The road to Olympic National Park’s most popular destination — snow-topped Hurricane Ridge — will be closed for all of April so the park can fix roads elsewhere.
And also starting in April, the park’s visitor station in Forks will be closed, and the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center’s daily operation will be cut to five days a week.
A strained budget is forcing park Superintendent Bill Laitner and his staff to shift resources starting in April, he said Wednesday.
But the road closure and visitor center cutbacks are no April Fool’s joke to North Olympic Peninsula tourism officials, who fear a business dropoff during the period.
Nearly 8,000 people visited the Ridge last April.
The visitor centers, Forks Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Diane Schostak said, encourage tourists to stay longer, plan a future return trip and discuss the scenery and attractions of the West End with their friends.
Laitner said Wednesday that closing the 17-mile road to Hurricane Ridge will allow the staff to focus on needed repairs to park roads elsewhere, such as Sol Duc Road.
“What we are trying to do is spend our money as wisely as possible,” Laitner said.
