Olympus Guard Station — Olympic National Park

For 2019 The National Park Service upgraded the Olympus Guard Station campsites, mainly in the form of new privys! It's still just as amazing backcountry campground nearly 10 miles into the backcountry of Olympic National Park with tons of spots to choose from and enough space that even in the busy summer months you feel more solitude than in other spots along the Hoh River Trail. 

This is by far the nicest of all backcountry campsites along the Hoh River trail and quite possibly in the entire west side of the interior of the park. Two larger group spots are reservable at either the WIC in Port Angeles or at the Hoh Visitor Center if you're feeling lucky. There are numerous other spots tucked away from the trail in the forest and out on a gravel bar next to the Hoh River. Obviously water is not an issue but bring a filter as even this far in the backcountry its best to filter/boil your water. There are bear wires at the campground (as with all campsites on the Hoh River Trail) so no bear can necessary unless you want your food a little closer to your campsite.

This place gets pretty crowded in the summer but is not as bad as places like 5 mile Island, it's worth the extra effort to make it back here, even if it's just for the night. Good base camp for a day hike up to either Blue Glacier or over the Ridge into Seven Lakes Basin. The trail is fairly flat the entire way and barring any major washouts is pretty easy going. There's usually a summer guard at the station as well if you need any assistance.

We did a 2 night backpacking trip along the Hoh River Trail. We decided stay 2 nights at Olympus since there was still snow pack up the mountain. We hiked in 10 miles the first day and the next day we left out stuff at our campsite and hiked up to Elk Lake and back.

The sites at Olympus are pretty spread out and include a couple group sites. There are also plenty of great spots for hammocks. They do have 2 composting toilets (one was full) which is all you can hope for when you are backpacking. The trip overall was fantastic and I highly recommend it!