Hurricane Ridge facts for kids
Hurricane Ridge is a beautiful mountainous area. You can find it in Washington's Olympic National Park. It's about 18 miles by road from Port Angeles. This ridge is a popular spot for hiking, skiing, and snowboarding. It's one of the two most visited places in the park. The other is the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center.
Hurricane Ridge sits high up, at 5,242 feet (1,598 meters) above sea level. This makes it a great place to visit all year round. In summer, people come to see amazing views of the Olympic Mountains. They also enjoy hiking on the trails. When winter arrives, the area turns into a small, family-friendly ski resort. It's called the Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area. Here, you can enjoy downhill skiing and snowboarding with lift service.
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Exploring Hurricane Ridge Trails
The road that goes west from the Hurricane Ridge visitor center has many picnic spots. It also has trailheads where hiking paths begin. One paved path is called the Hurricane Hill Trail. It's about 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) long one way. You'll gain about 700 feet (213 meters) in elevation on this trail. Sometimes, you might even find snow on the trails in July! Several other dirt trails branch off from Hurricane Hill. They have different lengths and difficulty levels. The picnic areas are open only in the summer. They offer restrooms, water, and paved access to picnic tables.
Visitor Center Services
The Hurricane Ridge visitor center offers many helpful things. You can find an information desk there. There's also a gift shop and restrooms. A snack bar is available if you get hungry. The exhibits inside the visitor center are open all year. However, during winter, they are only open from Friday to Sunday.
Why is it Called Hurricane Ridge?
Hurricane Ridge gets its name from the very strong winds it often experiences. The weather in the Olympic Mountains can change quickly. Visitors should always be ready for snow, even in summer. This area gets a lot of snow each year, about 400 inches (10,160 millimeters)!
History of Hurricane Ridge
The Hurricane Ridge Lodge and Hurricane Ridge Road were built in the 1950s. This was part of a plan by Fred Overly. He was the second superintendent of Olympic National Park. His goal was to get more people to visit the park. Congressman Henry M. Jackson officially opened the lodge in September 1952. In the 1980s, the lodge changed its role. Instead of just being a place for visitors to buy things, it started focusing on education. It began teaching people about the geology and wildlife of Olympic National Park.
Skiing facilities were set up at Hurricane Ridge to replace older ones at Deer Park. However, over the years, some people began to question having skiing in national parks.
In the late 1990s, Olympic National Park started limiting winter access to Hurricane Ridge. This led to fewer visitors. In 2005, park officials decided to only allow winter access from Friday to Sunday. In 2011 and 2012, the park tried a different plan. They went back to the original winter schedule for a short time. This happened after the local community raised money to help cover costs. Even though 35% more visitors came, park officials said the trial was not successful. So, they returned to the three-day-a-week access during winter.
Images for kids
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Looking southeast at peaks on Hurricane Ridge including Steeple Rock, Eagle Point, Obstruction Peak, Elk Mountain, and Maiden Peak.
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A foggy day at Hurricane Ridge, as seen from the visitor center
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Hurricane Hill
