OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Mora Campground and the Spruce Nature Trail have been reopened, and so all Olympic National Park campgrounds, trails and roads are open again after last Saturday’s windstorm prompted closure of the entire park.
Roads, trails and campgrounds were closed Saturday due to the damage and danger caused by falling trees and branches during a major windstorm, and parts of the park have reopened, location by location, as cleanup crews cleared the damage.
No injuries were reported, park officials said.
Saturday’s closures represented the most extensive shutdown of the park due to weather that is known to current park employees, said Rainey McKenna, park spokeswoman.
“I have looked back through the records, and there have been areas of the park closed, but no record of all roads and campgrounds,” she said.
McKenna said closures are usually prompted by localized snow, wind damage or flooding, and it is rare for damage to be severe across the entire park, which at nearly 1 million acres includes both high mountain areas and the coastal region of the North Olympic Peninsula’s West End.
Worst damage
Mora Campground near Rialto Beach on the West End was the most severely damaged and was the last area to reopen Wednesday evening, McKenna said.
“It was an all-park effort. We have a very small staff, and they worked very hard to clean up the damage in such a short period of time,” she said.
The Spruce Nature Trail in the Hoh Rain Forest also was reopened Wednesday.
As the winds rose and trees began falling Saturday, park staff turned to an incident command system, McKenna said.
Safety top priority
McKenna said the first priority was to make sure visitors and employees were safe, and then the staff worked to clean up debris.
The park’s small road crew had to prioritize roads and trails to clear trees and other debris and damage, she said.
The 4.5-mile Whiskey Bend Road in the Elwha River valley has been closed to vehicles since it was damaged by slides last winter and will remain closed indefinitely.
It remains open to hikers, bicyclists and stock.
Beginning Tuesday, Olympic Hot Springs Road will be closed through Sept. 30 to complete flood repairs that began last February.
Dosewallips Road is closed indefinitely due to a washout that occurred in December 3.5 miles outside the park boundary.
Dosewallips Campground, 5.5 miles from the closure, is open for hike-in camping, with pit toilets only and no potable water.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
