An Honest Experience Backpacking The Hoh River Trail to Blue Glacier in Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is an INSANELY beautiful and environmentally diverse place. It is full of incredible hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, and even backcountry skiing. But what’s the catch? Today, I will walk you through a recent backpacking trip I did in Olympic National Park with my wife, Dad, and one of my Dad’s best friends, Greg. Where the adventure was an insanely good time (type 2 of course!), and the beauty we found was plentiful (see proof below!), there are many lessons learned and one MASSIVE data point that would have changed EVERYTHING about this hike! This is a slightly longer article than normal, but it is packed with tons of helpful and important information if you are in the process of planning a backpacking trip! Let’s get into it!
Positioned on the Olympic Peninsula sits Olympic National Park. It offers everything from big mountain adventure to summer beach bum afternoons (although slightly colder than Florida perhaps!). You even can take a quick ferry from a nearby town, Port Angeles, into Victoria, Canada for an international travel day!
Many people are drawn to this epic landscape for it’s diverse and abundant wildlife such as black bear, mountain lions, mountain goats, elk, and a large variety of bird species. Others are drawn to simply experience the largest temperate rainforest in the United States. Some visit here because they are on a quest to visit all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites (yes, Olympic National Park is one!). Whether people are visiting for a whale watching cruise out of a nearby town, seeing the amazing sea stacks along the coast, or here to adventure in the rich mountain wilderness, there is something for everyone here. So with that, let me tell you why we chose to backpack this incredible National Park.
(But first, some photos from the STUNNING surrounding area and hike!)
The Backstory:
My Dad and I try and do something fun and challenging with each other every year. The time of year is never consistent, but we always look to do something. One year it was a 60 mile bike ride for his 60th Birthday, another year we climbed Pike’s Peak in Colorado, a different year we did a century ride called the Hilly Hundred in Southern Indiana. I truly cherish these experiences with every ounce of my being. These short moments mean more to me than words will ever be capable of describing. It is a yearly tradition I get amped for every year. This year was extra special though. This year, I ended my time serving in the US Army on August 8, 2025. SO, what better way to celebrate this accomplishment than with my favorite experience I get to do each year with my dad?!
The original plan started with backpacking in the Grand Canyon National Park. We planned to spend 3 days hiking rim to rim starting from the North Kaibab Trail and ending on Bright Angel Trail. Doing this across 3 days would have allowed for lots of time exploring the various waterfalls and view points along the trail via short detours from the canyon bottom. We had secured our lottery tickets and reservation, booked flights and lodging, and planned out the hike itself. We were amped for what we expected to be a very relaxing and fun backpacking experience with just the right amount of grueling moments intermixed. Unfortunately, the Dragon Bravo Fire Broke out on the North Rim and caused major destruction and closures. So, we needed to look elsewhere. Read more about this very devastating fire HERE.
Before continuing, I should give a brief background on backpacking experience level, as this played a huge part in the where/ what/ duration of the hike we would do. As I mentioned earlier, this trip would consist of myself, my wife Claire, my Dad, and his best friend Greg. I have done numerous backpacking trips before and am no stranger to what to expect from such an adventure. Additionally, I have spent the last handful of years training with the Army carrying heavy rucksacks, sleeping outside, the whole nine yards. Claire and I have done numerous camping trips often across 4 or 5 days at a time, but she had never previously done an honest backpacking trip. My Dad and Greg are both active people and in their 60’s now. My Dad has done 2 previous backpacking trips with me prior to this trip, but they were quite some time ago now. Greg had never backpacked before and had limited camping experience as well. They both did train together for this hike as well for something like 3 months leading up to it. Their training however was limited to Indiana terrain. If you are unfamiliar with Indiana, just imagine a pancake and the topography is pretty much the same…
SO, just a few weeks away from trip start, we needed a new location. Looking at the experience and fitness level of the group, we needed something that would cater to a beginner crew while still scratching the itch for some cool scenery and a little bit of required grit. I spent some time googling and exploring AllTrails to find us a new trip with suitable conditions for a September hike for our group’s experience level. I narrowed it down between a handful of locations across the PNW before we hopped on a call and decided as a group to hike the Hoh River Trail to Blue Glacier. This seemed like a perfect beginner(ish) hike. Fairly mellow first and last day with heavy packs with a hard day 2 but only with day packs. Ultimate goal to be to see a glacier few actually lay physical eyes on. Camping on a river in areas with pit toilets on a trail that is highly trafficked. Wouldn’t be spending much time at high elevations, so altitude was a very mild concern. AllTrails reviews raved about the hike. Logistics would be easy to plan. It was perfect. Except it wasn’t. We just didn’t know it yet…
Preparing for the Hike:
We did a fair amount of research on this hike prior to committing to it. We examined it on AllTrails and read reviews, found some external articles on the hike, and even watched some YouTube videos of it. All signs pointed to this being an epic hike perfect for the skill level of our group. Daily mileage didn’t seem absurd when examining elevation gain per day, weather tended to be great this time of year, and many people had highly rated the trail. Nobody had many negative comments about it aside from the few crazy people that thought they could day hike to the glacier and back.
We did learn we would need a permit for this hike as well, and we were able to easily do it here on recreation.gov.
Logistically, it was easy to plan as well. We could fly into Seattle and grab a rental car, book an Airbnb in Port Angeles to get settled for the first day, and head into the park early on the morning of the hike to get started. Then do the reverse after the hike was over.
With the logistics figured out, trail selected, and permit secured, the last piece was to put a packing list together. Click here to download the packing list. *You are able to rent bear canisters from the visitor centers in Olympic National Park for FREE! They are heavier than the newer plastic models if that matters to you. Not substantially different, but certainly notable. This list was designed to try and answer packing questions for beginners. Our bags came in at about 45-50 lbs with food and water at the start line. The packing list is assuming you are using nice but affordable equipment. Not $800 ultralight equipment (although would certainly be nice!). Just for awareness, my bag was 52 pounds but 12 pounds of that was camera gear. So if i didn’t use camera gear I would have been 40(ish) pounds for this trip.
Rule of thumb for packing is 20% of your bodyweight as the max weight. Of course the actual trek requirements and duration will alter this.
Packing and breakfast prior to start!
Expectations Vs. Reality:
Based on reviews from AllTrails, some of the blogs we read, and a YouTube video we watched, we planned to do this hike across 3 days. SPOILER ALERT! This was a bad plan for our group and for many groups in my opinion. I will go ahead and say if you are in good physical shape with prior backpacking experience, I do actually think this is a fair amount of time if you are not wanting a trip over 3 days. Also, I think if you expect 3 long and grueling days in advance, this could help with expectation management. However, I strongly encourage people to do this as a 4 to 5 day trip. I think you will have more enjoyable days hiking as you wont be near as exhausted and it will allow time to just soak in the experience. And it’s a great experience!
Here is the breakdown we planned off of using AllTrails distances:
Day 1: 10.5 miles with just under 500 feet of vertical gain to Lewis Meadows to camp on the river
Day 2: 14 miles with about 4100 feet of gain. An expected big day that is really 7 miles of climbing and 7 miles of descending. Plan was to leave heavy bags at camp and use day packs to hike up to the glacier and back to Lewis to Camp.
Day 3: 10.5 miles with just under 500 feet of vertical gain back to car.
We knew day 2 would be a longer harder day, but expected the 10.5 mile hike in and out of camp to be relatively easy given the lack of elevation gain and slightly lighter packs on our way back to the car. WE WERE WRONG…
AllTrails Map/ Kindergarten Art Project
And so the trail begins!
Day 1 Lesson 1: AllTrails distances are wrong. Likely much longer than expected.
This was something we already knew, but I personally hadn’t experienced to this severity. AllTrails has the distance to Lewis Meadows as 10.5 miles. All 4 of us had different watches and devices tracking the hike and we all ended up between 12.5 and 13.3 miles for the actual distance for Visitor Center to Lewis Meadows with about 900 feet of vertical gain. We tracked the same segment on the hike back to the car and got nearly the same results. I am inclined to believe our tracked number over AllTrails for sure. Day 1 took us about 7.5 hours, including all our rest and water stops, to complete. The trail surface itself added to the difficulty.
Day 1 Lesson 2: Expect the trail to be more technical than anyone says it will be.
Obviously we expected roots and rocks and the sort. But nobody talked about the fact that there are numerous roots and rocks that are quite large to maneuver. Some to the degree that required all hands and feet to get over or some team assistance. Everyone reviewing this trail focuses on the sketchy ladder and couple creek crossings you have to conduct. Yes these are very important to know about in advance, but there is more to the trail… As a younger experienced backpacker, this really wasn’t be an issue. As a slightly older inexperienced backpacker, this is helpful information to have. Lowering and Lifting yourself up and down these spots with a heavy ass bag on your back took more out of my Dad and Greg in particular (but really all of us) than any of us expected. Additionally, there are multiple places where you cross stacks of downed trees and logs and have to maneuver up and over these. This, mixed with lots of loose rocks and awkward roots to step on, made navigating the trail far more difficult than expected.
Day 1 Summary: We were smoked.
We expected to walk 10.5 miles with little elevation gain. We crossed our 10.5 mile mark with a ways to go on the map and at that point were unsure how far we ACTUALLY had to walk. But we were committed. By the time we reached camp, it was MUCH later than expected and we were all completely exhausted and worn down by the unknown distance of the day. Perhaps a map and protractor to measure distance would be a more valuable way to gather true distance? We ended day 1 with a nice camp setup, at a neat location, full on Mountain House and shared misery, and tucked into out sleeping bags after a nice Kentucky hug. Exhausted, slightly nervous for day 2, and already laughing at the pain of day 1.
Day 2 Lesson 1 and 2: AllTrails was still lying and the trail surface still grueling
We woke up early, ate breakfast, filled our water, and packed our day packs up. Everyone had slept fantastic that night. The amazing white noise of sleeping on the river will do that! I suppose an exhausting 13 mile hike with a heavy bag also helps… We were all feeling the said 13 miles more than we expected however. Knowing that Day 2 was supposed to be the hard day, well, nerves were running a bit high for what was in store for us. Fueled by Mountain House and motivated by my Dad’s 50 great hiking quotes he generated with Chat GPT prior to the hike, we left camp in pursuit of the Blue Glacier. Our spirits high and in love with the weight of our day packs! It helped we could “relieve” ourselves at the pit toilet located at Lewis Meadows Camp instead of pooping into a bag! It really is the small things!
We were expecting about 7 miles with 4100 feet of gain roughly for the first half of the hike. The hike started out nice and flat until the 12.4 miles camp. It abruptly starts heading uphill and doesn’t stop. Feeling tired legs from the day prior, our pace was going slower than expected. After trudging along for a while, you get a really fantastic and welcomed break crossing a gorge on an old and stunning bridge. After taking in the views and a snack, we pushed forth to Martin Creek for another long break. Beautiful spot with lots of frogs. I personally was dumping icy water across my body to cool off. It felt great! But the elevation gain mixed with pre-exhausted legs was taking its toll on us by this point.
We made it to Elk Lake where we took a long break to eat lunch and recharge. While eating lunch, we made the decision to turn around and start the trek back to camp. We knew if we pressed on to the glacier, we would be making the hike back in the dark with some sketchier sections still ahead of us. On exhausted legs and minds, it was not the smart move to make the push to the glacier and risk an injury so far away from help.
By the time we reached Elk Lake, we were about 6 miles into what was only supposed to be about 4 miles away from Lewis Meadows. According to AllTrails, we still had 3 miles to go. Who knows the real distance to the glacier…
Day 2 Summary: Defeat
By the days end, we had walked about 12 miles roundtrip with about 2300 feet of vertical gain. Sitting in camp that night everyone was very tired. We had some great conversation and shared many laughs, but disappointment filled the air as we hadn’t reached the section of the hike that promised grand views. We had come so far only to not get the reward. Not to mention, knowing we had 12.5 miles to walk back to the car still with heavy bags wasn’t sounding all too enticing at that point.
Day 3 Summary: Finishing with high spirits!
Our last day on the trail began with full bellies, marginally lighter packs, and 50 more of my Dad’s Chat GPT generated hiking quotes. We had the exact same hike back to the car so lessons learned are the same as our walk out to the camp frankly.
However, after our conversations sitting around camp the night prior, breakfast conversations, and some time to reflect while walking, we all began to feel a lift in spirits of sorts. It wasn’t one that made use more excited to keep hiking our way out, or even one that made the rest of the day easier. It was reflecting on the accomplishment that we had made with this hike. Sure, we didn’t reach the Blue Glacier. But I think what we all began to realize, and were reminded of because of this, was that that was never really the point. The point was to go out and have an adventure and spend some time together disconnected from the hustle and bustle of daily life. It was about making lasting memories and, most importantly, doing it together.
To make it clear how hard this was for our ragtag crew, Claire burst into tears at one point from exhaustion and then immediately laughed at herself for it. Greg had stated in the car as we started driving away that near the end of day 3 his soul had been crushed by the hike. At one point, my dad threatened to punch me in the face (sarcastically of course)! BUT, what happened later on the drive and later that evening at dinner was what was so special. As we reminisced over our 3 day struggle, we all began smiling more and laughing more. I am talking about an intoxicating amount of laughter and smiles! As miserable as we may have been in the midst of it, all that pain and suffering brought forth pride, a sense of immense accomplishment, and so many happy memories. The definition of Type 2 fun.
Reflecting on the Hike:
By the end of the 3 day hike, we would have walked 3 near half marathon efforts with some heavy ass backpacks and a lot of elevation change back to back to back. To make it even more amazing, this was accomplished by 2 mid 60’s year old men from Indiana, where the word elevation doesn’t even exist, and having minimal to no backpacking experience. How many 60 year old men are willing and able to endure something as brutal as back to back to back half marathons with a heavy backpack in the remote wilderness? The answer is not many. I personally had an amazing time watching my Dad shatter the expectations and capabilities of a 60 year old man. I watched him and Greg set the standard for what it means to be entering into the later years of life full of heart and it was humbling. There is nothing In this world better than getting to spend time with the people you love and care about. It is the single most treasured gift in my opinion. Above all, as a son, there is no better quality time spent than getting to spend 3 days being reminded why your Dad is your hero.
So What? If I were to do it again, how would I?
First off, yes I will absolutely be doing this hike again. I have some great photo ideas for the glacier that I want to try and I still do want to lay eyes on the glacier! If I were to do it again, I would break this apart into a 5 day hike if I was focusing on photography or 4 days if I was just there to purely hike.
The point in this article is this:
1) Don’t trust AllTrails distances. Expect the distances to be further than listed. HOWEVER, AllTrails is a FANTASTIC resource for finding hikes, reading reviews, seeing pictures, getting trail updates, using as a navigation source, and many many other really great tools. I recommend ALWAYS reviewing trail info on AllTrails whenever possible because of these reasons!
2) Hopefully this provides a better set of expectations for this hike as opposed to the other blog posts that only talk about the ladder, water crossings, how cool the glacier is, and leaving out the fact that 3 days is minimum time if you hate yourself and just want to simply be out there to grind.
3) Don’t get so hung up on the destination of a hike. Just enjoy the company you are in and the experience you are sharing.
BONUS TIP (Post Hike)!
After you finish your hike in Olympic National Park, head over to Port Angeles for dinner at an AMAZING steak and seafood restaurant called 929 Woodfire Grill. It is actually INSANELY good!
929 Woodfire Grill in Port Angeles, WA after 3 days in the backcountry
The next day, take the ferry to Woodinville and visit the Woodinville Distillery. They have exceptional whiskeys! Finish your time off in Woodinville at one of the many wine bars. I HIGHLY recommend Darby’s! They are a smaller operation that make INSANELY delicious wines at an affordable price and your experience during the tasting will be phenomenal.
Go Check out my Gear Page to get ready for your next adventure!
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Before You Backpack to Blue Glacier, Read This! Plus download a free packing guide and 3 day itinerary!
Backpacking in Olympic National Park is an epic and beautiful experience. Doing it with two 60 year old men and your wife changes things. Planning a trip here can be hard. Read about our honest experience backpacking The Hoh River Trail to Blue Glacier. Lessons learned and how I would plan it next time are the focus! Explore beautiful photos from Olympic National Park and download a free packing guide!