Hurricane Ridge

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Mountainous area in Olympic National Park

title: "Hurricane Ridge" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["olympic-mountains", "landforms-of-olympic-national-park", "ridges-of-washington-(state)"] description: "Mountainous area in Olympic National Park" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ridge" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Mountainous area in Olympic National Park ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]

FieldValue
nameHurricane Ridge
photoDriving to Hurricane Ridge 2022.webm
photo_captionA drive to the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center up Hurricane Ridge Road in May 2022.
highestElk Mountain
elevation_ft6772
elevation_ref
length_mi13
width_mi5
countryUnited States
stateWashington
locationOlympic National Park
Clallam County, Washington
rangeOlympic Mountains
mapWashington#USA
map_captionLocation in Washington
label_positionbottom
coordinates
coordinates_ref
topoUSGS Maiden Peak, Hurricane Hill, Mount Angeles
ageEocene
::

| name = Hurricane Ridge | photo = Driving to Hurricane Ridge 2022.webm | photo_caption = A drive to the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center up Hurricane Ridge Road in May 2022. | highest = Elk Mountain | elevation_ft = 6772 | elevation_ref = | length_mi=13| length_orientation= East-West | width_mi=5| width_orientation= North-South | country= United States | state= Washington | location = Olympic National Park Clallam County, Washington | range = Olympic Mountains | map = Washington#USA | map_caption = Location in Washington | label_position = bottom | coordinates = | coordinates_ref = | topo = USGS Maiden Peak, Hurricane Hill, Mount Angeles | age = Eocene

Hurricane Ridge is a mountainous area in Washington's Olympic National Park. Approximately 18 mi by road from Port Angeles, the ridge is open to hiking, skiing, and snowboarding and is one of the two most visited sites in the national park (along with the Hoh Rainforest).

At an elevation of 5242 ft, Hurricane Ridge is a year-round destination. In summer, visitors come for views of the Olympic Mountains, as well as for hiking. During the winter months the small, family oriented Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area offers lift-serviced downhill skiing and snowboarding.

The road leading west from the Hurricane Ridge visitor center has a number of picnic areas and trail heads. A paved trail called the Hurricane Hill trail is about 1.6 miles long (one-way) with an elevation gain of about 700 ft. It is not uncommon to find snow on the trails even as late as July. Several other dirt trails of varying distances and difficulty levels branch off of the Hurricane hill trail. The picnic areas are open only in the summer, and have restrooms, water and paved access to picnic tables.

The visitor center was destroyed by a fire in May 2023; as a result, the area was temporarily closed to visitors for a month before it reopened with limited entry.

Hurricane Ridge is named for its intense gales and winds. The weather in the Olympic Mountains is unpredictable, and visitors should be prepared for snow at any time of year. The area receives 400 in of snowfall annually.

History

The Hurricane Ridge Lodge and Hurricane Ridge Road were built in the 1950s as part of a plan by Fred Overly, Olympic National Park's second superintendent, to increase park visitation. The lodge was dedicated by Congressman Henry M. Jackson in September 1952. Hurricane Ridge Road was opened to traffic on January 1, 1958, after eight years of construction. The lodge's role as a concession facility was replaced in the 1980s with more interpretative uses, focusing on Olympic National Park topics including as geology and wildlife.

Skiing facilities established at Hurricane Ridge were intended to replace those at Deer Park in the 1950s, however in the following decades skiing in national parks was criticized. A new day lodge was opened in 1952 and was followed five years later by the construction of a paved road under the Mission 66 program.

The Olympic National Park began restricting winter access to Hurricane Ridge in the late 1990s, which was followed by a decline in visitor numbers. Park officials restricted winter access to Friday through Sunday in 2005. In 2011 and 2012, the park agreed to return to its original winter schedule for a trial period after the local community raised $75,000 to bridge the estimated budget gap. Despite a 35% visitor increase, Olympic National Park officials declared the trial unsuccessful and returned to three-day-a-week access during the winter months.

On May 7, 2023, the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge and visitor center, built in 1952, was destroyed by a fire while preparations for a renovation and structural rehabilitation were underway. The National Park Service closed access to the area indefinitely as a result of the fire and later announced plans to reopen with timed entry and capacity restrictions. A set of temporary portable toilets were installed along Hurricane Ridge Road. The Hurricane Ridge area reopened on June 27 with a daily capacity of 315 private vehicles allowed due to limited space for parking; Clallam Transit's shuttle bus to Hurricane Ridge remained in operation. Vehicles were metered at the entrance, creating long backups; capacity was later raised in July to 345 vehicles per day. , the $80million project to rebuild the Day Lodge and visitor center is on hold due to cuts to the National Park Service budget under the Trump administration.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Hurricane Ridge is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Olympic Peninsula. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks, causing moisture to drop in the form of rain or snowfall (Orographic lift). As a result, the range experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months. Hurricane Ridge averages 30 to of snow annually. During winter months, weather is usually cloudy, but due to high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer.

Gallery

File:Hurricane Ridge snow.jpg|Snow in the Hurricane Ridge allows for skiing and snowboarding (Steeple Rock featured) File:Hurricane Ridge - Olympic National Park, Washington.jpg|Looking southeast at peaks on Hurricane Ridge including Steeple Rock, Eagle Point, Obstruction Peak, Elk Mountain, and Maiden Peak. File:Hurricaneridge2.JPG|Hurricane Ridge in early May File:Hurricane Ridge panorama.jpg|The hiking trail west of the visitors center in the summer File:Hurricaneridgelodge.JPG|The visitors center at Hurricane Ridge, The Bailey Range beyond. File:Hurricane ridge panorama 5.jpg|Panoramic view of the Olympic National Park. The Hurricane Ridge visitor center is on the right of the image. File:Fog at Hurricane Ridge.jpg|A foggy day at Hurricane Ridge, as seen from the visitor center File:Obstruction Peak with Obstruction Point Road.jpg|Obstruction Point Road and Obstruction Peak File:Hurricane Ridge Olympic N.P. 05.jpg|Hurricane Hill

Summits

Principal summits of Hurricane Ridge from west to east: ::data[format=table] | | Name | | Elevation | | Prominence | | Reference | |---|---|---|---| | Hurricane Hill | 5,757 ft | 707 ft | 907|Hurricane Hill, Washington}} | | Steeple Rock | 5,567 ft | 567 ft | 909|Steeple Rock, Washington}} | | Eagle Point | 6,247 ft | 527 ft | 912|Eagle Point, Washington}} | | Obstruction Peak | 6,450 ft | 250 ft | 914|Obstruction Peak, Washington}} | | Elk Mountain | 6,773 ft | 813 ft | 89333|Elk Mountain, Washington}} | | Maiden Peak | 6,434 ft | 474 ft | id=913|name=Maiden Peak, Washington}} | ::

References

References

  1. {{cite gnis
  2. [https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/hurricane-ridge-in-winter.htm Hurricane Ridge in Winter, nps.gov]
  3. Dunagan, Christopher. (April 13, 2015). "At 75, Olympic National Park has grown amid push-pull of forces". Kitsap Sun.
  4. "Congressman Henry M. Jackson speaking at the dedication ceremony for the Hurricane Ridge Lodge, Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, Washington, September 22, 1952".
  5. Swope, Caroline. (March 2004). "HAER No. WA-166: Olympic National Park Road System". National Park Service.
  6. Scruggs, Gregory. (May 8, 2023). "Hurricane Ridge lodge fire sends 'shock waves' through Port Angeles". [[The Seattle Times]].
  7. Phair, Vonnai. (June 22, 2023). "Hurricane Ridge to reopen after lodge fire". The Seattle Times.
  8. Bilbao, Martín. (June 22, 2023). "Hurricane Ridge reopens to Olympic National Park visitors next week. Here's what to know". The Olympian.
  9. (July 6, 2023). "ONP increases Hurricane Ridge vehicle capacity". Peninsula Daily News.
  10. Scruggs, Gregory. (May 7, 2025). "Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge rebuild is at an impasse 2 years after fire". The Seattle Times.
  11. Peel, M. C.. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci..
  12. [https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/weather.htm Olympic National Park Weather, nps.gov]
  13. {{cite peakbagger. 907. Hurricane Hill, Washington
  14. {{cite peakbagger. 909. Steeple Rock, Washington
  15. {{cite peakbagger. 912. Eagle Point, Washington
  16. {{cite peakbagger. 914. Obstruction Peak, Washington
  17. {{cite peakbagger. 89333. Elk Mountain, Washington
  18. {{cite peakbagger

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

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