Sea level to 5,242 feet: the drive that redefines what a road trip can do

Hurricane Ridge’s wild world above the clouds

Seventeen miles from Port Angeles, a two-lane road climbs from sea level to 5,242 feet in under an hour. No shuttle bus, no gondola, no miles of backcountry hiking.

You just drive. By the time you reach Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park, the Strait of Juan de Fuca is a glimmering thread far below and you’re looking up at jagged peaks that seem too close to be real.

The animals here exist nowhere else on Earth. That’s the part that changes the trip.

Ice made this ridge something rare and one-of-a-kind

During the last ice age, glaciers carved up most of the Olympic Peninsula.

They blocked the land off from the rest of the continent for so long that plants and animals here went their own way, developing into species found nowhere else.

Hurricane Ridge was one of the few spots that stayed above the ice, which is part of why it’s so biologically unusual. You’ll hear about the winds the moment you arrive.

They rip across the open ridge hard enough to name the place after them. Today it ranks as one of the two most visited spots in the park.

You can see Canada from the parking lot

On a clear day, the view from Hurricane Ridge puts the whole region in front of you. The jagged spine of the Olympic Mountains runs to the south and west.

Below, the Strait of Juan de Fuca stretches between Washington and British Columbia, the blue water wide enough to hold your gaze. Look long enough and you’ll pick out Vancouver Island on the far shore.

Mount Olympus, the park’s tallest peak, sits visible from the ridge.

A viewing area sits right next to the parking lot, so you don’t have to walk a step to take it all in.

Short, paved trails that almost anyone can walk

The Big Meadow Trail is a quarter-mile paved path that cuts through open meadow and connects to the Cirque Rim and High Ridge trails.

The Cirque Rim Trail is paved and wide enough to navigate with a wheelchair if someone’s lending a hand.

Both trails roll through meadow with mountain views on every side, and interpretive signs along the way explain what you’re looking at. Leave the dog and the bike at the trailhead.

Pets and bikes aren’t allowed on these nature trails, and for good reason: the ecosystem up here is fragile in ways that aren’t obvious at first glance.

A short, steep climb to a windswept ridge

If the meadow walks feel too easy, the High Ridge Trail adds more.

It’s a half-mile loop with a short spur out to Sunrise Point, and it climbs about 200 feet up a steep hill to reach a ridge that lives up to its name. The wind picks up noticeably once you crest it.

Ground-hugging wildflowers press low to stay out of the gusts, and the trees up here grow stunted and bent. From Sunrise Point, the views open up wide in every direction.

Stay on the trail as you go.

The alpine plants that grow here take decades to establish, and a boot in the wrong spot can set them back years.

Hurricane Hill rewards the extra three miles

The best-known longer walk at Hurricane Ridge is the Hurricane Hill Trail, about 3.2 miles round trip on a fully paved path.

It climbs to a 360-degree view that puts the Olympic Range, the Elwha River Valley, and the strait all within one sweeping look.

The trail is a regular hangout for Olympic marmots, those round, burrowing relatives of the groundhog who seem genuinely unbothered by hikers. Black-tailed deer graze along the sides.

Mountain goats once roamed here but have become exceptionally rare. If you spot one, the park staff want to know.

Purple lupine and red paintbrush blanket the meadows

Come in late spring or early summer and the meadows at Hurricane Ridge put on a show worth driving the whole 17 miles for.

Purple lupine and red Indian paintbrush spread in loose drifts across the open ground, and this stretch of the park has become one of its most photographed spots because of it.

By autumn, the wildflowers give way to golden grasses that hold their own kind of warmth.

Even in the in-between weeks, before peak bloom or after it fades, the rolling meadows hold enough to make the walk worthwhile.

Marmots sunbathe right next to the trail

Black-tailed deer show up in the meadows often enough that seeing one stops feeling like luck. But the real wildlife draw at Hurricane Ridge is the Olympic marmot.

It’s a large, round-bodied burrowing animal that looks like a groundhog’s bigger sibling, and it lives only on the Olympic Peninsula.

Marmots spend warm summer days sprawled out on rocks soaking up sun, which makes them easy to find and easy to watch.

Bald eagles, grouse, and the Olympic chipmunk round out what you’re likely to see if you spend a couple of hours on the trails.

Washington’s only mammal found nowhere else on Earth

Washington made it official in 2009, naming the Olympic marmot the state’s endemic mammal, the only one of its kind that evolved here and exists nowhere else.

It lives in family colonies scattered across the high meadows, digs burrows for shelter, and is vocal about letting the group know when something’s close.

In early spring they come out of hibernation hungry and active. By September, some of them are already heading back underground for the winter.

Catch them in summer and you’re likely to see the whole colony out at once, spread across the rocks in the morning sun.

Thirty feet of snow and a ski lift in the middle of a national park

Hurricane Ridge averages 30 to 35 feet of snow every winter, and it’s one of only three national parks in the country with a ski lift. Snowshoers and cross-country skiers come up when the roads allow it.

Rangers lead guided snowshoe walks on winter weekends for visitors who want company and a little interpretation along the way. The deep snowpack hangs around long past the calendar’s idea of spring.

Some of the higher trails don’t fully clear until early summer, so if you’re planning a wildflower hike, check conditions before you make the drive.

The mountain changes color with every season

Hurricane Ridge doesn’t have an off-season, just different versions of itself. Summer meadows run green and flower-thick.

Fall grasses go golden as the days shorten. Winter buries the ridge in snow deep enough to reshape the entire landscape.

What stays constant is the light. The ridge sits in a rain shadow, so while clouds dump rain on the lowlands, the high country can be sunny.

Sunrise and sunset hit the surrounding peaks straight on, turning the rock warm shades that don’t photograph the way they look in person. Clear days give you views in every direction, and they’re worth waiting for.

Pack layers and plan ahead before you go up

The historic day lodge that stood at Hurricane Ridge since 1952 burned down in 2023. Investigators looked into the cause but couldn’t point to a single source.

What that means for you is this: there are no indoor spaces at the ridge right now. No place to warm up if the wind picks up, no indoor restrooms, no food service.

Temporary restrooms are available on site, and your car becomes your shelter. Pack water, snacks, and more layers than you think you’ll need.

Services up here are limited, and the weather at 5,242 feet can shift fast.

Drive up to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park

Hurricane Ridge Road runs about 17 miles south from Port Angeles on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and is the main route into the park’s high country.

In summer, the road runs daily, but in winter it’s typically open Friday through Sunday, and only when weather allows.

Conditions change without much warning at this elevation, so check the park’s official website before heading up. The road is closed when snow or ice make it unsafe.

There’s no admission fee for the road itself, but entering Olympic National Park requires a park pass.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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