Systems and methods for link adaptation for a multi-hop route in a wireless mesh network are disclosed. In one embodiment, a wireless mesh network includes network nodes in a route through the wireless mesh network. The network nodes determine a bottleneck information flow rate for the route based on backward propagation of information indicative of a tentative bottleneck information flow rate for the route from an ending network node to a starting network node through one or more intermediate network nodes. A target information flow rate for the route that is less than or equal to the bottleneck information flow rate for the route is determined. A Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) and, in some embodiments, a transmission mode is determined for each network node in the route other than the ending network node based on forward propagation of information indicative of the target information flow rate for the route.