5-Day Olympic Backpacking - Hoh Rainforest and the Blue Glacier

Meet your guides at 2pm at the Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center (look for elk on the drive in!) Get acquainted with gear and your trip-mates and you’re off! Hike an easygoing, flat five miles into the depths of the lush Hoh rainforest and spend the evening relaxing by the fire next to the great Hoh River.

Day two will consist of another leisurely stroll through the rainforest, as we hike another five miles deeper into the valley. Spend time admiring the lush mosses and taking in the quiet of the forest. Arrive at Lewis Meadows and explore the expanding valley around you before settling in for another hearty dinner and a relaxing night.

Today we hike from the Olympus Guard Station to Elk Lake Campground. From here we have a decision to make: hike to the glacier (another 6 miles roundtrip with 2,800 feet of elevation gain) in the afternoon, or opt to hike the glacier on the morning of Day 4 before moving camp. We will savor the views upon arrival at the Blue Glacier with Mount Olympus towering overhead. The pictures taken here will be aplenty while we eat and replenish the calories we lost on the final uphill stretch of our adventure.

Descend the ten miles back down into the river valley to Five Mile Island, reminiscing about the amazing glacier views along the way, and noticing new flora and fauna that you may have missed the first time around! Relax by the fire and the river that night.

A flat, leisurely five miles takes you back to where you started, at the Hoh Visitor Center. If time allows, take the 1 mile loop through the Hall of Mosses before exiting to the trailhead and amaze yourself with the quietude and lush green.