Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park is a beautiful mountaintop area just outside Port Angeles. This area has several amazing hikes including one must-do hike to the top of Hurricane Ridge. It is reasonably short for a summit, though, as expected, it is relatively steep. But the sweeping views allow a 360 degree view from the North Cascades to Mount Olympus into Canada!
Hurricane Ridge is accessed from the main park headquarters in Port Angeles. This area is quite busy, so parking can be tricky, but you should be able to park at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, which is about 30 minutes from town. The drive is beautiful, and we saw several deer and enjoyed the short tunnels along the way. This area is open from about mid-May to October.
When you arrive at Hurricane Ridge, there is a large parking area. We recommend going right through it and out the last 1.5 miles to the Hurricane Hill trailhead if you plan to hike to Hurricane Hill. There is a much tinier lot at the trailhead, and it is almost always full. Since the road is narrow and winding, you can’t park anywhere along it, and some people even hike along the road, which seems a bit dangerous. Make sure to watch for hikers.
Visitor Center
The Visitor Center at Hurricane Ridge was one of the nicest in the park. There is a large gift shop, as well as a place to get food (the chocolate cake was a winner!) The views from the Visitor Center are beautiful, too. In addition, there are a few good hikes that start right at the Visitor Center.
Hikes at Hurricane Ridge
We enjoyed a short loop called Cirque Rim Trail that had a nice overlook. We also spotted a baby deer and her mother in the trees. There is a nice hike called Sunset Point, too, that is a great alternative to Hurricane Ridge if you can’t find the parking or make the big hike.
Hurricane Hill
Of course, to hike Hurricane Hill is the ultimate goal. We got lucky and found one last parking space as we pulled up. You can also shuttle people in if you have someone that is willing to sit the hike out, but this hike is really worth it. Make sure to read about it on our full write up!
We spent about half a day exploring the Hurricane Ridge Olympic National Park area. This mountainous area is a beautiful section of the park. Very different from the other side of the park that is full of rainforests and ocean landscape. Read more about the Hoh rainforest and Rialto Beach.
