Olympic National Park · Washington
Rainforest trail camping.
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Hoh Rain Forest Trailhead
End of the Upper Hoh Road, 18 miles from US 101 and paved. Listed open as of 2026-05-05.
As of September 2026, Hoh River in Olympic National Park, Washington requires a permit issued via reservation. Hoh River rates 6/10 on PermitSnag's demand index. Cancelled Hoh River permits are re-released on the booking system, and PermitSnag alerts you the moment one opens. The permit season for Hoh River runs May 15 through October 15. The Hoh River route covers 17.4 miles, rated moderate.
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More on Hoh River: Live availability activityWhen Hoh River permits open upHoh River Corridor permit itinerary
Hoh River permit fee: $6 non-refundable reservation fee per permit, plus $8 per person per night for adults 16 and over. Under 16 camp free.
Seventeen flat miles up the wettest forest in the lower 48, then a rope ladder down an avalanche chute and out onto the moraine below the Blue Glacier.
The Hoh River Trail runs 17.4 miles from the Hoh Rain Forest to Glacier Meadows, with the park giving elevation as 600 feet to 4,300 feet: the two endpoints, not a cumulative climb. It rates the trail easy to moderate with a best season of late June through September.
The quota here is partial and its unit is sites. The park lists Elk Lake, Martin Creek and Glacier Meadows as quota sites along the Hoh River Trail, plus all group sites for parties of 7 to 12 and all stock sites. Hoh Lake and C.B. Flats are listed separately. The lower-river camps (Tom Creek, Five Mile Island, Happy Four, Olympus Guard Station and the individual sites at Lewis Meadow) are not quota-limited, which makes a three-day trip to Lewis Meadow and back one of the easier good permits in the park to get.
Group sizes differ by camp: individual sites cap at six people, group sites take 7 to 12, and stock sites take 12 people with up to 8 head of stock. The Hoh River Trail and Hoh Lake Trail are both on the park's list of areas where parties of 7 or more must use designated group sites.
The upper trail carries the real hazards. The way into Glacier Meadows crosses an avalanche chute where the trail washed out, leaving a rope ladder down a steep and loose rock slope; on 2026-06-14 the park reported that ladder with three broken rungs and one missing. Two stream crossings just before Olympus Guard Station have to be forded, and the park counted 37 downed trees between the trailhead and Glacier Meadows.
Bear canisters are required. The park's food-storage page states that animal-resistant food containers are required in all wilderness areas of the park, and the permit's own rules say canisters are required for overnight stays anywhere in the Olympic Wilderness. They are free to borrow at Wilderness Information Centers.
The Upper Hoh Road has a history of washouts and is county-maintained, but it was listed open as of 2026-05-05 on a road-status page reviewed 2026-08-07. Check it again before you drive.
The park publishes 17.4 miles to Glacier Meadows with elevation running from 600 feet to 4,300. Those are endpoint figures, not a cumulative gain. It rates the trail easy to moderate with a best season of late June through September.
Camps come in order: Tom Creek at 3 miles, Five Mile Island at 5, Happy Four at 6, Olympus Guard Station at 9.5, Lewis Meadow at 11, Elk Lake at 13, Glacier Meadows at 17.4. Everything up to Lewis Meadow is river-bottom walking. Above Elk Lake the trail crosses an avalanche chute where a washout has left a rope ladder as the way down a steep, loose rock slope, and on 2026-06-14 the park reported that ladder with three broken rungs and one missing. There are also two stream crossings just before the Olympus Guard Station sites that have to be forded, and the park counted 37 downed trees between the trailhead and Glacier Meadows.
The Hoh is the standard approach to Mount Olympus and the best long walk through temperate rainforest anywhere in the country. It also splits neatly in two: the first thirteen miles are nearly level river-bottom walking that almost anyone can do, and the last four are a different trip entirely.
Moss hanging off every branch, elk trails braiding away from the main tread, and the river always somewhere to your left. It stays like that for most of a day and a half. Then the valley narrows, the trail climbs, and at Glacier Meadows you come out under the Blue Glacier with rock and ice above you and no moss at all.
Best for: Two different groups. To Lewis Meadow it is a beginner-friendly rainforest walk on almost flat ground. To Glacier Meadows it is a committing mountain approach.
Recommended experience: None for the lower river beyond basic backpacking. For the top four miles: comfort on loose ground, a damaged fixed ladder, and stream fords. The exposure rating is set by that chute, not by the valley.
Not recommended for: Parties heading to Glacier Meadows without checking the ladder's condition, and anyone crossing the Olympus Guard Station fords in high water.
Trailhead information
Start of the Hoh River Trail. NPS's Olympic trailhead waypoint file lists this point as Hoh Ranger Station; the same place is signed as the Hoh Rain Forest.
NPS says parking at the Hoh Rain Forest is limited in summer, and recommends arriving before 8 am or after 5 pm to avoid entrance-station waits of up to 2 hours.
NPS puts the Hoh Rain Forest 20 miles southeast of Forks, WA.
Trailhead information
The other way into Hoh Lake and C.B. Flats. Recreation.gov says both camp areas are reachable from either the Hoh River trailhead or the Sol Duc trailhead.
Coming in this way puts you in the Sol Duc / Seven Lakes Basin quota area. Recreation.gov's reservation season for Seven Lakes Basin / High Divide runs July 15 to October 15.
Late June through September, which is the park's own best-season window. The upper trail and Glacier Meadows are snowbound outside it. July and August give the driest tread and the most reliable fords. September is quiet and the elk are bugling in the lower valley. The reservation season runs May 15 to October 15, and a spring trip to Lewis Meadow and back is a perfectly good use of the lower river when the top is still under snow.
High water off the glacier and snow above Elk Lake. The reservation season opens May 15 but the upper trail is not in yet.
Crowd level · low
The park's best-season window. Fords at their lowest, the upper trail melted out, and Glacier Meadows reachable.
Crowd level · high
Elk bugling in the lower valley, first snow up high, and rain returning. The reservation season closes October 15.
Crowd level · moderate
Outside the reservation season. Flood-prone and dark, with the upper valley snowbound.
Crowd level · low
Trailhead (5,000 ft)
Backcountry Tips
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There is very little direct light on the valley floor at all. Shoot the forest on overcast days and save sunrise for Glacier Meadows and the Blue Glacier.
Flat grey light is what the rainforest wants. Moss and epiphytes lose all their detail in hard sun. The upper moraine is the opposite and wants early morning.
Day-hikers turn around at Five Mile Island. Past mile 6 the trail belongs to backpackers, and past Lewis Meadow you may not see anyone.
Emergency contacts, ranger station locations, and satellite communicator tips for Hoh River.
Bear canister requirements, approved container lists, and rental locations for this permit.
Gear Checklist: Required and recommended gear for Hoh River · Shuttle Services: Trailhead transportation options · Guide Services: Experienced wilderness guides
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Yes, for any overnight. Olympic National Park wilderness permits are reserved on Recreation.gov at $6 per permit plus $8 per person per night for anyone 16 or over. Day hiking needs no permit.
17.4 miles one way, with the park giving elevation as 600 feet at the trailhead to 4,300 feet at Glacier Meadows. Those are endpoints, not a cumulative elevation gain. It rates the whole thing easy to moderate.
Elk Lake, Martin Creek and Glacier Meadows, plus every group site for parties of 7 to 12 and every stock site. Hoh Lake and C.B. Flats are listed as their own quota area. The lower river camps (Tom Creek, Five Mile Island, Happy Four, Olympus Guard Station and the individual sites at Lewis Meadow) are not quota-limited, which is why a trip to Lewis Meadow and back is much easier to book.
Treat it carefully. The trail into Glacier Meadows crosses an avalanche chute where a washout left a rope ladder as the way down a steep, loose rock slope, and on 2026-06-14 the park reported that ladder with three broken rungs and one missing. Check the park's wilderness trail conditions page before you commit to going past Elk Lake.
Yes. The park reports two stream crossings just before the Olympus Guard Station campsites that have to be forded, plus a crossing of a river braid near mile 8 and a few small streams. They were running low as of the park's 2026-06-01 note, but the Hoh drains a glacier and rises quickly in rain.
It was listed open as of 2026-05-05, on a road-status page reviewed 2026-08-07, described as 18 miles from US 101 and paved. The road is county-maintained and has closed for washouts and culvert work before, so check the park's road conditions page again before you drive.
Yes. Olympic requires animal-resistant food containers in all wilderness areas of the park, and the permit's own rules state canisters are required for overnight stays anywhere in the Olympic Wilderness. Bear wires and self-built hangs are not accepted. Canisters are free to borrow at Wilderness Information Centers.
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13 miles up the East Fork Quinault through the same kind of rainforest to a waterfall-ringed meadow and the 1930s chalet.
Shorter, with a published quota of 208 users or 30 permits a night. Currently carries a washout a third of a mile before the chalet.
The 18.2-mile alpine loop out of Sol Duc, looking straight across at the same Blue Glacier from above.
Gets you the view of Olympus without the ladder or the fords, but has 3,050 feet of climbing and a season that does not open until mid-July.
The park-wide overnight wilderness permit for Olympic's non-quota areas.
Wide open by comparison. The lower Hoh camps already sit outside the quota list, so this is close to what you are booking anyway if you stop at Lewis Meadow.
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