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Olympic Hot Springs Road Closed
The Elwha Valley's Olympic Hot Springs Road is closed to public entry beyond the Altair Campground during removal of the Glines Canyon Dam. Olympic Hot Springs is not accessible from the Elwha.
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Elwha River Closures
Boating is prohibited on the Elwha River from Upper Lake Mills Trail downstream to the Highway 112 bridge, except for the stretch between Altair Campground and the Highway 101 bridge.
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Changes to Visitor Services Due to Sequestration
Due to mandatory, across the board budget cuts, some visitor services at Olympic National Park have changed. See the Plan Your Visit section for more information.
Olympic Hot Springs Road to Close South of Altair August 1
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Contact: Dave Reynolds, 360-457-0715
The Elwha Valley's Olympic Hot Springs Road will close to all
public access at a point just south of the Altair campground effective Monday,
August 1. A gate has been installed and will be locked on August 1 in order
to allow U.S. Bureau of Reclamation employees to begin the six-week process of
decommissioning the Glines Canyon Dam. Following decommissioning, Barnard
Construction, Inc. will assume control of the Glines Canyon area and prepare
the site for dam removal work to begin this September. The closure of Olympic Hot Springs Road south of Altair campground
will last for the duration of dam removal. “This partial closure is necessary to maintain public safety
during the dam removal phase of Elwha River Restoration project and allow the
contractor to perform their role safely and efficiently,” Olympic National Park
Superintendent Karen Gustin said. "We encourage people to come see Glines
Canyon Dam, Lake Mills and surrounding areas before August 1, and ask for the
public's patience and understanding after this section of road closes." Access to other areas in the Elwha Valley, including Madison
Falls, Elwha and Altair campgrounds, Elwha Ranger Station, and Whiskey Bend
Road and trailhead will not affected by this road closure.The Whiskey Bend Road is currently open to
pedestrian, stock and bicycle use only, and is scheduled to re-open to motor
vehicles this fall, after road repairs are completed. Effective August 1, the Glines Canyon Dam, Lake Mills, Olympic Hot
Springs, and the Boulder Creek trail and campground will no longer be
accessible via Olympic Hot Springs Road. Olympic Hot Springs will be inaccessible from the Elwha
Valley.Hikers interested in visiting
the Olympic Hot Springs during the three-year dam removal project may reach the
springs by hiking 14 miles from the Sol Duc Valley via Appleton Pass. Up-to-date information on the status of park roads may visit
Olympic National Park’s Current Conditions page.
On September 17, Barnard begins the three-year, $26.9 million
removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams, the largest project of its kind in
U.S. history. The start of dam removal will also set into motion one of the
largest restoration projects in the 95-year history of the National Park Service.
The 45-mile long Elwha River is the historic home of all five species of Pacific salmon and has been legendary as one of the Northwest’s most productive salmon streams. Because neither dam provided passage for migratory fish, salmon and other fish have been restricted to the lower five miles of river since dam construction. Removing the two dams will allow fish to access spawning habitat in more than 70 miles of river and tributary stream, most of which is protected inside Olympic National Park. |
Did You Know?
The old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest produce three times the biomass (living or once living material) of tropical rain forests. More...