News Release

Olympic National Park anticipates opening the Hurricane Ridge area this summer

News Release Date: June 8, 2023

Contact: Public Affairs Office, 360-565-3005

PORT ANGELES, Wash. -- Olympic National Park hopes to re-open the Hurricane Ridge area to visitors this summer, but significant work remains to be done, according to park officials. 

The area was closed after a May 7^th fire destroyed the 71-year-old Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge, leaving behind potentially hazardous debris and a lack of water, electricity, and restrooms in the area. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. 

“We are working as fast as we can to get Hurricane Ridge open safely for visitors,” said Park Superintendent Sula Jacobs. “Investigators are at the site looking into the cause of the fire. We’re also figuring out how to provide restrooms, how to manage parking, and how to eventually remove the lodge debris.”  

The park is working with Clallam Transit, the public transportation provider for Clallam County, on a plan to continue offering bus shuttle service once the area is safe to re-open. 

“We want visitors to return to Hurricane Ridge, but we expect things to look different this summer. There will likely be limits on the number of vehicles that can visit the ridge each day. There will also be some days when the road is fully closed due to debris removal. We ask that visitors keep an eye on our website for any alerts,” Jacobs said.   

While the mountainous Hurricane Ridge is a popular visitor destination with more than 300,000 visitors in a typical year, the 922,000-acre national park has many other accessible areas, including the Pacific Coast, the lush forests of the Elwha and Sol Duc valleys, glacial lakes and more than 600 miles of hiking trails.

For more information on the park and updates, visit: Olympic National Park
   

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 424 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube @nationalparkservice. #FindYourPark 

--NPS--