Hoh River Trail: A Hiking Guide to Glacier Meadows

The Hoh River Trail starts at the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center and follows the river upstream toward Mount Olympus. For most of its length it is nearly flat, so it works as an easy day hike to Five Mile Island or a backpacking trip to Glacier Meadows. Here are the park’s own distances, camps and rules.

Getting to the trailhead

The trailhead is about 20 miles southeast of Forks, at the end of the Upper Hoh Road, 18 miles in from Highway 101. Three trails begin just outside the visitor center. Our posts on temperate rainforests in Olympic National Park and accessible trails cover the two short loops, so this guide stays on the long one.

As of October 2026, WSDOT is repairing the US 101 bridge over the Hoh River, with overnight closures from 7 pm to 5:30 am through October 19. The park says the Hoh Rain Forest stays reachable from Forks throughout. Check the WSDOT Hoh River Bridge project page before you drive.

Hoh River Trail distances

The park’s pages don’t quite agree on the total. The trail page gives 17.4 miles to Glacier Meadows, the Hoh visitor page and brochure give 17.3, and the wilderness trail conditions table lists 17.5. The table below uses only NPS figures.

Distances from the trailhead, one way

Point	Miles	NPS source
First River access	0.9	Visiting the Hoh
Mineral Creek Falls	2.7	Visiting the Hoh
Cedar Grove	4.0	Visiting the Hoh
Five Mile Island	5.0	Visiting the Hoh
Olympus Guard Station	9.5	Hoh River Trail page
Lewis Meadow	Not published	Listed as a camp past the guard station
Glacier Meadows	17.3 to 17.5	Varies by page
Blue Glacier moraine	18.5	Visiting the Hoh

We found no NPS mileage for Lewis Meadow, so we haven’t guessed one. Trail guides and trip reports give figures between about 10 and 11 miles.

Day hike to Five Mile Island

Five Mile Island is the park’s suggested turnaround for a day hike, 10 miles round trip on a well kept, mostly level tread. Along the way it runs through temperate rain forest and past gravel bars on the river. Shorter turnarounds are First River access, Mineral Creek Falls and Cedar Grove.

Pets are not allowed on any trail in the Hoh Rain Forest. Our post on dogs in Olympic National Park lists places where they are welcome.

Backpacking to Glacier Meadows

The park rates the trail easy to moderate, best from late June through September. It climbs from 600 feet to 4,300 feet at Glacier Meadows, and the brochure puts the total gain at 3,700 feet. The steep part comes after about 13 miles.

Camps along the trail

Camp	Sites	Pit toilet
Tom Creek	3 individual, 1 group	No
Five Mile Island	3 individual, 2 group, 1 stock	Yes
Happy Four	2 individual	No
Olympus Guard Station	7 individual, 2 group	Yes
Lewis Meadow	2 individual, 1 group, 1 stock	Yes
Elk Lake	7 individual, 1 group, 1 stock	Yes
Glacier Meadows	11 individual, 1 group	Yes

The park also says gravel bars on the river make good, low impact campsites. Groups of more than six must use the group camps, and stock parties must use the stock sites.

Olympus Guard Station and beyond

The historic Olympus Guard Station is a wooden ranger station 9.5 miles up the trail. Just past it, the park says, the Hoh Lake Trail branches off and climbs to Bogachiel Peak, a link to the routes in our Seven Lakes Basin and High Divide guide.

About 0.25 miles before Glacier Meadows, a washed out section crosses an avalanche chute, and hikers climb down a steep, loose slope on a rope ladder. In its June 2026 update the park reported three broken rungs and one missing. Climbing Mount Olympus itself is only for experienced mountaineers with glacier travel and crevasse rescue skills.

Permits, fords and other rules

Every overnight trip needs a wilderness permit, with campsites reserved on Recreation.gov, and all food, trash and scented items must go in a bear canister. The park lists Martin Creek, Elk Lake and Glacier Meadows as quota areas, so reserve early. Our Olympic National Park wilderness permits guide explains how to book.

• Two streams just before the Olympus Guard Station camps must be forded. The park says they can become impassable in moderate to heavy rain, especially in fall, winter and spring.
• Campfires are not allowed at or above Elk Lake. Lower down, use dead and down wood only.
• Boil, filter or chemically treat all water to prevent Giardia.
• Away from pit toilets, bury waste 6 to 8 inches deep and 200 feet from water and camps.
• Stock can’t camp above Martin Creek, and the trail is closed to stock beyond it except llamas.

Early in the season, steep snow slopes may call for an ice axe and map and compass skills. In winter the park does not recommend travel above Elk Lake because of avalanche chutes. Check the NPS Hoh River Trail page and the wilderness trail conditions before you go.

Elk and bears on the Hoh River Trail

The park says visitors here often spot Roosevelt elk, black bears and river otters. Its Hoh brochure estimates that 400 to 500 of the park’s 3,000 to 4,000 elk live in the Hoh Valley. Stay at least 50 yards from wildlife and never approach elk.

Our guides to Roosevelt elk in Olympic National Park and black bears in Olympic National Park explain what to do if you meet one on the trail.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer led friends group based in Port Angeles. Our adopt-a-trail crew looks after the Heart O’ the Forest Trail, and our volunteers help with cleanups and guided walks around the park. If long river trails like the Hoh are why you love this place, see our volunteer opportunities.

Frequently asked questions