At roughly a mile high, Hurricane Ridge looks out across the roadless, glaciated interior of the Olympic Mountains — ridge after ice-capped ridge reachable only on foot. The day lodge that stood here for some seventy years burned in May 2023; expect only temporary facilities now, with no rebuild date set. Watch the meadows for Columbian black-tailed deer and listen for the whistle of the Olympic marmot, a golden burrowing animal found nowhere else on Earth. Stay on marked trails to protect the fragile alpine soil.
One last look before you turn your back on it. Take that glaciated range across the valley and hold it a second, because nothing else on the peninsula puts the high country this close. Those peaks carry roughly two hundred and sixty glaciers between them, slow rivers of ice still grinding the mountains down grain by grain, year after silent year. Fix the white shoulders of them in your memory. Now we head down — and the world gets greener and lower with every switchback from here.
Photo: Dllu · CC BY-SA 4.0
At 5,242 feet, Hurricane Ridge is the most accessible high-country viewpoint in Olympic National Park and arguably the best big-mountain panorama on the peninsula. From the ridge you look across deep valleys to the glaciated heart of the Olympics, including 7,980-foot Mount Olympus, the park's tallest peak. Turn north and on clear days you can see the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Canada's Vancouver Island. The ridge earns its name from the fierce winds that sweep across it.
Hurricane Ridge is a launching point for short meadow walks and longer ridge hikes, and in winter it becomes a snowplay and ski destination. Note that the historic 1952 day lodge and visitor center burned down in May 2023; the National Park Service now operates temporary trailers with restrooms and a contact station rather than the old indoor facilities. Come prepared for mountain weather, which can shift to cold, wind, rain, or thunderstorms even on a warm day below.
- • Reached via the 17-mile, ~45-minute Hurricane Ridge Road from Port Angeles; a $30-per-vehicle 7-day park pass is required.
- • The historic day lodge/visitor center burned in 2023; expect only temporary restrooms and a contact station, with no indoor cafe or full facilities.
- • Plan at least a couple of hours; a half or full day if you add meadow loops or the Hurricane Hill hike.
- • Best months are July and August for wildflowers and reliable access; winter access is limited to Friday-Sunday with chains required.
- • Pets are prohibited on nearly all park trails here, including the ridge's meadow and nature trails; dress warmly as it is far cooler and windier than the coast.