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Reached by a scenic 17-mile mountain road from Port Angeles, Hurricane Ridge sits at about 5,200 feet and offers sweeping views of the snow-capped Olympic Mountains, often with black-tailed deer grazing right along the visitor center's meadows. The ridge earned its name from the fierce winds that can whip across its exposed slopes, especially in winter, when it becomes a modest ski and snowshoe area. In summer, wildflower-filled subalpine meadows and several day-hiking trails make it one of the most accessible high-elevation viewpoints in Olympic National Park.
Visitor guide
Hurricane Ridge is the high-country viewpoint of Olympic National Park, reached by a road of about 17 miles south of Port Angeles. At roughly 5,242 feet it looks across subalpine meadows to the Olympic Mountains, and on clear days toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Wikipedia describes the ridge as about 13 miles east to west and 5 miles north to south, with Elk Mountain as its highest point at around 6,770 feet. The name comes from the weather: the park says winds gusting over 75 mph buffet the ridge. The National Park Service also reports that 30 to 35 feet of snow falls each year and often lingers into summer, and that this persistent snow helps keep the meadows open, which is why visitors are asked to stay on snow or designated trails.
Hurricane Ridge Road and a lodge were built in the 1950s as part of a plan by Fred Overly, the park's second superintendent, to increase visitation, according to Wikipedia. The road is reported to have opened to traffic on January 1, 1958, after eight years of construction. Skiing was intended to take over from earlier facilities at Deer Park, and a small, family-oriented ski and snowboard area has operated here, though skiing in national parks has also drawn criticism.
The park's brochure lists a handful of easy and moderate routes from the area. Cirque Rim (0.5 mile) overlooks Port Angeles and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Big Meadow (0.25 mile) gives views of the Olympics, and the High Ridge loop (0.5 mile, about 220 feet of gain) offers 360-degree views. The paved Hurricane Hill Trail runs 1.6 miles one way with about 700 feet of climb to a panorama of mountains and saltwater. Longer dirt trails descend from the ridge, including Wolf Creek and Little River, each 8 miles. Snow can remain on trails as late as July.
The park notes that blacktail deer are often seen grazing in the spring meadows, when wildflowers blanket the slopes, and that marmots live in the area. Please keep a safe distance and do not feed wildlife. In winter, the NPS says visitors can snowshoe, cross-country ski and sled, and when weather permits the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club runs two rope tows and a Poma lift.
The mountain road is winding, so a private vehicle and driver with door-to-door pickup lets everyone in your group watch the views instead of the road.
See every tour and attraction we cover in Olympic National Park.
