Wow! This was my first solo backpacking trip and it was amazing!

I did this in 3 nights. Day #1 was 10.5 miles to Lewis Meadow, day #2 was 4.5 to Elk Lake where I set up camp, then another 3 miles out to the glacier, and back again with just my day pack, day #3 was 4.5 miles back to Lewis Meadow, the day #4 was 10.5 back to my car.

If I were to do this again I’d probably give myself a whole day for the day hike out to the glacier. It’s definitely quite doable in the afternoon, but it would have been nice to take a more leisurely pace, especially since I was anxious about getting past the ladder section before I started losing light.

The ladder section was scary, but not as bad as I’d built it up to be. I’m terrified of heights so if I can do it you can too!

Of note: there was a dead mule about 15 yards off the trail about 1/4 mile before Elk Lake. Several hikers I passed said they had seen a black bear trying to scavenge meat off of it, but the bear was gone by the time I got there. Definitely still smelly and somewhat gruesome.

As so many others have said: this hike is a gem, and absolutely worth the challenge. Even doing just a portion of the Hoh River Trail, and staying at one of the earlier campsites, would be special. The rainforest feels peaceful, the leaves are just beginning to turn, water is plentiful (and often bright blue!), and of course the glacier is stunning.

I planned for a three-day trip, and initially intended to do a long first day in to Elk Lake, a day hike to Blue Glacier and back out to camp at Olympus Guard Station, and back to the trailhead on Day 3. But I got the campsites confused when registering for permits, and ended up reserving Lewis Meadows for Night 1 instead. It made Day 2 (Lewis Meadows - Blue Glacier - Olympus) pretty long, but honestly I think climbing up to Elk Lake after a full day of hiking would have been more challenging. Camping at Lewis Meadows on the first night let me leave some gear behind for the ascent, and do the climb with fresh legs. 

In addition to the wasp nest marked with red tape, there may be others on the trail. I got stung around mile 2.5. Keep an eye out!

Within a mile before Olympus Guard Station, there are two memorable river crossings. The first is a large balanced log, and the other a fellow hiker described as a "jumble" of logs and branches. Both felt manageable, but on the way out after a night of rain, the water was significantly higher and faster. I'd be concerned about these crossings under rainier weather.

I found the infamous ladder to be less terrifying than I expected. If you, like me, see grace as an overrated virtue, consider the scoot method of descent: sit on each rung, and bump your way down. Not pretty but gets the job done. Note that following the ladder to the end will take you to about ten feet of steep, loose scree, and you'll have to scramble back up to the trail. Veering off to the left with the purple rope is a more direct route.

The hike from Lewis Meadows to Blue Glacier took me 5 hours. I opted for the lateral moraine, and was lucky to have the ridgeline viewpoint all to myself. Overall I was surprised at the amount of hikers out on late September weekdays, but the weather was great and the trail never felt crowded.

I found wild blueberries and the last of the thimbleberries up by Glacier Meadows. Other noteworthy sights included deer, elk, lightning, and the biggest Turkey Tail mushroom I'd ever seen! And a quick plug for Gathering Moss by Robin Kimmerer - highly recommended for a deeper appreciation of the mosses you will surely see all around.

It's amazing, pictures don't do it justice. The forest is magic and the glacier is stunning.
At about one mile in there will be some red tape up on a tree. This is marking an section of trail with a wasp nest on the right side, so be cautious, we saw some people get stung. There is red tape coming from the other direction too.
We did a 3 day two night trip and stayed at Lewis meadows both nights. There is bear wire but it was pretty full when we got there, less so the second night. I had brought a bear can though and just used that. No bear sightings, lots of deer and a couple elk. Only one outhouse, not amazing, not the worst. You can get to the river here but its a bit of a trek and the water is silty and prone to clogging filters. We stashed up on water at the creek by Olympus guard station and then at a creek on the way back from the glacier.
The way up to the glacier is a lot of steady, unrelenting gain. I was not a fan of the ladder of doom due to an ankle injury, but was glad you descent first because going up was much easier. After glacier meadows it gets pretty exposed. We went to the lateral moraine, the rock and scree is a bit loose on the way up but not hard to find the path.
It's worth it when you finally get there. But it was like a 16 mi day with ~4000 ft of gain from Lewis. Doing it in three days requires some pretty decent fitness. I think taking another day or two would be ideal to not feel as rushed and break up the mileage.
Came back to the real world to find out the rest of the west coast is on fire, so please be smart, safe, and responsible on any upcoming adventures.

Fabulous, challenging hike. I definitely recommend it. Here's some info that might be useful:


My Itinerary:

I hiked in to Lewis Meadows, an 11.5 miles stretch, and set up camp. From there, I hiked up to the glacier and back on the next day, a 17-mile round trip, and then back out on day 3.


One thing I would've done differently:

The hike up to the glacier was pretty grueling. There's no exceedingly steep sections, but it's a steady, unrelenting climb. Given the option, I would've preferred to camp at either Camp 12.4 or 13.2 to shave off some miles from the ascent to the glacier. Those camps are really small, however, and weren't available. 


Useful Details:

The Hoh River is very silty, which means it's a destroyer of water filters. In some sections, this made water more scarce than you would expect in the Olympics. It wasn't a huge issue, but it's something to be aware of.


The only water source at Lewis Meadows is from the silty Hoh, and it's a bit of a trek to get to it. If that's not an issue for you, the camp itself is very spacious, has plenty of shade, bear wires, and even a cedar wood pooper!


I found the notorious ladder section to be a 4/10 on the sketchy scale. I didn't feel like my life was on the line, but I was careful to move slowly and keep my focus. Once you've descended the ladder, you have to go up and across the rock pile to get back on the trail, which isn't visible from the bottom of the rope ladder.


Lastly, check the weather! I got dumped on for two days straight and came back a swamp thing! Still worth the experience though!! 

Honestly, I'll skip the long description and photos of how stunning this hike is, just review the countless photos and reports of people who subject themselves to these long distance days, we do it because it is SO WORTH IT!

Here's the quick stats of my solo trip: 
Day 1: Hoh Visitor Center -> Olympus Guard Station. 9.7 miles took me 4 hours
Day 2: Olympus Guard Station -> Lateral Moraine -> Terminal Moraine -> Olympus Guard Station. 18 miles & 5,500 feet of gain took me 10 hours with 1.5 hours soaking in the views at top.
Day 3: Olympus Guard Station -> Hoh Visitor Center. 9.7 miles took me 4 hours

Details: 
Very easy trail to follow. The infamous landslide ladder is indeed a bit sketchy going down because of the broken rungs. I would not recommend beginners to attempt this with large overnight packs. After 5 mile Island the crowd thins out tremendously. Not completely alone but definitely some good solitude. Additionally there are two sections where you cross part of the Hoh River via a fallen log and a log jam. I had dry weather but I could imagine it would be a bit slick.

The bear wires were very very nice to use rather than lugging around a bear can. Additionally there were lots of availability on the two bear wires at camp. Olympus Guard Station didn't have official markers designating the campsite but they are pretty obvious to find. I really like this camp because it had a small creek on the west side that was great for fresh water to purify rather than the Hoh. If I were to do this again I would recommend Olympus Guard Station, Lewis Meadows, & Martin Creek.

If you had to pick one or the other I would suggest the Lateral Moraine. The last mile after glacier meadows kicks your butt but at the top it literally took my breath away. If you have the energy and time I would also recommend the terminal moraine (perhaps first). Less people seem to talk about it but I still found that it had a unique view of the glacier as well. The trail to that section does come to an abrupt end and I'm not sure where other people go to cross or get lower.

I can't believe I need to state this but from others reports it seems to be a point of disappointment. You will not see Mt. Olympus until the very end because you are walking through a RAINFOREST! The ancient trees and massive amounts of vegetation are epic. That is your consistent view until you reach the subalpine.

Shoutout to Nutmeg and her wonderful group for suppling some amazing conversation at the top! Keep being the beacon of light!