OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Most roads and campgrounds are open for the season in Olympic National Park.
Several feet of snow remain on the ground beginning at elevations above 3,500 feet. Even at low elevations, hikers are reminded to use caution and be aware of downed trees, trail damage, high and swift creek crossings, and changing weather conditions, said Penny Wagner, park spokeswoman.
“Even though it is late spring now, the park’s higher elevations have an above average snowpack and Hurricane Ridge still has over four feet of snow,” said Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum. “Weather across the national park is incredibly variable and unpredictable, so visitors should always be prepared for changing conditions at any time of year.”
Not open as yet are Deer Park Road and campground — which offers primitive camping with pit toilets and no drinking water — and Obstruction Point Road. Both are expected to open in mid-June, depending on snow conditions.
The Olympic National Park Visitor Center and Wilderness Information Center (WIC) at 3002 Mount Angeles Road in Port Angeles, recently reopened after an eight-month renovation project.
The visitor center is open daily except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On June 24, summer hours will be extended to 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The WIC is now open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hurricane Ridge
Hurricane Ridge Road is now open 24 hours a day, weather permitting. The first five miles of Hurricane Ridge Road below Heart O’ the Hills entrance station is under construction and drivers should expect up to 20-minute delays in each direction during weekday work hours.
No weekend or holiday work will be done. Bicycle and pedestrian traffic are not permitted in the construction zone during work hours.
The Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center is open daily through Oct. 14. Daily ranger programs, including talks and guided walks, begin June 23 and are scheduled through Sept. 2.
The Hurricane Ridge Gift Shop & Snack Bar on the lower level of the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center is also open daily through Oct. 14.
The Hurricane Hill Road — the 1.5 mile stretch of road that leads past the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center to the Hurricane Ridge Picnic Area and Hurricane Hill Trailhead — is open.
Heart O’ the Hills Campground is open year round. Drinking water and flush toilets are available.
Closed
The Dosewallips Road remains closed due to a washout outside the park boundaries in Olympic National Forest. Access to the primitive campground is by foot or bicycle only — a distance of 6.5 miles.
The Olympic Hot Springs Road is closed to vehicle access beyond the Madison Falls parking area at the park boundary in the Elwah Valley because of a major road washout near the Elwha Campground. There is limited parking and turnaround space.
The remainder of the Olympic Hot Springs Road and access to Whiskey Bend Road is open to pedestrians and bicycles via a temporary bypass trail. Bicyclists should walk their bike on the bypass trail and all users should be prepared to share the trail. Dogs on a leash are allowed on the roads and the bypass trail, but not on any other trails beyond the gate.
Delays
Drivers can expect delays on U.S. Highway 101 around Lake Crescent. This is the second year of a three-year road rehabilitation project on 12 miles of the highway.
Throughout the summer, travelers should plan ahead for a half-hour of total stop time Monday through Friday during work hours, with slower travel through the project zone, Wagner said.
No road work will be done on weekends or major holidays. For more information, see http://tinyurl.com/PDN-101delays.
Sol Duc Valley
The Sol Duc Road is generally open 24 hours a day.
The Sol Duc Campground is operated by Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort and is open for the season with flush toilets and drinking water available until Oct. 29.
Reservations are accepted for up to 75 percent of the campsites, with the remainder available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Reservations for the Sol Duc Campground can be made online at www.recreation.gov.
After Oct. 29, Loop A of the campground will be open for primitive use when the road is open.
The Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort is open for the season with lodging, dining, hot spring pools, RV Park, and a small store. The resort will be open until Oct. 29.
Hoh Rain Forest
The Hoh Rain Forest Road is generally open 24 hours a day. After Labor Day weekend this year through early October, the Hoh Rain Forest Road (Upper Hoh Road) will be closed at the park boundary (12 miles from Highway 101) to all public access for a road repair project.
The Hoh Rain Forest Campground is generally open year round with drinking water and flush toilets available. During the road repair project from Sept. 5 through early October, the Hoh Rain Forest Campground and Visitor Center will be closed.
The Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center is currently open Thursdays through Mondays and will be open daily for the summer through Sept. 4.
Also open now
Fairholme Campground is open until Oct. 1, with drinking water and flush toilets available.
Lake Crescent Lodge is open through Jan. 2, offering a range of lodging options, a dining room, boat rentals and gift shop.
Fairholme Store opened Friday and will be open daily through Sept. 3. It offers kayak, canoes and paddleboard rentals.
The Log Cabin Resort also opened Friday and will stay open through Sept. 30 for lodging, RV and tent camping, a boat launch, dining room and store. The park built eight new guest cabins this year which are now available for reservations.
La Poel picnic area is open for day use.
Pacific Coast
Kalaloch, Mora and Ozette areas are open, including all roads, campgrounds and trailheads.
The Kalaloch and Mora campgrounds both provide drinking water and flush toilets. The Ozette Campground is primitive with pit toilets. Drinking water is available now through mid-October.
South Beach Campground, a primitive campground located just south of Kalaloch is open until Sept. 24. Reservations are recommended for Kalaloch Campground for June 13- Sept. 23 and can be made online at www.recreation.gov.
The Kalaloch Information Station is currently open five days a week, Tuesdays through Saturdays, and will be open daily beginning June 24 through Sept. 30.
Kalaloch Lodge is open year-round with cabins, lodge rooms, dining, gift shop, and a small store.
Staircase
The Staircase Road into the park reopened to vehicles in mid-May after Olympic National Forest completed road repairs to Forest Service Road 24 at the Bear Gulch Day Use Area just outside the park boundary. Staircase had been inaccessible to vehicles following a heavy storm that washed out the road in November 2017 .
Staircase Campground is now open with flush toilets available. Day users and overnight campers should pack drinking water or be prepared to boil water this Memorial Day weekend, Wagner said.
Drinking water will be available as soon as possible. Campers can check www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/campgroundstatus.htm for status updates.
Queets Valley
The Lower and Upper Queets roads are both open 24 hours a day, unless road work or weather conditions cause temporary closures.
The Queets Campground is open for primitive camping with pit toilets and no drinking water.
Quinault Rain Forest
The Quinault Loop Road, which includes the Quinault North Shore and South Shore roads, is open. The North Fork Road is also open.
The six-mile Graves Creek Road is open. RVs and trailers are not permitted because of road conditions.
Quinault area roads are typically open 24 hours a day, unless temporarily closed by road work or weather conditions.
The Graves Creek Campground and North Fork Campground are both open for primitive camping with no drinking water. Graves Creek Campground does have flush toilets available for the summer.
Visitors can call the recorded Road & Weather line at 360-565-3131 for conditions. It is updated twice daily. Visitors can find travel alerts and trip planning information on the park website at www.nps.gov/olym.
