Glacier Meadows. The trail was drier, and steadily climbed. We had to avoid hundreds of tiny Western toads (about 1/2") on the trail from Martin Creek, past Elk Lake and up toward Glacier Meadows. 

And then we came to the "ladder". We all knew about it but weren't quite expecting the exposure and length of it down to the bottom of washout. The rungs were also spaced at an unnatural length for easily stepping down rung to rung.  Luckily, the bees noted previously by the top of the ladder were nowhere in sight (I'm allergic).

Finally made it to Glacier Meadows campsite and there was only one other party there. As noted previously in other reports, the first privy you see is full and closed off, and the other one is up the trail toward the lateral morraine.

Another day of climbing about 1000' up to the ridge overlooking Blue Glacier and then down a scree field to the glacier itself. We had a great time exploring the glacier, didn't see any climbers or others. Spent another night at Glacier Meadows and back up the ladder, which was easier than going down. Unfortunately, one of my hiking companions was stung 4 times by ground hornets on the trail from Glacier Meadows to Elk Lake, near the Elk lake shelter. Luckily, he was okay and I became more bee aware hiking out. We went back to the Guard Station for our last night. Had time to dunk in the river, read and relax. Watch a few kingfishers and bats later in the evening.

Hiking out on Saturday of Labor Day weekend, we encountered many more people and a few groups of 6-8+ folks.  All in all, a beautiful hike through some amazing old growth forest, and a hard hike at times once you start climbing, but wonderful to explore the Blue Glacier and see the base of Mt Olympus from so close up on a sunshiny day.

MISSING SANDAL PARTNER - IF FOUND I WILL PAY SHIPPING!

I lost it somewhere between CB Flats and the junction with the Hoh River Trail. I know it's a long shot but if you found it and happened to pick it up I will gladly pay for shipping.

Entrance:
Did a 4 day backpacking trip Saturday-Tuesday (August 2024). To start the trip, we arrived at the park entrance around 9:30 and there was already a decent line formed so we were not able to get to the parking lot until roughly 11am.

Trail:
As expected the trail was quite beautiful and the hike up to Blue Glacier lateral moraine, even with the washout and steep climb through a rock field, was worth it. Trail was fairly crowded between up to 5 mile island. We had some fun sightings of mom and fawn deer at 5 mile and Olympus Guard Station. On the way in, there are two big river crossings right before the guard station, and we encountered several people who had gotten lost there as well as hearing about it from the ranger. For the first crossing, it was suggested that you just wade across (mid-calf deep with moderate current), and the second can be crossed at a log jam. There were orange flags to indicate where the trail was. You can also do the first crossing on some logs further up the river, but if you do so, make sure to go back to the original crossing location once you’re on the other side. That seemed to be a very common confusion point based on the people we talked to.

Camping:
For nights 1-3 respectively, we camped at Lewis Meadows, Elk Lake, and Olympus Guard Station. Lewis Meadows was quite full on a Saturday night, so be prepared to be camping quite close to others. Elk Lake was my least favorite campsite as the lake was fairly nasty (and a little more challenging to access) so no one was getting water from it. Most people walked back to Martin Creek (~.25mi away) to filter water. Also, all the outhouses were out of service, so I would have rather camped at Martin Creek because at least there was easy access to water. Olympus Guard Station was nice and quiet, and we camped near the river for the last night. All sites had bear wires available.