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Quick Facts

Location: Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park

Land Agency: National Park Service

Roundtrip: 6.0 miles

Elevation Gain: 950 feet

Contact: Olympic National Park; www.nps.gov/olym

Green Trails Map: Elwha North Hurricane Ridge, No 134S

Notes: Dogs are prohibited. National Park Entry Fee Required. Hurricane Hill road is now open seven days a week, but still subject to closures due to adverse weather conditions. Call (360) 565-3131 for updated recorded information.

Access: From Port Angeles follow Race Street south to the Hurricane Ridge Road (Heart O the Hills Parkway). Proceed on the Hurricane Ridge Road for 17.5 miles to Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center and trailhead parking.

Hiking to Hurricane Hill during the summer is a straightforward affair. Follow a long procession of people in front of you along a paved path up the pinnacle. But during the winter months, the crowds thin out and the normally easy hike transforms into an exhilarating snowshoe trip. Hurricane Hill offers one of the most-accessible snowshoe routes in the Olympic Mountain high country. Although not overly difficult, windy and icy conditions can make the route treacherous. Snow along the ridge forms cornices and the steep slopes are subject to avalanches. But when conditions are optimal—stable snow and stable weather—the trek to Hurricane Ridge is incredibly rewarding. The Park even offers guided snowshoe hikes along the ridge on winter weekends, perfect for introducing novices to snowshoeing.

A 1.5 mile hike in summer, the route is longer in winter taking you 3.0 miles along the way to a winter wonderland granting views stretching from Mount Baker in the Cascades to Mount Garibaldi in the BC Coast Range. Mount Olympus and the Bailey Range form a great white wall to the southwest. After cresting the 5,757-ft rounded hill, venture out on its broad western shoulder for breathtaking views down into the emerald Elwha Valley.

Consider bringing along your telemark skis to carve up the peak’s southeastern bowl. Enjoy this beautiful corner of Olympic National Park now, before the glacier lilies start working their way through the frozen landscape. For by that time, bus loads of cargo-pants wearing, camera clanging, bottled-water schlepping tourists will be storming the hill once again in full force!

For more information on this and other trails throughout the Olympic Peninsula, check out my Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula Book.