This is a must-do hike for beginning hikers. Much of the trail is paved and it is accessible to able-bodied hikers from 3 to 93.
The vistas are stunning almost every foot of the 1.5 mile trip to the top of Hurricane Hill.
On the day we went (mid-day June 18), it was somewhat foggy/cloudy which blocked northward views of Port Angeles, the Straight of Juan de Fuca or Victoria. Southward views of the snow covered Olympics were great.
A panorama camera to show what you might see is at:
http://www.nps.gov/archive/olym/tour/turhurr.htm
Another one:
http://www.turnerphotographics.com/pan/quicktime/hurricanepan2.mov
We attempted the trail to vistas overlooking the Elwha river valley, but were turned back by snow and clouds.
Still, this one was great for those starting out and it is very accessible. The down side is that the stellar views and ease of access make it a busy trail.
The Park collects a $15 fee upon entry to the Olympic National Park (rather than the $5 trail pass required at most national forest trailheads)
Comments