Hoh River Trail to Glacier Meadows

Olympic National Park, Hoh Rain Forest (end of Upper Hoh Road, east of US 101)

Check before you go. Check before you go: the lightning-caused Mt. Tom Creek Fire (started June 23, 2026) was still burning in the Mount Tom Creek drainage, about 5 miles west-northwest of Mount Olympus, in late August. Park releases through Aug. 26, 2026, listed no trail closures, but the Lake of the Gods camp was closed and Stage 2 fire restrictions banned all campfires in the park and Olympic National Forest; that was the last official statement found. On Oct. 17, 2026, Olympic National Forest's alerts page listed no fire restriction, but no park notice lifting the ban was found, so confirm before planning a fire. A Mountaineers group in late June 2026 reported smoke and ash on the trail and turned back at a rock chute below the Glacier Meadows ladder. WSDOT's six-day full closures of the US 101 Hoh River Bridge ended in mid-October 2026, but NPS (Oct. 9) listed overnight full closures, 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., Oct. 13 through 19 (a WSDOT headline says Oct. 13 to 18), and WSDOT says the bridge stays at one-way alternating traffic until further notice. The Hoh Rain Forest stays reachable from Forks.

The Hoh River Trail runs up one of the rain forest valleys on the west side of the Olympic Mountains toward Mount Olympus. Oregon Hikers notes the valley gets up to 170 inches of precipitation a year.

The Park Service lists 17.4 miles from the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center to Glacier Meadows, from 600 to 4,300 feet, and rates the best season as late June through September.

The hike

The National Park Service describes the trail as “generally flat for the first 13 miles then becomes steep to Glacier Meadows.” Oregon Hikers’ field guide gives these markers: Mount Tom Creek campsites at mile 2.9, Happy Four Shelter at 5.7, Olympus Guard Station at 9.1, the Hoh Lake junction at 9.7, and Lewis Meadow at about 10.1 to 10.4. Washington Trails Association calls Five Mile Island a sunny lunch spot with views of Bogachiel Peak.

Past Lewis Meadow, the trail crosses the High Hoh Bridge, which Oregon Hikers says spans the sheer-sided gorge of the Hoh with a view of the Bailey Range. Then the real climb begins: about 3,000 feet over the last six miles. Elk Lake, at mile 15.5 in Oregon Hikers’ count, has mats of yellow water lilies, and the guide notes that “Two hundred years ago, the White and Blue Glaciers of Mount Olympus met here.”

Above Elk Lake, NPS says a section of trail in an avalanche chute “is washed out,” and hikers use a rope ladder down a steep, loose slope about a quarter mile before Glacier Meadows. Oregon Hikers calls it the Jemrod Gully ladder, a 60-step, 100-foot cable-supported climb, and warns that some steps are broken, so cross one at a time. A Mountaineers group that hiked in June 2026 described loose shale and drop-offs past the lake and turned around at a rock chute after a small rockslide.

Glacier Meadows has two shelters, a privy, and a ranger station, according to Oregon Hikers. The lateral moraine of the Blue Glacier is just under a mile farther, with views of the West Peak of Olympus, Snow Dome, and Glacier Pass. A separate spur leads about 0.4 mile to the terminal moraine. NPS warns that only experienced mountaineers with glacier and crevasse-rescue skills should go onto Mount Olympus itself.

Oregon Hikers suggests a three-day plan: camp at Lewis Meadow or Elk Lake, day-hike to the moraine, drop back to the Guard Station, and walk out on day three.

For a loop with high-country lakes on the same side of the park, see Seven Lakes Basin and the High Divide.

Tips

Reserve early. All overnight trips need a wilderness permit, reserved on Recreation.gov.
Bring a bear canister. NPS requires them for all food, garbage, and scented items.
Plan for the ladder. Ask the Wilderness Information Center about the washout before you commit to Glacier Meadows.
Expect snow early. NPS says an ice axe may be needed in spring and early summer.
Arrive early or late. NPS says summer waits at the Hoh entrance can reach two hours; it suggests arriving before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m.

Camping

NPS lists these camps (individual / group sites): Tom Creek (3/1), Five Mile Island (3/2), Happy Four (2/0), Olympus Guard Station (7/2), Lewis Meadow (2/1), Elk Lake (7/1), and Glacier Meadows (11/1). Camp only on bare ground in designated sites, or on Hoh River gravel bars, which NPS suggests as low-impact sites. Groups of more than six must use group camps. NPS says no campfires above Martin Creek, and the park’s general rule bans fires above 3,500 feet. Pit toilets are at Five Mile Island, Olympus Guard Station, Lewis Meadow, Elk Lake, and Glacier Meadows. Treat all water.

Inside Intel: A Mountaineers group that backpacked the trail in June 2026 skipped the crowded group camp at Olympus and took a riverside site with room for seven tents, though some moved to higher ground when the river rose overnight. They found the Elk Lake group site hidden behind a large boulder, and called Martin Creek “the best water source we found near Elk Lake.”

Trail facts

Distance: 34.8 miles round trip to Glacier Meadows (NPS); add about 2 miles round trip for the Blue Glacier moraine
Route type: Out-and-back
Difficulty: Strenuous
Campsites: Tom Creek (about mile 2.9), Five Mile Island, Happy Four (5.7), Olympus Guard Station (9.1), Lewis Meadow (about 10.1 to 10.4), Elk Lake (15.5), Glacier Meadows (17.4 to 17.8)
Water: Hoh River and side streams; Lewis Meadow’s creek was dry in June 2026
Permits: Olympic wilderness permit, reserved on Recreation.gov
Food storage: Bear canister required
Fires: None above Martin Creek; check current fire restrictions
Dogs: Not allowed on park trails
Trailhead: Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, end of Upper Hoh Road (about 18 miles from US 101)
Last verified: October 17, 2026

The Lowdown

The last six miles up to Glacier Meadows:

After 13 nearly flat miles, the Hoh River Trail climbs about 3,000 feet over the last six, with a ladder down a steep, loose slope near Glacier Meadows. Our pole tips cover shorter poles uphill and longer ones down.

Get the trekking pole tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.