Vacation 2005: Olympic National Park: Hurricane Ridge Hike to Hurricane Hill

2005 Summer Vacation - August 1st - Day 3

It was raining when we woke up Monday. We took our time getting going but finally got on our way to the Olympic National Park. Our first stop was the Visitor Center in Port Angeles. The center had quite a few interesting interpretive displays including a section of a 700+ year old (spruce?) tree with labels showing the rings when Columbus came to America, when the pilgrims landed, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, etc. The kids also liked the cougar and Roosevelt Elk that were displayed. We did not attend any of the Ranger talks but they look like they could be interesting if you were going to be in the area for a couple of days. We however were ready to go hiking.

We requested the Junior Ranger workbooks for Kevin, Kyle, and Kirsten that they would be able to work on over the next two days.

The drive up to the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center (webcam)took about 45 minutes and the view of the Olympic Mountains is fantastic. It is amazing to be able to drive from the sea to the mountains in less than an hour.

The kids got quite a kick out of the fact that Mount Olympus is located in Washington state. An English sea captain, John Mears, was so impressed by the mountain he saw in 1788 that he named it Mount Olympus, after the mythical home of the Greek gods.

After eating some sandwiches we drove further up the road another mile and a half to the Hurricane Hill trail head. Whether it was the rain in the early morning or the fact it was Monday morning, there were none of the crowds we had expected.

The trail is labeled as a ‘moderate’ hike that climbs 700 feet to 5757 feet over it’s 1.6 mile length. It is one of the longest 1.6 miles I have ever hiked! The trail is partially paved, half the width of the trail is paved in most places. There are a few benches along the way and some interpretive signs to help you learn a little while you walk.

When we finally made it to the top of Hurricane Hill. To the north you could see Port Angeles & Vancouver Island, Canada beyond and the San Juan Islands & Mt Baker beyond. To the south you can see the snow & glaciers glisten on Mount Olympus and her sister peaks.

The hike back down was much easier. Since the grade was not too steep you did not have to worry about burning out your ‘breaks’ on the way down.

We met a Ranger, I will call him Ranger Bob, on the way down so I had the kids ask him some questions. Ranger Bob was quite young, mid 20s I would guess. He said the hardest part of his job is being able to answer the same questions over and over again and still impart his love of the outdoors. Ranger Bob’s answer to how he became a Ranger was interesting. He had visited a national park as a teen with his older brother. He really did not want to be there and was determined not to enjoy himself. As he was waiting for his brother to return from a hike, a ranger approached him and started a conversation about girls & rock&roll. As the ranger built rapport with him he directed the conversation to the national parks and his work as a ranger. Ranger Bob got hooked and really enjoys his work. He has worked at 6 parks so far as different job openings have become available.

After that short break we finished our walk down the trail and found some cold soda-pops for everyone.

More Photos:

• Hurricane Ridge
• 2005 Summer Vacation