By Kent Myers Port Angeles City Manager
WITH THE WINTER season now fully upon us, I encourage all local residents to visit Hurricane Ridge to enjoy the many outdoor recreational opportunities or just to relax and see our own national park in its magnificent scenic splendor.
The beauty of this natural attraction was featured earlier this month in The New York Times, with Olympic National Park being recognized as one of the Top 41 Travel Destinations for 2011.
During the past several months, I have been surprised to meet numerous longtime residents who admit that it has been many years since they last visited Hurricane Ridge.
With the road to Hurricane Ridge now open seven days a week (weather permitting), the next two to three months are an excellent time to put on your winter attire and either take a drive up to the Ridge or use the shuttle service that is now available.
The opening of Hurricane Ridge Road seven days a week this winter resulted from the efforts of many people including Congressman Norm Dicks, the Department of the Interior, National Park Service and Olympic National Park representatives, the city of Port Angeles, the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, other area officials, and local businesses.
The concerted effort actually started last March when Mayor Dan Di Guilio, council members Cherie Kidd and Pat Downie, and I made a presentation to Department of Interior officials on the importance of keeping the road open seven days a week.
Our request was based upon the need to enhance the opportunity for local residents to enjoy this major attraction and to also increase winter tourism that would, hopefully, return a positive economic impact to this area.
At that meeting we were provided a challenge by the Department of Interior that if we were able to show that the community was committed and could raise $75,000 in local funds, they would then add $250,000 in federal funding to hire the necessary work crew to keep the road open this winter.
A local fundraising effort, spearheaded by council member Kidd, started immediately and was very successful with funding commitments made by a number of local organizations and businesses.
Final federal approval for the road opening was provided last September, and a second work crew was hired by Olympic National Park to keep the road maintained and open except during extreme weather conditions.
Now that the funding is in place, our goal is to show a strong local and visitor interest in the road being open seven days a week.
Olympic National Park, the city, Chamber and other organizations and businesses are tracking statistics, including the number of visitors to the Ridge, with the hope of showing the federal government that there is a real need to keep the road open seven days a week in future years.
So your visit to the Ridge and your encouragement to friends and relatives from outside our area to visit the Ridge will have a direct impact on the ability to keep Hurricane Ridge Road open in the future.
In order to make it easier for local residents to visit Hurricane Ridge, shuttle vans are being operated by All Points Charters & Tours on Wednesday through Sunday.
Shuttle service departs from both the Chamber of Commerce, 121 E. Railroad Ave., and the Vern Burton Center, 308 E. Fourth St., at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Call 360-565-1139 for additional information.
Before your visit, be sure to check the Olympic National Park website on road conditions at www.nps.gov/olym or call the park hot line at 360-565-3131.
Snow chains are also required to be carried in all vehicles.
Hurricane Ridge offers great sightseeing and opportunities for the pursuit of active recreation including skiing, tubing, snowboarding and snowshoeing.
On a personal note, I have taken up snowshoeing this year and highly recommend this recreational activity as a way to get in some great exercise and enjoy the spectacular natural beauty of Hurricane Ridge and Olympic National Park.
So please consider Hurricane Ridge for a visit this year, and please pass the word that the road is open, the snow is plentiful — and the natural beauty of Olympic National Park in the wintertime is second to none.
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Kent Myers, the author of this guest column in today’s print edition of the Peninsula Daily News, has been Port Angeles city manager for two years.
