Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Hurricane Hill
Featured In:
Day Hiking: Olympic Peninsula,
by Craig Romano.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. Summer: For summertime visits, the way is quite simple and straightforward. Follow the procession of people in front of you on the paved path 1.5 miles to the 5757-foot pinnacle, where views abound. Take in the mountains, from Mount Baker in the Cascades, to Mount Garibaldi in British Columbia's Coast Ranges to the interior Olympic peaks. Enjoy views of the green cirque below that forms the ridge between Hurricane Hill and Sunrise Point. Wildlife, including bears, are often seen feeding below. People-friendly deer will probably be loitering on the summit. Don't feed them-they need to fend for themselves if they are to survive the winter. Winter: For winter visitors, Hurricane Hill offers one of the most-accessible snowshoe routes in the Olympics. Although not overly difficult, windy and icy conditions can make the route treacherous. Hurricane Hill is subject to blinding snowstorms and howling, frostbite-inducing winds. 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 Hill is incredibly rewarding. Always check with the park about conditions before setting out. The park also offers guided snowshoe hikes along the ridge on winter weekends, perfect for introducing novices to snowshoeing. Along the way enjoy a winter wonderland landscape, with Mount Olympus and the Bailey Range forming a great white wall to the southwest. Venture out on the broad western shoulder of Hurricane Hill for breathtaking views down into the Elwha Valley. In winter, Hurricane Hill is a whole different world. For winter info, see also: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/hurricane-hill-snowshoe.
Driving Directions:
From Port Angeles leave US 101 near milepost 249, following Race Street south 1.2 miles to Hurricane Ridge Road (Heart o' the Hills Parkway) and passing the Olympic National Park Visitors Center and Wilderness Information Center. In the summer, drive 17.5 miles to the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center and continue 1.5 miles farther on the narrow Hurricane Hill Road to trailhead parking. In the winter, stop at the visitors center. Water and restrooms available at the visitors center. Recent Trip Reports
Hiked here recently?
Submit a trip report!
There are
33
trip reports for this hike.
See all trip reports for this hike.
Little River, Hurricane Hill
— Aug 13, 2011
— PNA
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Blowdowns | Overgrown
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
Went for a nice little day hike up the Little River trail to Hurricane Ridge. I hadn't...
Went for a nice little day hike up the Little River trail to Hurricane Ridge. I hadn't done this trail before, but figured it would not be crowded (I saw no one on it, although there were fresh footprints in the one small snowpatch up high) and would be a nice change. It was. Some nice flowers, an interesting old wooden pipeline near the beginning, fairly varied from big old growth trees near the bottom to lily meadows and glades near the top. The fairly level stretch around 3400' was really nice, and unexpected. There were areas from the 2005 (?) burn just above the trail, and pleasant open woods with easy walking. And a nice rest after a bit of steep climbing up from the 3rd footbridge (as marked on the Custom Correct map).
The first part of the trail is quite level, with some horse use (abuse), and trailbed that seems kind of clayey and might be slippery when wet. And it appears it might be pretty wet, in the wet season. Lots of indian pipes blooming down here. Some big trees start just past the park boundary. There is a place to get lost (I did) where the trail comes right to the river bank about 2 miles in. There is a trail on the far side, but it just goes to a couple (illegal) campsites. The trail must have either forked before that (with real trail going up and left) and I missed it completely, or it might be washed out by the river going around a rock. I ended up a little upstream on the wrong side of the river, crossed it again, and bushwacked back up to the trail on the east bank. There are a number (10? 15?) of blowdowns from the first footbridge to the top, but none are too difficult to cross. And some soggy mudholes, mostly in the level stretch around 3400', and the upper bit of trail on the east side fo the river (3600'). The first un-bridged "river" crossing might require getting wet, although I barely managed to get across dry. After that, on the east side of the river, there is some brushy, overgrown muddy, burrowed trail for a while before re-entering forest. There is another easy place to lose the trail at the 5th stream crossing (second un-bridged one, 3700'). The trail comes out of the forest into an open valley bottom with alder thickets, and wet, lush meadow with irregular burrowed soil underneath. Several vague areas of trampled vegetation continue up-valley, but the trail takes a 90 degree turn to the right and crosses the stream right after entering the open area. From there to the top, the trail is easy enough to find, although it's a streambed (dry when I was there) in many places. Nice glades and dense lily meadows (many blooming) up there. There are a few snow patches, one of which crosses the trail. But it will probably be gone by the time you read this. There are quite a few flowers blooming all along the trail - from saprophytes and orchids down low to lilies up high. Up on Hurricane Ridge there are quite a few, and varied flowers blooming. I think it is finally summer up there, although in places things like phlox are still blooming. Lots of people up there, of course, too. It was a nice, quiet hike with plenty to see along the way. Seeing an earlier WTA trip report discussing the mileage (and claiming 10.9 miles from GPS), I remember only the sign at the top of the trail saying that it is 8.1 miles to the bottom trailhead. And the Custom Correct map claims 7.9. The trip took me a little over 5 hours, and I at least started out going pretty fast, so I'd not be surprised if the trail is really longer than those claim. Or maybe I was just even slower than I thought...
Hurricane Hill
— Aug 03, 2011
— Mountain Mary
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
We headed up to Hurricane Hill. In spite of this being a weekday, the trail was very crowded. ...
We headed up to Hurricane Hill. In spite of this being a weekday, the trail was very crowded. The wildflowers are at their peak. There is no snow on this trail - and the majority of it is paved. On the way back down, we took the first trail to Elwa - and the crowds quickly dissappeared. The ranger had told us that their were a whole new set of wildflowers to see on this section. The first part of the Elwa trail has some significant snow patches on it. The trail follows the ridge - and drops some, but not alot in elevation. We reached a section of the trail which was rather steep - and almost turned around. However, a party of 3 ladies appeared and informed us that the wild flowers ahead were quite stunning. After descending this steep section, the trail flatted (relatively) out again - and the wild flowers were out in wild abundance. Very very nice! We turned around before the switchbacks going down into the valley. On the way back to Hurrican Hill trail, we only ran into one other party.
We did not have problems with bugs, but suggest being prepared!
Hurricane Hill
— Jul 08, 2011
— TripleHHikers
Day hike
Issues:
Snow on trail
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
This is a nice place to stop if you are in the area. Just a reminder, you will need...
This is a nice place to stop if you are in the area. Just a reminder, you will need to pay $15 a car to go up, but worth it as the views are great. We were able to get some nice views, but started to get socked in with clouds. We never got to the top of hurricane hill as the clouds did roll in but what we saw was great. Saw a few deer too. Snow is on the trail but it's easily crossed.
Enjoy some pics on our blog...you will also see some reviews for second and third beach if you choose home after viewing hurricane :) lots of nice photos if you have the time! http://triplehhikers.blogspot.com/[…]/hurricane-hill.html
Hurricane Hill
— Jul 07, 2011
— Sito
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Snow on trail
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
Some pictures from the hike here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbandisturbance/sets/72157627051119205/with/5928846239/
Wow, at the end of this trail you get the most amazing views. I...
Some pictures from the hike here: http://www.flickr.com/[…]/
Wow, at the end of this trail you get the most amazing views. I was lucky and the weather was good when we were up there and the 360 degree views on top are breathtaking, you can see for miles. We drove to the Hurricane Ridge visitor center and the views from down there already great. The hike itself is quite short and mainly on a paved path. There were a couple of snowy stretches which were quite slippery, I found my trekking pole quite handy there. But otherwise there are no problems at all. We saw deer, marmots and the usual chipmunks up there. We were on the way further west on the Olympic peninsula and this was a great hike to do while we were on our way. It's short enough to give you enough time to reach your destination afterwards. Don't miss these views when you're in the area.
Hurricane Hill, Wolf Creek
— Oct 11, 2010
— PNA
Day hike
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
This morning was far too nice to go to work, with a cloudless sky and nice sunrise. ...
This morning was far too nice to go to work, with a cloudless sky and nice sunrise. Besides, it's a federal holiday, so no one else would be at work anyway.
So I got a little late start, but decided to run up Hurricane Hill. Well, as close to running as I ever get, anyway. I drove up to the Whiskey Bend trailhead, bicycled back down (and up; and down) to the Hurricane Hill trailhead (about 20 minutes), locked up the bicycle, and started out around 9:30. I've never hiked either of these trails, and the Hurricane Hill trail is in great shape. It's a steep climb, of course, at something like 4000' in the first 4 miles, and another 1000' in the last 2 miles, but the trail is smooth, soft dirt and duff, with essentially no erosion and a fairly consistent grade. There are 2 6" diameter trees across the trail early on, but otherwise, the trail is remarkably clear of rocks, trees, and even sticks. Great walking, and not so steep as to be exhausting. You start in a damp forest of douglas fir and red cedar, with the trail slightly overgrown by sword ferns. Then eventually you reach quite a bit of some odd forest of large, sparse douglas firs with a blanket of low moss, roses, liliaceae, and snowberries and an understory of ocean spray. Very open forest, and quite different from the trails from heart o' the hills up to Mt. Angeles, which aren't that far away. Higher up you reach some western hemlocks. At treeline (~4300') there is an abrupt change from 4'+ diameter douglas firs to low snowberry thicket to grass in a hundred feet. The trail switchbacks up the rodent-burrowed grassy slope, then along the ridge. I met a couple headed down (although I'm not sure how far), and another person who was going to turn around before treeline. Above 5000' or so the trail is steeper and more irregular, sometimes on the north side of the ridge, and after the recent rains and clear night last night there was a fair bit of needle ice. The trail gradually gets more and more eroded the closer you get to the trail from the Hurricane Ridge Road. I saw a few hawks and several ravens in this area, and a deer lower down. Had a few snow showers on the way to Hurricane Ridge Road, but nothing to worry about. I hitched a ride to the top end of Wolf Creek trail, and started down that. It, also, seems to get little use. I saw a couple who probably just went down it a mile or 2 and then headed back up. For the most part, the whole route is gentle enough (less than 4000' in 8 miles) that is "walking", in the usual manner, without needing to slow yourself down. I even jogged some of it, which is nearly unheard of for me. A very different experience from the other trail, as it's an old road, has Alaska cedars in the top third and madrones in the bottom third (neither of which I noticed at all on Hurricane Hill trail), and is, of course, wide, with plenty of sky above. For the most part, trees are smaller and denser. There are several wet seepage areas, mostly high, which can be a little soggy to cross. Again, surprisingly few trees down. The only inconvenient one was around 4200' (I think), which was small, but the only spot low enough to easily hop over it happened to be over one of the boggy bits. Towards the bottom end, I was wading through salal (again, I didn't notice salal on the other trail at all, although I may have just been unobservant) a fair bit. Not a big problem, but if it had rained recently it would have been unpleasantly wet. Also, the soil becomes fairly clayey in the bottom thousand feet or so. Pretty hard packed when I was there, but there were some deep hoofprints from other times when it was softer. Lots and lots of mushrooms of many sorts popping up. Heavy frost and wet vegetation in clearings up high. As for animals, I saw a lots of robins up high, a few varied thrushes, a couple hawks, a couple grouse (low on the Wolf Creek trail), one winter wren, one junco and a few flickers. Mammals were just the one deer, some chipmunks and some Douglas squirrels. And a few slugs. No signs of any snowfall yet in the Olympics. |
View of the Olympics from the Hurricane Hill trail. Photo by Susan Elderkin.
|
Document Actions
- Email this page
- Print this
- Share
Forgot your
New user?
