Hiker Headlines: Hurricane Ridge and Coldwater Areas Reopen, Chiwawa River Road Closure

It’s June 22. This Saturday, June 24, is Washington Trails Day. The Hurricane Ridge area and Mount St. Helens Coldwater area are reopening to the public. The Chiwawa Road has a closure. And wildfire season has started. Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

The South Coldwater trailhead — as well as Hummocks and Lakes trailheads — are back open after the SR 504 landslide. Photo by VentureBold.

Celebrate Washington Trails Day: June 24 is Washington Trails Day, a day to honor our state’s spectacular outdoors and WTA’s stewardship of and advocacy for trails. This year, WTA is celebrating Washington Trails Day by inviting everyone who loves the outdoors to join our advocate community, Trail Action Network! And if you’re hitting the trails tomorrow, June 23, or Saturday, June 24, WTA staff and volunteer ambassadors will be stationed at trailheads across the state to invite outdoor lovers to be a voice for trails.

Hurricane Ridge: The Hurricane Ridge area in Olympic National Park will reopen on June 27. The area has been closed since a fire destroyed the day lodge at the ridge. Parking will be limited and there will be no amenities beyond portable toilets. There will be a daily limit of 315 vehicles, and the parking lot can hold 175 cars — the first 175 cars at the Heart O' the Hills entrance will be allowed in, and the following 140 cars will be metered. If visitors wish to bypass the vehicle limit and entrance wait times, Olympic National Park recommends using the Clallam Transit Shuttle. Obstruction Point Road will not open at the same time but is predicted to reopen soon after. 

Coldwater Lake area: After a landslide severely damaged SR 504, parts of the Clearwater Lake area have reopened to the public. The highway up to Coldwater Lake has reopened, as well as the Mount St. Helens Science and Learning Center (from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily) and the Coldwater Lake boat launch and picnic area. Hikers can also now access the Hummocks, Lakes and South Coldwater trailheads. 

Chiwawa River Road: The Chiwawa River Road, FR 6200, is closed to motorized vehicles past Atkinson Flat Campground due to severe damage to the road. This affects access to many trailheads, including Spider Gap, Buck Creek Pass, Phelps Creek, Mount Maude, Carne Mountain, High Pass and Chiwawa River. There is no estimated opening date for the road. Note: For larger vehicles, there is no turnaround space at the road closure — please use the Atkinson Flat Campground to turn around. 

Wildfire season is here: The summer solstice is here, and with the warmer temperatures and drier weather comes wildfire season. The overall wildfire risk in the Pacific Northwest is higher than normal this summer, and it’s a good time to brush up on wildfire season safety and how to be safe when recreating during the season. Make sure to have backups when planning your summer hikes in case of wildfires, and keep an eye on where wildfires are using the wildfires filter on WTA’s Hike Finder Map.

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