This is a short 3-mile hike that climbs up to the summit of Hurricane Hill (on the northwest end of Hurricane Ridge). From there, you have great views almost 360° - Port Angeles and Vancouver Island to the north, Hurricane Ridge, the Elwha River valley, Mt. Olympus and Mt. Carrie to the south and west. The trail was totally free of snow except for a few patches off the trail which will be gone soon. It is paved most of the way, but is rough and broken in spots, so don't expect perfect footing all the way up. A thunderstorm rolled in as we hiked, with lightning and thunder behind us. When we reached the summit, we could see the smoke from at least three different wildfires on the ridges to the south. Mosquitoes a problem, especially at the summit (Do they know we like to stop there to eat?). This is a short hike with great views, so don't expect to be alone.

Took the day off to do some exploring of the Olympics and snow conditions. The road to Hurricane Ridge is under construction most of the way from Heart of the Hills to the top. On the 17th there was fog and some mist from about 3000 feet to the top of the Ridge. We were promised views and just when we approached the parking lot the clouds cleared to views of the Elwha Valley at nearby mountains but not Olympus which was in the clouds. Expect some delays on the road to Hurricane Ridge all summer and likely into next year. Snow on the Ridge is going quickly and was less than I anticipated. Fog and clouds did not encourage walking so got some coffee to warm up and looked at the views. Going down in the Fog was no treat but at least we arrived at the bottom in good order.

I can't remember a more beautiful day for Hurricane Ridge than yesterday. The weather was perfect--and of course, it was perfect for the hundreds of people, many of them tourists, who made the drive up there to see the splendor. We drove to the parking lot about a mile and a half from the visitor center where the trail starts for Hurricane Hill. This is a rather easy walk on a paved path for most of the way, about 1.6 miles (and 700 feet of elevation to the summit. Then after a brief snack stop amongst the many photo-snapping enthusiasts, we started back down the trail for .2 of a mile to the junction with the Hurricane Hill trail that goes down to the Elwha valley. That's a 6.1 mile trail (we took it about 4 miles up a couple of years ago) that has 5200 feet of elevation. But to take it down as far as one has time, is to make the easy and too short hike to Hurricane Hill summit worth the drive. For once you get on this trail, all the people disappear and you can experience the beauty of this area in solitude and wonder. The trail goes first across the meadow and then meanders along a ridge that keeps giving you great views out to other peaks and to Port Angeles far below. Since the day was so clear, the view included Vancouver Island and all its peaks and even the Canadian Cascades far in the distance. Mount Baker was in the center of the view. After an up and down walk on the ridge, the trail starts down steeply and eventually you enter the enormous meadows under the ridge and you get fabulous views of Mount Carrie, Mount Olympus and hundreds of other peaks to the west. Far below you can see Lake Mills in the Elwha Valley. It was only when we reached the large rock outcroppings that we saw another person--the only hiker we saw on this entire trail. We continued down on the long switchbacks to about 4200 feet, about two miles from the upper end of the trail (which is at 5500). We ate our lunch in the meadow and were pleasantly suprised that we weren't bothered by bugs at all. I found the return much harder; somehow doing all the elevation on the return at the end of the day makes me more tired than the reverse. It was slow going up the steep sections leading up to the ridge. But once we reached the junction, it was an easy walk back down to the car.

From the bus dropoff at the Elwha road it's four miles to the Hurricane Hill trailhead, four more to the treeline, and just a bit further to the picnic rocks overlooking the Elwha valley. AT this point I decided to make a through hike of it and proceeded along the ridge crest to the jct with the Hurricane Hill summit trail, then on to the visitor center for veggie burgers and flax cakes. The way out is along the Sunrise Point trail to the switchback trail and the Heather Park/Lake Angeles junction, marked by a beautiful mountain goat with an unbelievably ugly radio tracking collar. The stretch of the Heather Park trail between the junction and Heather Pass is one of my favorites in the Olympics. Called a taxi from the trailhead, 23 miles from the start at the Elwha Road.

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)