NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Dec. 25.
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Once the gifts are open, dinner is done and the family gathering is winding down, one possibility for entertainment is to celebrate a white Christmas weekend at Hurricane Ridge.
“It’s epic. It’s pretty much as good as it gets out there,” said Frank Crippen, member of the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club and owner of North By Northwest Surf Co.
More than 5 feet of snow had settled on Hurricane Ridge at the snow stake as of Wednesday afternoon, park officials said.
An additional foot of the white stuff was expected to accumulate by the weekend’s Saturday opening, according to the National Weather Service.
The snow conditions on Hurricane Ridge produce one enthusiastic reaction from Crippen: “epic.”
“If people are going up for the views, it’s going to be epic. If they’re going up for the powder, it’s going to be epic,” he said.
Hurricane Ridge Road is scheduled to be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and remain open daily through Jan. 3.
Amenities at the Ridge will not be open Christmas Day.
The road might close without warning if weather or road conditions are determined to be hazardous or if the parking lot is full.
The National Weather Service forecast is for mostly blue skies and extremely chilly temperatures — in the low 20s — on Saturday at Hurricane Ridge.
Snow showers and continued cold temperatures are forecast for Sunday and through Thursday.
Hurricane Ridge is located at an elevation of 5,242 feet — and the mile-high mark at 5,280 feet is just a snowshoe walk up the trail.
Ski and snowboard
The Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area is scheduled to open with two rope tows — the bunny tow and the intermediate tow — Saturday, Sunday and Monday and this coming Friday, Jan. 1, through Jan. 3.
A Poma ski lift, the terrain park and the snow tube areas were still being prepared this week, and it was not certain when they would be opened, said Russ Morrison, past president of the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club, which manages the ski area.
“We’re a small ski area, and we do what we can,” Morrison said.
If enough lift operators can be hired for Tuesday through Thursday, the ski area might open during the week, he said.
Conditions best seen
Morrison said he has been skiing at Hurricane Ridge since 1968, and the conditions on the mountain are the best he has ever seen for a December opening.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous, even when it’s nasty out,” he said.
In addition to the ski area, several snowshoe and cross-country ski trails begin at Hurricane Ridge.
The Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center includes a snack shop, gift shop and snow gear rental shop, and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The visitor center will remain open daily during the week between Christmas and New Year’s weekend.
The former ski lodge has public restrooms and is heated.
Snowshoe walks
Ranger-guided snowshoe walks will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and continue Jan. 1-3 at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center.
Registration for the hike will begin at 1:30 p.m. each day at the information desk.
The cost is $7 for adults and $3 for youths ages 6 to 15, while children 5 and younger are admitted free.
Snowshoe walks are less than a half-mile on mostly level terrain and last about 90 minutes, with frequent stops to enjoy the view and for the ranger to talk with the group.
Animal tracks are often seen in the snow, including snowshoe hare, bird and weasel tracks, and sometimes winter animals as well, rangers said.
The guided snowshoe walks allow people to experience walking close to or among the treetops of the subalpine firs and mountain hemlocks and to see the effect wind has on how the snow drifts and deposits, park officials have said.
Cross-country skiing
Opportunities for cross-country skiers and snowshoers range from open, level meadows near the visitor center to extreme terrain in the park’s wilderness backcountry.
Anyone skiing or snowshoeing beyond the immediate Hurricane Ridge area should sign in at the registration box in the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center and be prepared for steep terrain and the possibility of avalanches.
Information about ski and snowshoe routes and trails is available at park visitor centers, the Olympic National Park website at www.nps.gov/olym or the park’s visitor newspaper, the Olympic Bugler.
Overnight camping
Overnight wilderness camping is permitted in the Hurricane Ridge area with advance registration.
Winter camps must be at least 1-half mile from the Hurricane Ridge parking area.
Overnight parking is not permitted at Hurricane Ridge; parking and shuttle options are explained at the time of registration.
More information is available by calling the Olympic National Park Visitor Center & Wilderness Information Center at 360-565-3100 or 360-565-3130.
Information about weather and avalanche risk is available from the Northwest Avalanche Center on the web at www.nwac.us or by calling 206-526-6677.
Park entry
All vehicles traveling to Hurricane Ridge must carry chains.
For road conditions and closures, call the road condition hotline at 360-565-3131 or check the park’s Twitter account at www.twitter.com/HRWinterAccess.
Entry to the park is $20 per vehicle for a seven-day pass. An annual pass is available for $40.
A lifetime senior pass is available for $10 for park users 62 and older, and an active-duty military member or dependent pass is available for free.
Shuttle to snow
For those who prefer to leave their cars at a lower elevation, All Points Charter & Tours provides a shuttle bus to Hurricane Ridge twice daily each day that the road to the Ridge is open.
The shuttle departs at 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. from The Landing mall, 115 E. Railroad Ave, and at 9:05 a.m. and 12:35 p.m. from the Vern Burton Community Center, 308 E. Fourth St.
Return trips from the Ridge depart at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Shuttle rides are $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 7 to 12, with children 6 and younger riding for free.
Olympic National Park individual entry is $7 per person 16 and older and is not included in the shuttle fee.
For reservations on Hurricane Ridge shuttle buses, phone 360-460-7131.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
