Backpacking Olympic National Park

In July of 2025, my wife Christy and I made the long journey from Southern California to Olympic National Park in Washington.  It was quite a drive, but being lovers of the forest, what better place to backpack than what many describe as "Fern Gully"?  Boy oh boy was that description fitting.

The idea for this trip was a bit spur-of-the-moment, and my first thought was "there is no way there will be any available permits." Fortunately and surprisingly, the Hoh River Trail had plenty of available permits, so we made our reservations and hit the road!

Mora Campground

The day before our backpacking was to begin, I was able to snatch a cancellation for Mora Campground, also on the Olympic Peninsula.  Mora is an incredible car campground nestled in the forest about a mile from the Pacific Ocean.

This was our first taste of what the Olympic Peninsula had to offer.  We were enamored with the trees, the mist, and the moss.  We found our designated campsite, set up, and then drove to the beach to see the sights.

The beach was so misty that at some points you could barely see your hands.  The vibe this created was surreal and we loved it, but we were worried we would not be able to see the famous "sea stacks". We were fortunate this wasn't the case. We also just so happened to visit at a time where the tides were low enough to walk all the way to the famous Hole In The Wall!

After a couple hours of exploration, we headed back to camp for some beers and dinner!

Backpacking Hoh Rainforest

Day 1

We woke up bright and early, excited to finally head into the Hoh Rainforest. We packed up camp and drove about an hour south to the entrance.  Waking up early is key here - the Hoh Rainforest is probably the most popular spot in the park for tourists.  Since there is only one ranger working the booth at a time, lines can be hours long. We were happy to breeze right through the gate, find a parking spot without issue, and get geared up!

With our backpacks on, we were ready to go.  A quick pit spot to the most touristy area, the Hall Of Mosses, ended up being worth it.  The place was packed with people even at this early hour, but the sights were incredible.  Gigantic, ancient trees, covered entirely in moss, really set the stage for the next 3 days.  Unfortunately we did not take too many pictures as the ever-so-present rain had begun to fall.

Now it was time to finally start our journey on the Hoh River Trail.  The rain was beginning to slow down, but to be honest we didn't mind too much.  The rain and dripping moss really added to the rainforest ambience and we were stoked.  And our $2 emergency ponchos worked great as there was no wind amongst the trees. 

Our trip on this day would be about 10 miles to Lewis Camp, where we would stay the night and use as basecamp for a big day hike the next day.  We were initially nervous about the sheer amount of tourists on the trail but after we put a few miles between us and the parking lot, it began to thin out.

The trail was mostly flat through never ending trees, fern, mushrooms, and moss.  It was a magical fairyland.  Once in a while we would catch glimpses of the Hoh River, but it wasn't until later in the day that we were able to check out its beaches.

10 miles later, we made it to camp.  A gorgeous spot right on the Hoh River.  It was time for some bourbon, a campfire, and some hot food.  We realized quickly a campfire would be tough as we forgot our firestarter bricks in the car, and as is pretty obvious, everything is soaking wet out here.  We did have a secret weapon however - my mini battery-powered sleeping pad blower-up-er! I was shocked at how well this thing got wet wood to ignite.

Day 2

Waking up to the sounds of the river, we knew we had a tough day ahead of us.  We decided to leave camp set up, pack only essentials, and head further down the Hoh River Trail to Blue Glacier.  One way, today would entail traversing about 7.5 miles and climbing over 5,000ft of elevation.  Even with light backpacks, 15 miles + 5k feet up + 5k feet down isn't a walk in the park.  Regardless, we set out feeling and excited, that is, until we found the "ladder" halfway through.

A huge rockslide had destroyed part of the Hoh River Trail, and to get around this, you need to descend cables with wooden rungs that I promise you looks way scarier in-person.  I gave Christy our Garmin InReach emergency GPS beacon and decided to be the guinea pig. 

We made it down safely, and were already thinking to ourselves "I wish we didn't have to come back up this thing later." But we continued on, starting to get tired but looking forward to what's around the next corner.

As we finally neared the end of the trail, we came across an awesome pond with the first snow we had seen this trip.  We stopped here for lunch and to regain some energy, this last part is a doozey.

After lunch, it was time to make the last push and snag a view of Blue Glacier.  After losing the trail (even with GPS), we scrambled up loose rock to get atop the closest peak.  On the other side, Blue Glacier revealed itself.

We admired this gorgeous glacier for about 30 minutes but knew we had a long journey back to camp.  We enjoyed our 5k descent and ladder climb despite the exhaustion.  While typically I am not a big fan of "out and back" hikes, sometimes with a change in perspective you realize how much you missed on the way in.  We slept soundly.

Day 3

I wish I had more to say about day 3.  Unfortunately, we were in a rush to get back to our car, and after the previous day, this was a hard 10 miles.  We trudged forward at a pace I found too fast, but I did my best to keep up with my speed-walking wife.  Very few pictures were taken, and we took a wrong turn that cost us 30 minutes. By the time we made it to the car, we were toast.

And that was Hoh River! Highly recommend this for backpackers of any level. For beginners, you can simply hike a few flat miles in and there are great camp sites.  Also, permits are easy to obtain!

If you are looking to get into backpacking, please visit my website here.  I offer virtual and in-person backpacking coaching as well as guided tours geared towards teaching beginners (in Southern California).