Hurricane Ridge Road ends at a trailhead near five thousand feet, the highest point reachable by car in this part of Olympic National Park and the start of several backcountry routes including the Hurricane Hill Trail. The road's end rewards a climb of nearly a mile in elevation from sea level at Port Angeles, where the pavement gives way to foot trails into the high country.
And now the long ride back down. You stood at the roof of this road and walked on stone that used to lie at the bottom of the sea. The way down gives it all back in reverse, ridge by ridge, forest by forest, the air warming and softening with every switchback until the lowlands and Port Angeles wait below. Take it slow. A drive like this deserves a quiet ending.
Photo: Cody Logan (Clpo13) · CC BY-SA 4.0
