Olympic National Park lists ridge road closure on 28 October
Published on 10/31/2026 at 14:48 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSAccess and landscape facts
- The National Park Service listed Hurricane Ridge Road as closed on 28 October 2026.
- Snow has closed the route to Hurricane Ridge, while Heart o' the Hills campground remains open.
- Olympic National Park covers nearly a million acres and includes more than 70 miles of coastline.
Olympic National Park has listed a Hurricane Ridge Road closure from 28 October 2026, affecting access to the mountain viewpoint area south of Port Angeles. The National Park Service says the road is closed because of snow and will reopen when conditions permit.
Hurricane Ridge closure changes access above Port Angeles
The current conditions page from the National Park Service records Hurricane Ridge Road as closed, with 28 October 2026 shown as the latest update. The same notice says that the route may open or close according to road conditions and weather, so the status is not a fixed seasonal timetable.
The closure reaches beyond the main ridge approach. Hurricane Hill Road beyond the Hurricane Ridge parking area is also closed because the approach road is shut, while Obstruction Point Road is closed for the season. The Heart o' the Hills campground remains open, giving visitors an available facility below the closed mountain route.
The National Park Service road report is updated when new reports arrive, and the park advises visitors to use its recorded road and weather line before travelling.
The ridge road links Port Angeles with Olympic high country
Hurricane Ridge lies 27 km (17 miles) south of Port Angeles on Hurricane Ridge Road, off Mount Angeles Road. The route is paved, but its mountain setting makes access dependent on weather and road conditions.
The closure matters because the ridge is one part of a much larger protected landscape. Olympic National Park covers nearly a million acres and includes glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rain forests and more than 70 miles of wild coastline. Those contrasting environments remain the defining setting for visits elsewhere in the park.
The road status also separates access to the high country from access to lower areas. The National Park Service road table lists Sol Duc Road, Upper Hoh Road, Mora Road and both North and South Shore Quinault roads as open on their respective latest updates. Each valley has separate access, so a closed ridge road does not close the entire park.
Snow closure leaves lower Olympic routes available
The current notice gives no reopening date for Hurricane Ridge Road. Instead, it says the road will reopen when conditions permit, placing the next decision with the National Park Service and changing weather.
For travellers from Western Europe, the practical distinction is between the closed ridge approach and the roads serving forests, lakes and the coast. A journey planned around Hurricane Ridge therefore needs a current check immediately before departure, even when another part of the park is open.
Visiting Olympic National Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Hurricane Ridge Road is listed as closed from 28 October 2026 because of snow, and no reopening date is given.
- Hurricane Hill Road beyond the ridge parking area is also closed, while Heart o' the Hills campground remains open.
- The ridge is 27 km (17 miles) south of Port Angeles, reached by Hurricane Ridge Road from Mount Angeles Road.
- Other park approaches listed as open include Sol Duc Road, Upper Hoh Road, Mora Road and the Quinault roads, but each route has its own status.
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Frequently asked questions about Olympic National Park
When did the Hurricane Ridge Road closure begin?
The National Park Service lists the closure from 28 October 2026 and says snow caused the closure.
Where is Olympic National Park and how do you get there?
The park is in Washington, with its mailing address in Port Angeles. Hurricane Ridge is 27 km (17 miles) south of Port Angeles on Hurricane Ridge Road.
What is Olympic National Park?
It is a protected landscape of nearly a million acres with glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rain forests and more than 70 miles of coastline.
