At an elevation of 5,242 feet (1,598 m), Hurricane Ridge is a year-round destination. In summer, visitors come for views of the Olympic Mountains, as well as for superb hiking. …
Spectacular views of the Olympic National Park can be seen from the Hurricane Ridge viewpoint. The road leading west from the Hurricane Ridge visitor center is dotted with picnic areas and trail heads.
A paved trail called the Hurricane hill trail is popular with visitors, and is about 1.6 miles long (one-way) with an elevation gain of about 700 ft. It is not uncommon to find snow on the trails even as late as July. …
Hurricane Ridge is named for its intense gales and winds. The weather in the Olympic Mountains is unpredictable …
Don’t drive up the mountain before checking weather conditions.
Hurricane Hill is great.
Sadly I got the the more typical vista when looking north to Canada. Nothing but cloud.
It started to clear as I descended.
Most visitors drive up. Take one of the wheelchair accessible walks, consume 1000+ calories at the snack bar. And drive on.
The biggest problem at Hurricane ridge, is this.
Many wild animals get accustomed to humans. There’s supposedly never been a bear encounter in the park, but there have been animal encounters.
For example … A deer first followed. And then charged a leashed dog.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Owner not much help. 😦
In bright sunshine, however, it’s difficult to beat Hurricane Ridge. I like it even better than Logan Pass, the equivalent at Glacier National Park.
more of my photos from Hurricane Ridge
flickr photos tagged “Hurricane Ridge”
besthike.com 