Washington – Hurricane Hill Trail, Olympic National Park
The Hurricane Ridge section of Olympic National Park is a high alpine area with snow-covered mountains, pine trees, and if you’re lucky, a cloud inversion. The drive itself is stunning with serious elevation gain from the coast region. After visiting the rainforests of Quinault and Hoh, then Rialto and Hole-in-the-Wall beaches, it was time to re-discover the alpine environment by doing the Hurricane Hill Hike. There are some short (and a couple of long hikes) that leave from the Hurricane Ridge area. We opted for Hurricane Hill, which provided excellent scenic vistas for almost the entire trail.
I didn’t realize it before we went, but the entire Hurricane Hill Trail is paved! I think this is a relatively new addition. In a way, I love that the national park is making the trail more accessible and probably reducing the wear and tear of hikers on a popular trail. I also enjoyed the even pavement because my knee was feeling the effects of multiple days of hiking/backpacking that I shoved into one week of being in Washington. Regardless of the pavement, this is a busy trail and you should aim to be there early.
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Hurricane Hill Trail
Despite the pavement, this hike is still a workout! The start of the trail is relatively flat and even decreases in elevation, but already has excellent views. Even at the first bend in the trail, I was eager to take photos. After that, there are a series of climbs and sweeping switchbacks. Along the way, there are a couple of areas with informational plaques, which are great if you’d like to learn something while catching your breath. What I found so stunning about this hike was the cloud inversion. Between my viewpoint and the snow-dotted peaks in the distance, clouds filled the deep valley. It was as if we on an island, surrounded by clouds. As you climb Hurricane Hill, you’ll get slightly changing views the clouds and mountains.
While climbing, another thing to take a look at is the flora and fauna alongside the trail. It was September when I visited, but there were still various flowers dotting the trail-side. We also saw many bees on a particular plant and we watched a small chipmunk eat its weight in seeds for a good five minutes. Keep your eyes peeled for the small things in addition to the sweeping vistas.
Summit of Hurricane Hill
The sidewalk ends a little bit before the summit proper at the top of Hurricane Hill. From here you can walk out to see the snow-covered mountains in one direction. On the other side, you get a view of the ocean to the north and Canada. Look in the distance for the tops of famous volcano peaks above the clouds. Since this was the summer of 2020, we opted not to go to the higher summit as the small, unpaved seemed particularly busy. Instead, we walked around the top of the hill and took in the view of each direction.
The return trip was an absolute breeze. The paved sidewalk makes it feel like an effortless walk back to the car. My friends and I stopped along the way to capture a couple of new angles that I thought were even better than at the top of the hill.
At a Glance:
- Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars, would go again
- Intensity: Hiking boots or athletic shoes, casual athletic wear (not technical)
- Location: Trailhead is at the end of Hurricane Ridge Road. Continue past the Hurricane Ridge Visitor’s Center for a couple of miles and you will see the parking area
- Cost: $30 per car, or opt for the National Parks Annual Pass for $80
- Restrooms: On the drive to the trailhead, you will pass by some public restrooms
- Timing: 2 hours
- Distance: 3.1 miles
- Elevation Gain: about 800 ft
Highlights:
- Epic mountain views that have permanent snow
- Feel like you’re walking above the clouds with the cloud inversion layer
- Photo opportunities galore! Think sweeping vistas or close-ups of flowers with the sweeping vista in the background
Lowlights:
- This is a popular trail and can get quite busy – get there early!
Lunch with a View
After the hike, we were ready for lunch. From the Hurricane Hill trailhead to the Hurricane Ridge Visitor, there are two additional parking areas. We first pulled in the one that has the parking in a u-shape off the main road, where there was a line for the small bathroom. Continuing, there is another parking area right on the main road with a larger bathroom. At this stop, there is also an incredibly scenic area with picnic benches spread out across a clearing. From a map on the National Park Service website, this was technically parking area B.
We savored both our lunches and the view while only seeing about three or four other people. This is where we got the silly jumping pics. In these pictures, you can see the cloud inversion slowly disappearing. Highly recommend this spot for a peaceful spot to enjoy the Hurricane Ridge zone without having to hike.
Hurricane Hill Trail Recommendations
Although this hike is relatively short and paved, I would still recommend bringing a backpack of necessities to make the Hurricane Hill Trail particularly fun, such as:
- Get an EARLY start – this is a popular destination with a small parking area
- Water bottle – I brought my handy-dandy Nalgene bottle
- Bring a snack – I like those Bobos bars
- Small tripod for photos
- I wore my hiking boots, although you could probably get away with sneakers on this trail
- Sunscreen – I use this sunscreen for my face, and this one for my body
- Lightweight Day pack – it can even be as simple as this packable backpack by “Nature Hike” on Amazon
- Lunch to eat at Picnic Area B
Other things to do while visiting Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park:
- Visit the Hurricane Ridge Visitor’s Center
- Klahhane Ridge Trail – 7.4 miles round trip to panoramic views
- Wolf Creek, Little River, and Elwha are 16+ mile hikes that dip into the valley below Hurricane Ridge
- You can also visit in winter on weekends! Check out this National Park Service page for more info on all of the winter activities, including skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and tubing.
Getting to the Hurricane Hill Trailhead
The drive to Hurricane Ridge is stunning. From our accommodations that were near Port Angeles, it took a full hour to get to the trailhead. We left our accommodations by 8 am and there was a short wait at the entrance where we showed our national parks pass. Along the drive, we noticed we were climbing out of the clouds and got a great view of the inversion clouds. I couldn’t capture the clouds when we pulled over, but keep an eye out during the drive. We arrived by 9 am and the parking area was not yet full, but close. The Hurricane Hill Trailhead is also on Google Maps if you want to pop that in your phone while you’re closer to Port Angeles. I went in and out of signal while on the drive.
Olympic Peninsula Adventures
In addition to visiting Hurricane Hill Trail, I did a multi-day road trip to discover the unique climate zones of the Olympic Peninsula. The three areas that I discovered on this road trip: rainforest, beach, and alpine. Check out these posts for more details on each activity: (I will link as I post them)
- Backpacking Royal Basin, Olympic National Park (alpine)
- Things to do at Lake Quinault, Olympic Peninsula (rainforest)
- Backpacking Hole-in-the-Wall Beach, Olympic National Park (beach)
- Discovering the Hall of Mosses in the Hoh Rainforest (rainforest)
- Hiking Hurricane Hill, Olympic National Park (alpine)
- Visiting the Olympic Game Farm in Sequim (zoo experience)
Overall Thoughts: Hurricane Hill Trail
As you can see in the photos, I was wearing a knee brace while hiking the Hurricane Hill Trail. This meant that I appreciated the paved trail! I don’t think the paved trail impacted the scenic beauty of the area at all and helped keep a distance from others while hiking (we went in August 2020). Since this is such a popular trail, I imagine that it also helps maintain the environment surrounding the trail. After going to the rainforest area (Quinault and Hoh Rainforest) and the beach (Rialto and Hole-in-the-Wall Beaches), I was super excited to see the alpine region of Olympic National Park. The Hurricane Hill Trail provided sweeping views of the snow-capped mountains and cloud inversion. It was a perfect way to finish off our road trip around the Olympic Peninsula.
Have you been to the Hurricane Hill area in Winter? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience and if I should try to go up there in the winter season. Let me know in the comments!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
