18.1 hr
Overview
The glaciers on Mount Olympus , with their terminal moraines at about 4,200 feet, are the lowest elevation glaciers at that latitude on the planet. The largest of these glaciers are the White, the Blue, and the Hoh. While they are currently in retreat, they have existed because of the large amount of snowfall that the area gets in winter. The surrounding forests, the largest old growth temperate rain forests in the lower 48 states, get up to 170 inches of precipitation in a year. On the Hoh River Trail, you will be trekking through 15 ½ miles of massive old-growth conifers (Sitka spruce, Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western red-cedar) as well as under gnarly, aged big-leaf maples and red alders. The first 12 ½ miles of the route is relatively flat, and the milky, glacier-fed Hoh River is never far away. Then you will gain 3,000 feet over the next six miles to arrive at the Blue Glacier Lateral Moraine . From this spot, a vista opens up to the West Peak of Mount Olympus and the classic glacial cirque from which the Blue Glacier issues.
Trail Stats
55.7 km
1576 m
1554 m
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Photos
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