August 4, 2021
On July 22, we left Forks and continued to follow Rt 101 to Diamond Point RV Resort in Sequim (pronounced Skwim), WA in the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula where we spent the next ten days. In this post, I'll focus on the days we spent at the Hurricane Ridge section of Olympic National Park.
The road that takes you to Hurricane Ridge starts in Port Angeles, about a half-hour west of Sequim. Once you reach the entrance station, you have a 12-mile long, winding, and steep drive to reach the Visitor Center.
Driving from sea level to a mile high on a steep, winding road did make me feel dizzy for a little while. I heard another person in the gift shop ask if they had Dramamine. I guess I wasn't the only one.
From the Visitor Center, you have beautiful views of the glacier on Mount Olympus and the whole Olympic Range.
After soaking up this view, and going into the gift shop to buy our traditional Christmas ornament, we set out on a couple of short loop hikes.
A view of Mount Angeles
A foggy view north across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with Victoria, BC in the background
One of several patches of snow that were still on the ground
The second hike of the day was the Hurricane Ridge Trail, a short, but very steep climb on a dirt path to a great view.
The trail that you see in this picture was a rugged 12-mile hike to Mount Angeles. We did not take it!
There were lots of wildflowers along the trail. These are Subalpine Lupines.
Red Mountain-Heather
Black-tail Deer are often seen in the meadows around the Visitor Center. This one was there when we returned from our hike.
A few days later, we returned to Hurricane Ridge to hike the Hurricane Hill Trail. This trailhead was 1 1/2 miles from the Visitor Center. The parking lot is small, so you need to get there early to get a spot. We got the last one! The trail is paved all the way, which was a pleasant surprise. It's an out and back trail of about 4 miles roundtrip. It's described as moderate, but it is straight up, with each switchback getting steeper and steeper. It was definitely a workout, but well-worth the effort for the 360-degree breathtaking views.
The picture below shows one of our views from the top. You can see our trail in the foreground and in the distance.
A foggy distant view of Mount Baker
More gorgeous views
The wildflowers along the trail were in full bloom and they were beautiful. Here's a sampling.
And last, but not least, a butterfly and a chipmunk on the trail. We were hoping to see a marmot, but no luck.
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