Lush Green
awesome time hiking and hammocking. Lush Green Everywhere! Woke up surrounded by a herd of Red Elk.
Mossy Rainforest of other-worldly greens
Hoh Campground at Olympic National Park has 78 first-come-first-served campsites located deep within the rainforest on the westernsidof the park. There are more shades of green than there are names for them- and the moss that grows everywhere makes you feel like you have entered a fairy tale forest. P The campground has flush toilets and potable water, but no shower facilities.
PNW beauty in Olympic NP
This is the thick rainforest you picture when you think of the PNW. It is a pretty basic campsite, but they do have some ranger programs. No reservations taken. We stayed one night when our backpacking trip took an extra day. After visiting we read about the salmon run in the area and would love to come back to see that sometime!! There are many more campgrounds in the area if this one is full, most are pretty similar from what we’ve experienced.
Beautiful rainforest retreat
When we arrived, there were lots of spaces to choose from, some out in a more field-like setting by the river, some in the shade of the forest. We picked a spot with plenty of trees. The sites are spaced out fairly well. We had on good sized tent pad, and a second that was a bit weedy. Our second tent we squeezed in between the picnic table and our car. There was space for a hammock and slackline too! The fire pit was very wet, so starting a fire was difficult. But the campground gets extra points for having a shed of nice, dry cords of wood open all hours. Honor jar $5. Also included a mix of kindling and bigger pieces. Nice bathrooms, potable water and wash stations. Things were situated so that lights on at night didn't really shine into any sites. Awesome being camped right at the trailhead of some gorgeous trails!
Month of VisitJuly
One of my faves!
You have to stay here. It's beautiful, the hosts are welcoming, and it's in Washington!! What more could you need?
Month of VisitMay
So much fun
We hiked and found waterfallsand could see the mountains. And some old buildings from decades ago. It was a pretty dry day when we went luckily. I would recommend it to everyone.
Know where your campgrounds are and stay dry
had a few wild elk sightings and had to hike through plenty of mud to get to a camping spot. The trail system is well marked, but theres a lot to see and it's tough to move quickly.
The Woodards Trip
Had am amazing hike through the beautiful trees and took lots of pics with my hubby. Serene, quiet, beautiful. Definitely making another trip with the kids soon.
Beautiful lake, run by two bossy goats
We did an overnight, clockwise around the High Divide Loop. This campground is a bit over a mile off the loop, and the junction is close to halfway: our first day was 13.5 miles and second 10. Compared to the campsites closer to the trail (the basin, Heart and Deer lakes, etc.), it isn't as close to the main loop but is well situated for a one-nighter, and certainly has the most beautiful lake we encountered.
The campground is on the side of a hill south of the lake and just to the west of the drainage stream. We found three campsites, and then the trail continues up the hill to the composting toilet and past it to the bear wire. We chose the lowest of the campsites (labeled site 3) which also appeared to be the largest, with two tent areas, and put a 2P tent on one and 2P and 1P tents on there other: there wasn't much room for any more tents. The ground was a little sloped and very hard: I left my tent mostly unstaked. There was a convenient trail off to the side of this site leading into the woods for when nature calls.
A main attraction of this campground is the bear wire, which allows you to hang whatever bags you want, avoiding the use of bulky and heavy bear canisters, or even having to bring rope and try to figure out a hang situation of your own. The wire consists of two pulleys hanging from trees, each having two large hooks. Hook up your bag, hoist them up, and then clip the pulley to an anchored ring to keep it from falling. Easy to use and very convenient. The campground also has an composting toilet which has an amazing view of Mt. Olympus from its perch on top of the hill. It also offers zero privacy, being unenclosed and right along the trail to the bear wire and facing down towards the campsites.
The lake is a short walk away and is stunning. In late July, it was the perfect refreshing temperature for a swim after a long hike, and is pretty large. Two of my friends decided to swim around the entire lake before spotting black bears on the far side and coming back. Fortunately this was the closest we saw them getting.
On the other hand, there is a pair of goats, an adult and a kid, who made it clear this is their campground. They walked around the entire grounds using the trails and paying no heed to any humans in the area: we had to jump off the trail for them to rush past us at one point. In the morning, they woke me up at 5:30 when they trampled through our tent area, fortunately ignoring any of our stuff. We mentioned these to a ranger we passed on the next day and she said she was off to Sol Duc Park to help with a goat problem there, so this is not unique to this site.
The mosquitos were fairly bad this time of year (late July), we were swarmed during the evening while cooking, but they died down later at night. We chose to eat breakfast up on the High Divide rather than deal with them again in the morning.
Plenty of campgrounds once you travel along the river
The Hoh River Trail is a bit of a trek, especially with high water levels in early spring. My favorite place to camp was Lewis Meadow campground about 10 miles in. Beautiful location with places to set up along the river. Primitive toilet available as well as bear wire.
HOH Rainforest
HOH Rainforest & Campground in Olympic National Forest Washington, super lush, green, misty. Lots to explore and see, very easy hike with water sources and falls. Nice family destination road trip!!
amazing rainforest setting
First time we stayed in a rainforest setting! It’s a wet place to stay, but so unique. There are a few trails and they are not very busy. We felt so content in this campground. There was also water with was a nice perk!
Solid but Close In
After hiking along the beach in relative solitude the NPS campground felt crowded and a little jarring. Overall very beautiful and a delightful stay. Nice showers.
It is what is expected from NPS
This park offers what you can typically expect from the NPS. The sites are in good condition but a little too close. That being said, the other campers were social but respectful of one's privacy and the campground quieted down at a reasonable hour. The highlight was when a bull elk wandered into the campground and started chowing down on the tall grass.
My visit involved trail running in Olympic NP and there is a stream behind the campground with wonderful cool water that was exactly what my sore legs needed.
I will say, the location is great and I was able to wake up early and tour the Hoh rain forest before anyone else. With the exception of an owl that was still active int he early morning, I had the trails to myself.