Hoh River
There is something incredibly magical about the Hoh. The huge trees, the cascading moss, the birds and Roosevelt elk, the Olympic Mountains rising above and the broad river valley extending up and downstream, all make this a hike that must be done at least once in a lifetime. The trail is easy too - minimal elevation gain, good tread and an open understory.
Hike of the Week:
April 14, 2008
- Counting Rings-Hoh Rainforest Trail by Arlo Smith
Location: Olympic National Park
Distance: up to 10.6 miles roundtrip
Elevation: 500 ft. gain to 5 Mile Island
Maps: Green Trails 133S Seven Lakes Basin-Mt Olympus; Custom Correct Seven Lakes Basin-Hoh
Why Go?
The Olympics got hammered by December's storms, which makes early season hiking in this region problematic. Fortunately, WTA volunteers recently finished a week of trail work and have opened the Hoh River trail to Five Mile Island, a great turn-around spot for day hikers.
There is something incredibly magical about the Hoh. The huge trees, the cascading moss, the birds and Roosevelt elk, the Olympic Mountains rising above and the broad river valley extending up and downstream, all make this a hike that must be done at least once in a lifetime. The trail is easy too - minimal elevation gain, good tread and an open understory.
The trail was hard hit by last winter's storms. Numerous blowdowns made route finding difficult. Then came WTA's first Volunteer Vacation crew of the year. This hearty group cleared blowdowns and rerouted nearly 2,000 feet of trail to make the way accessible to Five Mile Island. There is still much work to be done, and it is not cleared past that point. Be sure to check with Olympic National Park for current trail conditions.
Hike as far as you'd like - there are great spots to stop all along the way. Five Mile Island offers a sunny lunch spot with views of Bogachiel Peak.
For More Information:
Olympic National Park, 360-565-3100. Guidebook: Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula (Craig Romano, The Mountaineers Books, 2007).
Directions:
Turn east off highway 101 approximately 10 miles south of Forks onto the Hoh River Road. Follow this for 19 miles to the road end where the ranger station and trailhead are located.
