Barnes Creek floodwaters eat away at the Lake Crescent Lodge parking area.

Damage Assessments in Progress After Storm Hits on December 3

Hurricane Ridge Road
A major slide near the Switchback Trail brought mud, debris and water over the road. Once the slide was cleared, workers were able to spot several areas of extensive damage to the road shoulder along the downhill lane. The road will remain closed this weekend to allow crews to fully assess the damage and begin repairs. The Heart O’the Hills campground is closed due to earlier damage from the November 12 windstorm.

The Sol Duc Road is closed due to a mudslide about a half-mile south of Salmon Cascades, along with downed trees.

Hoh Rain Forest 
The Hoh Road is closed outside the park boundary at milepost 7.8. One lane of the road is washed out at that location; additional damage also occurred within the park.

Quinault Valley
The North Shore Road has been cleared for local resident access, but is closed to all other use due to safety considerations. The South Shore Quinault Road is closed within the park boundary due to washouts and hundreds of downed trees. Park crews are working today to clear an access route to the washouts so a full damage assessment can be made and repairs begun. The Graves Creek Road sustained heavy damage from floodwaters, but has not yet been fully assessed. The North Fork Road is littered with downed trees -- an initial assessment yesterday revealed 300 downed trees in the first two miles.

The Elwha, Lake Crescent, Mora and Ozette areas have reopened, but visitors are urged to use caution when traveling through the park and to come prepared for a variety of weather conditions, along with damaged trails and downed trees.

Once damage assessments are complete, volunteer opportunities will be posted at the park’s volunteer webpage. Groups and individuals interested in volunteering to help the park with storm recovery are urged to check there for current information.

Olympic's official ornament, one of 347 national park ornaments adorning the White House Christmas Tree this season.

Olympic National Park Ornament Displayed on White House Christmas Tree

An Olympic National Park ornament is prominently displayed on this year’s official White House Christmas Tree. The tree is the centerpiece of elaborate decorations celebrating the theme of “Holiday in the National Parks.”

The tree is adorned with 347 handmade ornaments representing the country’s 391 National Park Service sites. 

The Olympic National Park ornament was hand-painted by the park’s Landscape Architect Jack Galloway, using a rich palette of greens and blues to depict the park’s diverse features. Coastline, deep forests and glacier-capped peaks form the backdrop, while salmon swim in the rivers and ocean, elk browse in subalpine meadows and a tribal canoe travels along the coast.

An image of a tribal canoe adds to the presentation of Olympic's rich heritage.

Jack and his wife Anna Manildi attended a White House reception hosted by First Lady Laura Bush on Wednesday, along with designers of many of the other 347 national park ornaments that adorn the White House Christmas Tree.

More info and photos from the Peninsula Daily News.

Don't leave ski area boundaries without avalanche awareness and self-rescue skills!

Avalanche Awareness Program Set for December 14 at Port Angeles High School Library

A free avalanche awareness workshop will be held on Friday, December 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the Port Angeles High School library. The program is open to the public and is cosponsored by Olympic National Park, Olympic Mountain Rescue and the Port Angeles Winter Sports Club (a Port Angeles High School-based organization).

People who travel outside the developed areas at Hurricane Ridge – including people who snowboard beyond ski area boundaries or ski or snowshoe to Hurricane Hill – should be aware that they are traveling through hazardous avalanche terrain. The workshop will focus on how to prepare for traveling in avalanche terrain, including proper equipment and the skills needed for self-rescue.

The workshop will be led by Niko Weis, a well-known British Columbia-based avalanche professional. Weis works as an avalanche educator and consultant and is currently serving as an alpine safety and design consultant for a new ski resort in the Indian Himalayas.

Read more.