Hoh River itinerary
Every published mile marker on the Hoh River route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one — and which permit each stretch needs. To watch dates and set alerts, go to the Hoh River Corridor permit page.
Which permit covers this route
The Hoh River. One reservation is an ordered sequence of nights at named sites, issued by reservation.
- Stops mapped
- 6
- Across the markers
- 17.4 mi
- Published route length
- 17.4 mi
How long it takes: 3-4 days. That is the figure the permit publishes — this page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.
The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.
Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.
The Hoh River route, stop by stop
Mile 0.0
600 ft
Hoh Rain Forest Trailhead
End of the Upper Hoh Road, 18 miles from US 101 and paved. Listed open as of 2026-05-05.
5.0 miles to Five Mile Island
Mile 5.0
Five Mile Island
Gravel bar camp on the river. Six people maximum at individual sites, with group and stock variants.
4.5 miles to Olympus Guard Station
Mile 9.5
Olympus Guard Station
Two stream crossings just before the campsites have to be forded.
1.5 miles to Lewis Meadow
Mile 11.0
Lewis Meadow
The last of the easy river-bottom camps, and where most parties turn around.
2.0 miles to Elk Lake
Mile 13.0
Elk Lake
A quota site, and the point where the trail stops being flat.
4.4 miles to Glacier Meadows
Mile 17.4
4,300 ft
Glacier Meadows
Below the Blue Glacier and the standard basecamp for Mount Olympus. Reached via a rope ladder down a steep loose slope in an avalanche chute.
Getting a Hoh River for the dates you want
Planning the route is the easy half. Hoh River dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations — they return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag watches Hoh River around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.