Olympic National Park - Trip Recommendations?

[badger1988]

Hi everyone, my wife and I are celebrating our 10-year aniversary this year and have decided to take a trip to Olympic National Park. Interested to hear if the MMM community has any recommendations/helpful tips on our itinerary:

Day 1 (Friday, 7/2): Land in SEA at 6pm. Camp at Kitsap Memorial State Park. Might take ferry...is it worth it?
Day 2 (Saturday, 7/3): Drive to North Coast, with potential short detour to Hurricane Ridge on the way. Backcountry beach camping at Hole-in-the-wall.
Day 3 (Sunday, 7/4): North coast hiking, then make our way to Hoh campground.
Day 4 (Monday, 7/5): Hike Hoh River Trail to backcountry site at Lewis Meadow (10.3mi)
Day 5 (Tuesday, 7/6): Hike up to Blue Glacier and back to site at Lewis Meadow (14.4mi)
Day 6 (Wednesday, 7/7): Hike Hoh River back to Hoh Campground (10.3mi)
Day 7 (Thursday, 7/8): Make our way back towards Seattle. Any must-do day activities on the way? Tentatively staying at Dash Point State Park...might switch to a Hotel.
Day 8 (Friday, 7/9): Flight departs SEA at 9am

We are midwesterners who have been to several national parks, but have never been to the PNW.

[Poeirenta]

I suppose it's doable but it would be a lot even in 8 days. The Oly Peninsula is bigger than it seems! Some things to consider:

The airport is halfway between Seattle and Tacoma. I wouldn't go out of my way to drive into downtown to take the ferry when you could head south and go over the Tacoma Narrows bridge. It probably depends on the timing. The ferries are usually very full on holiday weekends. It might make more sense for you to take the Bremerton-Seattle run on the way back though.

Do you have reservations for where you want to stay? It's been crazy even in my backwater part of E. WA, so if you don't have reservations you may be SOL at state and federal sites. You may need reservations for the ferries too, depending on the routes. I can tell you we've spent some hours killing time waiting for a ferry on a holiday weekend.

Since you need to rent a car, get groceries, etc. I think my suggestion would be to get a place to stay in Sequim (pronounced "skwim") or Port Angeles (or Port Townsend if you want to go a little out of the way for a lovely little Victorian seaside town) for your first night, get your provisions in the morning and either hit the road to Rialto Beach or plan a day up at Hurricane Ridge. That way you can get a good night's sleep without having to deal with camp setup late in the evening.

If you've never hiked the coast of the PNW, I think you might want to shorten your Hoh section and add a night on the coast so you could see more- there are some amazing seastacks and tidepools to check out. Also Sol Duc Hot Springs, though I don't know how they are handling covid.

It's an amazing place, so do give yourself time to enjoy it, because it is far from everything and takes a while to get there whichever way you choose. If by some chance you could fly into Everett Paine Field, that would put you in a better position- closer to ferries and the north coast of the peninsula. Have fun!

[legalstache]

I think the ferries out there are sufficiently unique (and the views are beautiful) that they’re worth experiencing. SeaTac at 6 pm to the Bainbridge ferry to Kitsap memorial is going to be a lot of work. Not sure if that’s doable in a night. Maybe a ferry on the way back.

It’s sort of a matter of personal taste, but I’d also shorten the Hoh section. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful and admittedly I didn’t hike it as far out as you’re planning, but I think after a while it starts to look pretty similar. I thought the beaches and coastline were a lot cooler. Cape Flattery was worth checking out. Lake Crescent is really pretty but the area is crowded. I thought Second Beach, Third Beach and Ruby Beach were all worth it but YMMV as far as how many beaches you want to see vs. forest. I think Hurricane Ridge is worth the detour- we only took a couple hours total to check it out.

[seattlecyclone]

The ferry is nice, though it's different during the pandemic. Normally they prohibit you from staying in your car during the ferry ride, while it was strongly recommended to do so the last time I rode. That was back in September though, so things may have changed.

If you do take the ferry one direction, save it for the return trip. The Tacoma Narrows bridge is toll-free in the westbound direction, and passengers ride the ferry free in the eastbound direction (you still need to pay for the car though).

[badger1988]

Thanks for the helpful feedback so far.

I think we will plan to do the ferry on our way back, and stay in Seattle for the final night. Will be nice to stay in a hotel after a week of camping/backpacking.
We do have reservations for everything already. Things were definitely starting to become fully booked, so it was tricky getting the logistics of it all laid out in a way that made some sense, and we had to make a few compromises to arrive with the itinerary above. Specifically, many of the beach sites were already booked, as well as some of the sites closer to the glacier on the Hoh trail.
For our main hike, we were trying to decide between Hoh, Enchanted Valley, and Coast. Enchanted valley just wasn't going to work out great logistically with what was still available for reservations. We really liked that there were reservable sites available at the Hoh campground to bookend the hike. I think we'll stick with that one. If we end up regretting not spending more time hiking the coast, we'll just have to make our way back again someday:)

Really looking forward to this trip!

One more question. We need to get a bear can...are we better off trying to rent one, or should we just buy one ahead of time? Worried about long lines/limited supply being a Holiday weekend when we arrive.

[APowers]

Your itinerary looks pretty packed, so there's not a lot of room to add much, but...things that are really worth seeing, that aren't on your list:

Dungeness Spit/Lighthouse-- Longest natural sand spit in the U.S. It's a solid 4 hours of day hike along the spit to see the lighthouse at the tip, but definitely worth the stop even if you only hike down to see the spit and adjacent bird sanctuary.

Hurricane Ridge-- Yes. Do this if you can, it's gorgeous.

Salt Creek county park-- You'll likely get enough tidepools and beach stuff on the rest of your trip, but if you don't have a stop planned at one of the major historical artillery installations (Salt Creek, Fort Worden, Fort Flagler, Fort Casey), you should. Built pre-WW2, they guarded the only entrance into the Puget Sound (and therefore the major naval base in Gig Harbor and the port of Seattle) from potential naval invasion. If you pass through Port Townsend, see Fort Worden, as the most comprehensive museum and historical info is there, but if you don't want to make that much of a detour, then go to Salt Creek and drive/walk around the bunkers there. Doesn't have to be an all-day event (could be, if you wanted), but one of these is definitely worth the stop at some point in your trip.
-----------

SeattleCyclone is right: the Narrows bridge is only a toll-bridge one way, so *from* Seattle, take the bridge, *to* Seattle, take the ferry (if you want to take the ferry, lol). The elapsed time is about the same ferry vs driving, but the ferry is also more expensive one way than the other ($ from Kingston vs $$$ from Edmonds). Since you're staying in Kitsap the first night anyway, the bridge seems a no-brainer. Ferry on the way back to Seattle.

On your way home, keep in mind that it's 4.5-5 hours of driving just to get to Seattle from Forks. Definitely keep in mind the ferry schedule, and possibly make reservations (they don't run 24hrs, so if you miss the last boat, you'll be driving around, lol! not a fun way to end your evening).

If you wanted on your last day, you *might* be able to squeeze in a detour to Port Townsend (pretty victorian houses, plus Fort Worden), and that'd give you a break about in the middle of your 5hrs of driving (3hrs to PT, 2.5hrs to SeaTac). Worden has more bunkers than you can explore in a day, but it is really great hiking and history at the same time. That would be a very full day.


Source: Grew up in Sequim.

[Jenny Wren]

For the bear can - stop at the ranger station in Port Angeles (at the base of the road up to Hurricane ridge). They provide bear cans for you to use in the park, no charge as long as you return it cleaned out. Bear cans, especially at your beach site, are more for raccoons than bears. Beach raccoons are not nocturnal - they hunt the tides. Don't leave any food unattended and not in a can for even a few minutes when camping near the beach. They've been fed by unwitting campers and hikers so much that they can be a real nuisance.

Print a tide schedule for the beaches you are visiting, especially for the coast hikes. There's also some good apps, but don't trust that you'll have service. It can throw off everything to get stuck between headlands until tide recedes. Happened to us once when backpacking the wilderness coast trail from Ozette to Oil City. We did get to see a mama bear teaching her cubs how to fish the tide pools, though. That was pretty cool.

The ferry schedule is online. Show up an hour before departure (at least) and make sure there is a second sailing in case you don't get on the first. There are no reservations for the Seattle ferries iirc, so it's first come, first serve. You are never required to get out of you car, but you can if you like. Due to the pandemic, masks are required any time you are out of your car, but the viewing decks are open.

Someone above mentioned Cape Flattery. The Makah people have it closed to non-tribal members right now due to the pandemic.

[JoJo]

Another yes for hurricane ridge.  An easy trip (paved all the way up).  Wildlife likely like marmots and mountain goats.  Great view, easy hiking.

[Channel-Z]

I visited Olympic National Park many years ago. As I recall, it took a lot longer to drive around the peninsula than I expected. I also visited on a holiday weekend, so everything was much more crowded. I did not use the ferry, since I was driving from the south. I remember the signs showing some pretty long wait times.

Hurricane Ridge has an easy viewpoint.

[honeybbq]

The ferry is nice, though it's different during the pandemic. Normally they prohibit you from staying in your car during the ferry ride, while it was strongly recommended to do so the last time I rode. That was back in September though, so things may have changed.

If you do take the ferry one direction, save it for the return trip. The Tacoma Narrows bridge is toll-free in the westbound direction, and passengers ride the ferry free in the eastbound direction (you still need to pay for the car though).

Everyone is out and about on the ferries now. Personally I love them and would definitely take one. It's quintessential PNW.

Hurricane ridge is great IF it is a clear sunny day. Otherwise you won't see boo.

I'd personally just buy a bear can (ursack) at REI or something before I got there. I wouldn't want to take my chances with the ranger station. The PacNW is overrun with people working from home/camping/backpacking in the great outdoors. Which is both great and highly annoying to people who are used to solitude and access.

Enjoy! It will be a wonderful trip. We'll be out in the Hoh in late July as well. Can't wait. We are literally staying at the exact same place in the backcountry as you with the same itinerary to hit Blue Glacier as well. :D Maybe you can post back when you are through? I'd love to hear any tips.

[9patch]

Another vote for hurricane ridge. I love the super high peaky mountains. Truthfully I was a bit meh on the Hoh rain forest. And what ferry are you talking about? Not the one to Victoria right which is closed. I do love the coast a lot.

[Jenny Wren]

Another vote for hurricane ridge. I love the super high peaky mountains. Truthfully I was a bit meh on the Hoh rain forest. And what ferry are you talking about? Not the one to Victoria right which is closed. I do love the coast a lot.

I'd presume they are talking about the ferry between Seattle and Bremerton. Shaves some time off the trip and lets one avoid the clusterf*ck that is I5 through Tacoma. It's confusing because someone stated upthread that you have to get off your vehicle, which isn't true. One can always choose to stay in their vehicle on the WA state ferries.

[sonofsven]

If you're going up to Hurricane Ridge get there early, expect crowds, it's popular.
I've done that Hoh stretch twice and also found it boring and long, but both times it was the end stretch of a through hike, plus I grew up in that area so an amazing rain forest hike was not anything special. It is special, though.
I always liked the Hood Canal side hikes best, Skokomish, Duckabush, Dosewallips, Hamma Hamma, et al. Closer to home for me, less crowded, shorter hikes up into the mountains.
The Lake Constance trail on the Dose' is the toughest two mile hike ever imagined to a gorgeous alpine lake. It will hurt you.
Most of the forest roads heading to the trailheads have semi established camping spots, flat spots along the rivers, basically, but the best ones are gobbled up early. You might get lucky and find a good one but it's hard to plan on.

[APowers]

*Snip*

 I grew up in that area so an amazing rain forest hike was not anything special. It is special, though.

*Snip*

Having grown up in the area as well, it was an odd realization that my rinky-dink hometown is in a special place. I never really thought about it until we went to see the California redwoods, and I remember touring through them and thinking "This is what people rave about? This is just a...forest? Like, the trees are a bit bigger than normal, I guess, but not worth writing home about."

Apparently, most people don't come from places where the forests are massive evergreens.

[sonofsven]

*Snip*

 I grew up in that area so an amazing rain forest hike was not anything special. It is special, though.

*Snip*

Having grown up in the area as well, it was an odd realization that my rinky-dink hometown is in a special place. I never really thought about it until we went to see the California redwoods, and I remember touring through them and thinking "This is what people rave about? This is just a...forest? Like, the trees are a bit bigger than normal, I guess, but not worth writing home about."

Apparently, most people don't come from places where the forests are massive evergreens.

Agreed. When I traveled to other National Parks I was surprised to find paved roads going right through the middle of them. Wut?

[henramdrea]

Second the Dungeoness spt.  You've got a LOT packed in there.  The Hoh rainforest is not to be missed, so looks like you've got that in as well as Hurricane ridge.

[badger1988]

Here's a brief trip report for anyone interested. This trip was great, beating even our highest expectations! Mostly followed the original plan (italics) with some slight tweaks:

Day 1 (Friday, 7/2): Land in SEA at 6pm. Camp at Kitsap Memorial State Park. Might take ferry...is it worth it? Everything went super-smooth, and after a quick stop for dinner we were able to reach Kitsap, set up camp, and enjoy a breathtaking sunset over the Hood Canal with the Olympic mountains as a backdrop.
Day 2 (Saturday, 7/3): Drive to North Coast, with potential short detour to Hurricane Ridge on the way. Backcountry beach camping at Hole-in-the-wall. Got up early to get a headstart, and after 1.5 hours looking for our rental car key, finally shook it out of my wife's sleeping bag. Hit up Sequim for groceries, and Port Angeles for a few backpacking items. Drove up to Hurricane Ridge, and did a few short hikes, then back down to Port Angeles for lunch at "Downriggers on the Water." The traffic heading up to Hurricane Ridge by noon was super backed up...felt like we were just early enough to avoid some of that headache. Had a nice afternoon drive to Rialto beach, which was also packed, with tensions high in the parking lot. With the indian reservations still shut down, I think most of the beach traffic was being concentrated at Rialto. Once we were a ways up the beach, things cleared out a bit. Camped on the north side of Hole-In-The Wall. Only one other older couple camping in that section. Camping on the Beach was amazing!
Day 3 (Sunday, 7/4): North coast hiking, then make our way to Hoh campground. Hiked back to the car, and decided to add a day-hike on our way to the Hoh. Went to the "Bogachiel River and Ira Springs Wetland Loop," which was a really great rainforest hike a few miles off the highway in the National Forest. Only a few other cars at the trailhead. Did about a 4 mile loop among some giant trees. Afterwards, we went in to the Hoh, where the wait to get in was close to an hour...pretty long for a Sunday afternoon, but we were able to get settled in a wonderful campsite.
Day 4 (Monday, 7/5): Hike Hoh River Trail to backcountry site at Lewis Meadow (10.3mi) Got an early start and had the trail basically to ourselves. Easy terrain through the rainforest. Lewis Meadows was a nice backcountry campground with several nice sites in the Meadow and along the river.
Day 5 (Tuesday, 7/6): Hike up to Blue Glacier and back to site at Lewis Meadow (14.4mi) Left most of our gear at Lewis Meadow and brought a day pack up to the glacier. It ended up being about a 12-hour hike, very steady climb  with bit over 4,000 feet of gain, between mile 12 and the glacier. The rope ladder before Glacier Meadows was a fun obstacle, though my wife felt like it was much more on the sketchy side with missing rungs. The view of the Glacier was beautiful, and well worth the extra Trek up to the top of the lateral morraine. Easy downhill hiking from there back to our camp.
Day 6 (Wednesday, 7/7): Hike Hoh River back to Hoh Campground (10.3mi) Hiked back out, enjoyed it nearly as much as the way in. We saw one black bear with a pair of cubs once we were within 2 miles of the trailhead. At this point, my wife was ready for a shower and real bed, so we cancelled our campground reservation and headed back to a hotel in Sequim, stopping for a bit at Lake Crescent on the way.
Day 7 (Thursday, 7/8): Make our way back towards Seattle. Any must-do day activities on the way? Tentatively staying at Dash Point State Park...might switch to a Hotel. Opted for the 8:45 ferry from Bremerton to Seattle. Loved the ferry ride and views along the way. Spent the rest of the day in Seattle. Explored a bit, rode some electric bikes, walked around the space needle, did the underground tour, Pike Place market, and finally stopped up at Kerry Park for a great view of the city and Mt. Ranier.
Day 8 (Friday, 7/9): Flight departs SEA at 9am

All-in-all, it was a wonderful trip. Because this is MMM, here's a summary of the costs. Definitely not the cheapest vacation we've ever been on...but I feel like overall it was a good value :)

Airfare $685.60
Camping/Lodging $508.96
Rental Car/Parking/Gas/Ferry $440.11
Food/Dining $360.58
Entertainment/Other $102.34
Total: $2097.59

[honeybbq]

@badger1988

Thanks so much for posting! As we are heading to the Hoh this weekend I'm focusing in on that 3 days of your trip.

Was there a potty at Lewis Meadows? I need to look. The bear hook in place?  What time did you get to the campground? We are probably going to start our hike around 10AM, stop for lunch somewhere along the way, and probably mosey into camp around 4PM. Plenty of nice sites?

Hike up to glacier: 12 hours, wow!! That's a lot. I have seen pics posted of the ladder and such.  It looks a little harrowing but not super super sketch. Hope my 9 year old can handle it. I know it'll be a loooooong day for the family.

How were the bugs?

Nice you saw a bear. I assume they were not interested in you at all.

Anything you didn't bring but wish you did?

[badger1988]

@honeybbq

Happy to answer any questions! We both agreed if we were to do that hike over, we would keep the same itinerary. The trail turns uphill only about 2 miles after Lewis Meadows, and it was super nice being able to carry just a small pack for that portion and have our camp waiting for us when we returned. There are a handful of trailside sites around the High Hoh bridge (mile 13ish) that would be nice for shortening day 2, but probably not easy to get those.

Plenty of outhouses along the way: mile 5 (5 mile Island), mile 9.1 (Olympus Guard Station), mile 10.5 (Lewis Meadows), mile 14.8 (Martin Creek), mile 15.1 (Elk Lake), and mile 17.1 (Glacier Meadows). As far as outhouses go, they weren't too bad...nicer than your average Porta-Potty. I can vouch for the one at 5 mile, and my wife said Lewis Meadows wasn't bad either :)

Bear wires were in place, though we didn't use anu. We just kept everything stashed in our bear can off a little ways from our site. We left the first morning around 7:00, and were to our site a little before 2:00 in the afternoon. Didn't push very hard, just a good steady pace.  If you're leaving at 10:00, I think 5 mile island would be a nice halfway point for lunch. There are also plenty of berries along the trail you can eat that first day! The trail may be a bit busy for the first 4 miles or so that time of day with day hikers. Seemed we were the earliest to arrive, and had a lot of choices for campsites. We set up in the meadow area, not realizing there were some pretty nice sites down closer to the river. If I were to do it again, I would probably pick one of those. Bugs weren't bad except just a few around dusk. Never needed to put on any repellent.

As far as water sources, you're never very far from a good source. They say the Hoh River isn't great because the water from the glacier will clog up your filters faster, but we didn't have any problems with it. There is a creek on the map near Lewis meadows, but it was dry when we were there, so we filled up down in the river. If you wanted to top off before reaching camp, there is a decent creek a mile or so after the guard station.

We didn't push super hard for that 12-hour hike, but it was definitely a workout. A good chunk of that was eating lunch at Glacier Meadows, and then a good amount of time taking in the view of the Glacier. We didn't see many kids, but there was a family or two that were headed all the way out. Also a lot of older folks, so I think a 9 year old with a long attention span and good attitude could do it no problem. I wouldn't worry too much about the ladder either...will probably be more fun than anything as long as heights aren't usually a big issue. Unless you're completely burned out at Glacier Meadows, do make the extra mile trek up to the lateral morain. So worth the effort! When we came up to the first patch of snow we were kinda like this is cool, but smaller than we imagined. Then we realized it wasn't actually the glacier and we had to climb up to that ridge to get the view..glad we figured that out!

The bear had no interest in us, but was a little surprising. Popped out of the ferns and crossed only about 15 feet from us.

I was pretty happy with our packs. We should have brought more fuel for our jet boil...actually used up what we had, but luckily the first morning there was a guy who gave us his spare can on his way in...he was just trying to get rid of it before his flight. Fortunately my wife still accepted it after I tried to turn him down. Only other thing we kinda wish we had brought was our nice camera to get some better-than-cell phone quality pictures...we left it in the car to minimze bulk.

Not sure where you are coming from the morning of the hike, but do give yourself plenty of time...lines getting into the visitor center areas were very long. Not usually too bad earlier in the morning, but when we left around 2 in the afternoon on a Wednesday, the line was probably 2.5hrs.

[honeybbq]

@badger1988

Ah thanks! Great stuff.

Good for the outhouses- I'll bring a trowel but I know my fam would much rather have a SEAT.

Water - check. Good to know. I think we'll be good for water and fuel.

Is there a sign for the lateral moraine? Or an obvious climber trail? I see it on all trails but it's always good to have 2 verification methods IMO. Or, when the trail ends swing to the right? :p

We're coming from Aberdeen (closest hotel!!!! I could get!) starting Friday morning. Lines will be long Friday morning?? YUK! We definitely don't want to do that. Will get up early.... Still a 2+ hour drive but will hopefully beat the folks driving from Seattle or from the ferry.  That's solid gold beta. Thanks so much! 

I'm sure we'll have a great time. My 9 year old will do whatever for candy but mostly worried about my spouse who doesn't hike as much as me but still likes it.

[badger1988]

@badger1988

Ah thanks! Great stuff.

Good for the outhouses- I'll bring a trowel but I know my fam would much rather have a SEAT.

Water - check. Good to know. I think we'll be good for water and fuel.

Is there a sign for the lateral moraine? Or an obvious climber trail? I see it on all trails but it's always good to have 2 verification methods IMO. Or, when the trail ends swing to the right? :p

We're coming from Aberdeen (closest hotel!!!! I could get!) starting Friday morning. Lines will be long Friday morning?? YUK! We definitely don't want to do that. Will get up early.... Still a 2+ hour drive but will hopefully beat the folks driving from Seattle or from the ferry.  That's solid gold beta. Thanks so much! 

I'm sure we'll have a great time. My 9 year old will do whatever for candy but mostly worried about my spouse who doesn't hike as much as me but still likes it.

There is a sign when you choose lateral vs. terminal moraine, and the trail is pretty clear. Once you get up to the snow, it should still be pretty obvious...just kinda continues up the left side. We were dumb, and thought we were already there. Then, I was like...wonder whats up that ridge, and went off the trail making our own route up to what I later realized was the actual terminal moraine.

[Jack0Life]

Here's a brief trip report for anyone interested. This trip was great, beating even our highest expectations! Mostly followed the original plan (italics) with some slight tweaks:

Day 1 (Friday, 7/2): Land in SEA at 6pm. Camp at Kitsap Memorial State Park. Might take ferry...is it worth it? Everything went super-smooth, and after a quick stop for dinner we were able to reach Kitsap, set up camp, and enjoy a breathtaking sunset over the Hood Canal with the Olympic mountains as a backdrop.
Day 2 (Saturday, 7/3): Drive to North Coast, with potential short detour to Hurricane Ridge on the way. Backcountry beach camping at Hole-in-the-wall. Got up early to get a headstart, and after 1.5 hours looking for our rental car key, finally shook it out of my wife's sleeping bag. Hit up Sequim for groceries, and Port Angeles for a few backpacking items. Drove up to Hurricane Ridge, and did a few short hikes, then back down to Port Angeles for lunch at "Downriggers on the Water." The traffic heading up to Hurricane Ridge by noon was super backed up...felt like we were just early enough to avoid some of that headache. Had a nice afternoon drive to Rialto beach, which was also packed, with tensions high in the parking lot. With the indian reservations still shut down, I think most of the beach traffic was being concentrated at Rialto. Once we were a ways up the beach, things cleared out a bit. Camped on the north side of Hole-In-The Wall. Only one other older couple camping in that section. Camping on the Beach was amazing!
Day 3 (Sunday, 7/4): North coast hiking, then make our way to Hoh campground. Hiked back to the car, and decided to add a day-hike on our way to the Hoh. Went to the "Bogachiel River and Ira Springs Wetland Loop," which was a really great rainforest hike a few miles off the highway in the National Forest. Only a few other cars at the trailhead. Did about a 4 mile loop among some giant trees. Afterwards, we went in to the Hoh, where the wait to get in was close to an hour...pretty long for a Sunday afternoon, but we were able to get settled in a wonderful campsite.
Day 4 (Monday, 7/5): Hike Hoh River Trail to backcountry site at Lewis Meadow (10.3mi) Got an early start and had the trail basically to ourselves. Easy terrain through the rainforest. Lewis Meadows was a nice backcountry campground with several nice sites in the Meadow and along the river.
Day 5 (Tuesday, 7/6): Hike up to Blue Glacier and back to site at Lewis Meadow (14.4mi) Left most of our gear at Lewis Meadow and brought a day pack up to the glacier. It ended up being about a 12-hour hike, very steady climb  with bit over 4,000 feet of gain, between mile 12 and the glacier. The rope ladder before Glacier Meadows was a fun obstacle, though my wife felt like it was much more on the sketchy side with missing rungs. The view of the Glacier was beautiful, and well worth the extra Trek up to the top of the lateral morraine. Easy downhill hiking from there back to our camp.
Day 6 (Wednesday, 7/7): Hike Hoh River back to Hoh Campground (10.3mi) Hiked back out, enjoyed it nearly as much as the way in. We saw one black bear with a pair of cubs once we were within 2 miles of the trailhead. At this point, my wife was ready for a shower and real bed, so we cancelled our campground reservation and headed back to a hotel in Sequim, stopping for a bit at Lake Crescent on the way.
Day 7 (Thursday, 7/8): Make our way back towards Seattle. Any must-do day activities on the way? Tentatively staying at Dash Point State Park...might switch to a Hotel. Opted for the 8:45 ferry from Bremerton to Seattle. Loved the ferry ride and views along the way. Spent the rest of the day in Seattle. Explored a bit, rode some electric bikes, walked around the space needle, did the underground tour, Pike Place market, and finally stopped up at Kerry Park for a great view of the city and Mt. Ranier.
Day 8 (Friday, 7/9): Flight departs SEA at 9am

All-in-all, it was a wonderful trip. Because this is MMM, here's a summary of the costs. Definitely not the cheapest vacation we've ever been on...but I feel like overall it was a good value :)

Airfare $685.60
Camping/Lodging $508.96
Rental Car/Parking/Gas/Ferry $440.11
Food/Dining $360.58
Entertainment/Other $102.34
Total: $2097.59

Great stuff. We are also celebrating our 10 yr anniversary in Oct.
Heading to Rocky Mountain State park on our Anniversary and Tahiti a month afterward(bucket list).
Your budget looks great. We budgeted $10k for ours.

[badger1988]

Congrats on 10 years Jack0Life! Looks like two good trips, hope to hear more about yours as well!

[pasadenafr]

This thread makes me want to go visit the ONP so bad. This state is so full of beautiful places that I don't even know which one to choose next anymore.