Hurricane Ridge Blew Us Away

Tuesday was another early morning for us. The plan was to drive into Olympic National Park and snag a parking spot up at Hurricane Ridge, allowing us to hike to the top of Hurricane Hill. Reg had read that parking could be competitive.

The National Park service lists Hurricane Ridge as the most easily accessed mountain area within Olympic National Park. Located just 17 miles south of Port Angeles, the road up is open throughout summer and offers numerous spectacular views.
Fire destroyed the 1950s Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge in May of 2023, where visitors once enjoyed interpretive exhibits, a gift shop, cafe and winter equipment rentals. Now, a small information center, bathrooms (with flush toilets!) and a very small gift shop greet guests at the main parking lot.

There are two additional small parking lots up the road where hikers can catch the trailhead for the 3.4 mile out and back hike to the top of Hurricane Hill. We continued on with fingers crossed, hoping that we would find a spot…but no such luck. The lots were jammed. We headed back to the main lot to park, adding an additional three miles of road walking to our trek.

Hurricane Ridge blew us away. Not literally, but figuratively. Although I have to admit, with a name like Hurricane Ridge, I expected strong winds. We had not a breath of wind. The landscape was incredible. The rugged mountaintops, distant glaciers, views that extended out for miles…and the paved trail. We expected a rustic mountain path, but the trail was wide and paved all the way to the top. What a surprise!