This is definitely a "front country" trail, paved all the way to the top. I had not been up this way since ONP repaved and improved the trail a few years ago. Lots of people on the trail today, despite the intermittent views due to fog and clouds. While the tread of this paved path is very smooth, it has some quite steep sections. It's a good hike to take visitors on if you visit Hurricane Ridge, which is what we were doing on this hike. There used to be some nice options on this route, such as heading down the Wolf Creek trail or descending from the top to the Elwha River valley, but since the road into the Elwha washed out years ago, it makes for a very long trek to come out the Elwha on old road grade. I wish the Park Service and the Elwha Tribe could reach some agreement on rerouting the road to Whiskey Bend, but even if they did there would not be any funding to complete the project. 

We headed up to Hurricane Ridge on the first day of a five day family vacation in the Olympics. With family visiting from the East Coast we wanted to show them all the amazing things the peninsula has to offer!

We got a late start and took our time on the drive up, arriving in Port Angeles around 4. After checking into our hotel, we drove up to Hurricane Ridge, arriving at about 5:30. There was no line to get in and plenty of parking available.

We started out on the Hurricane Hill trail, which had gorgeous views and a decent amount of wildflowers still blooming. We walked for a little ways then headed back to check out the short trails around the main parking area.

We saw several deer and then suddenly the marmots appeared! There were two of them grabbing snacks in the meadows and taking in the view from the parking lot. We had a great time watching them for a while.

The temporary bathrooms in the trailer where the visitor's center used to be were in great condition and a step above what I had expected. We left around 8:30, driving carefully in case of wildlife on the roads at dusk. Evening turned out to be a perfect time to visit the park!

Of course we brought along Milles the Marmot to get warmed up for #HikeaThon!

We arrived to the trailhead around 5 p.m. on a sunny Tuesday. There was some haze from wildfires but it didn't impact air quality or views. 

This is a beautiful hike with a few really steep stretches. We saw a plump marmot snacking on a purple wildflowers closer to the top. We also saw a few deer. 

We arrived back to the car at 6:45. I'm a slower hiker and took several breaks. There is no shade, and the sun really beats down on you at that elevation. 

We arrived at the trailhead around 11 am and were smiled upon to find a parking spot. The trail is paved most of the way allowing for easy foot traffic both ways and starts out gradually, increasing to get your legs and lungs working well. The views are amazing the whole way, but the reward awaiting at the top of the ridge is being able to see Mt. Olympus and the range on one side, and across the Juan de Fuca Straight to Canada  on the other. Today we walked on some smaller trails further across the ridge than most foot traffic goes and were rewarded by spotting a black bear foraging down the slope from us at a safe distance. The variety of wildflowers in bloom was spectacular. It was a red letter day for hiking on the ridge.

A great quick afternoon hike before heading back to the city! Despite the “easiness” of the paved path, the trail hits you with elevation in two steep lumps.

We had great weather with a bit of wind picking up in the end, normal for the area. Wildflowers were blooming and there were a lot of deer on and near the trail (7-8). Please use caution near wildlife.

There is also cougar activity in the area with an incident occurring on another hurricane ridge spot while we were on this section. We saw the emergency vehicles as we descending back down the road. If you decide to hike this area, please practice extreme caution around wildlife and be prepared to encounter them appropriately. Please also ensure to leave no trace and stay on trail!