OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Hurricane Ridge is back in business — at least during daylight hours.
The only access road to the popular landmark in Olympic National Park reopened at 2:21 p.m. Wednesday after a landslide caused a three-day closure of Hurricane Ridge Road about 9 miles south of Port Angeles.
Cars lined up at Heart o’ the Hills campground for the occasion.
The 17-mile road will open at 8 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. each day for as long as conditions remain safe, said park spokeswoman Barb Maynes in a prepared statement.
It is typically open 24 hours a day in the summer.
Temporary hours are in effect as long as the slow-motion landslide remains active.
Park crew have constructed a berm to keep debris from entering the roadway.
The enlarged berm is 10 feet high with concrete barriers at its base.
The slide is in an avalanche chute about 4 miles south of Heart o’ the Hills campground.
Flaggers on road
Flaggers will be stationed at the site to control traffic through a short gravel detour. Park crews will be there to monitor the slide, Maynes said.
“Our crews have made significant improvements to the berm and have shifted the travel lanes to allow safe passage through the area,” said Sue McGill, park deputy superintendent.
“The rockfall site is still active, however, and we will continue to closely monitor the area.”
Further closures may be necessary as conditions change, she said.
“Visitor and employee safety remain our highest priority,” McGill said.
When Hurricane Ridge Road is closed, access is blocked by a locked gate at Heart o’ the Hills campground 5 miles south of Port Angeles.
Darla Cook, a spokeswoman with Forest Resorts, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company that operates concessions at Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center, said she was pleased the road had reopened.
“Obviously, it’s summertime, and that’s the busiest time of year,” Cook said.
Cook said she wasn’t sure how much revenue was lost because of the closure.
She said many visitors headed west to Lake Crescent Lodge, which is also operated by Forever Resorts.
“People found out they couldn’t get up to Hurricane Ridge and decided to venture into the park the other way,” Cook said.
Hurricane Ridge Road closed Sunday afternoon after park officials noticed the rockfall over the weekend.
“We hate to do that, but health and safety are our top priority,” Maynes said.
“Obviously, the summer is the peak visitation period.”
Park officials were thankful for the timing of the road closure, Maynes said, because Mondays and Tuesdays are typically the slowest days in the park.
Park staff and a Federal Highway Administration engineering geologist observed several rockfalls at the site on Wednesday. The berm prevented any rocks from reaching the road, park officials said.
The temporary detour is in place until officials arrive at a long-term solution, Maynes said.
The slide originates from a steep slope on a high ridge above the road.
Recorded updates on the condition of Hurricane Ridge Road are available on the park’s 24-hotline at 360-565-3131.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
