A great short hike to see the surrounding mountains and the ocean. If you are an early bird, parking is not an issue. We are impressed by the wild life in the area. read more

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Lots of wildlife and a great hike in the morning time. Very representative of hikes in the northern US with views of the ocean to match's read more

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This was my favorite hike on my trip to Olympic National Park. It is such a beautiful hike with great views, wildlife and pretty wildflowers along the way. I enjoyed spending a whole day up here at Hurricane Ridge. They call it hurricane because of the gusty winds that can whip up quickly here. The highest point of the hike reaches 5,757 feet with 650 feet of elevation gain. The total hike is 3.2 miles roundtrip. The drive up to Hurricane Ridge is 17 miles from Port Angeles. The visitor center at the top of Hurricane Ridge burned down in 2023 and has a temporary structure in its place. There is someone on hand to answer questions and to hand out paper maps if you need one. The trailhead parking lot is another half mile from the visitor center. The parking lot is not very large and has an overflow lot down the road if you cannot find a spot. I was lucky and was able to grab a spot when someone was leaving. The views on Hurricane Hill Trailhead are spectacular. It offers panoramic views of the entire Olympic Region, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Elwha River Valley. While on this hike, you will by surrounded gorgeous mountain views, tall tress and colorful wildflowers. The trail is completely paved and starts off with some switchbacks with a little elevation climb. I did encounter some mule deer and other wildlife along the way. It was a cloudy day with light rain which made for some beautiful photos. At the top are interpretive signs pointing out the visible peaks and towns. Overall, I would say that this is a moderately challenging hike. But because it is paved and is relatively short, it is a hike that the whole family can do. I highly recommend it if you are visiting Olympic National Park. Just keep in mind that Hurricane Hill Road closes for various reasons throughout the year. read more

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Hurricane hill is an excellent trail for a short moderate hike within Olympic National Park. The trail is completely paved and perfect for those with strollers and wheelchairs. I'm not usually a fan of paved trails since I really enjoy hiking on dirt paths that are lined with beautiful trees and vibrant foliage. However, this hike is surrounded by the most stunning views of the snow capped mountains and the picturesque Olympic Valley. I couldn't get enough the views, and I wouldn't be able to escape them even if I tried. The trail is roughly 3.5 miles long when starting from the main parking lot and is an out and back. So, a relatively short hike but you can extend it by parking further away or connecting to other trails. Since I arrived later and missed the parking at the main lot, I parked at the second parking lot and hiked in from there (making my hike about 5 miles in total). The trail is completely exposed so sun protection is recommended. The trail starts off pretty easy and flat for the first half mile and then begins to gradually incline up soft switchbacks until you reach the peak. As I mentioned before, the glacial mountain tops are what makes the views here so magical. You'll have clear views of Mount Olympus depending on the time of year that you come (I came during the summertime). The trail wasn't too crowded but you'll still encounter a good amount of people since this hike is paved and easily accessible. Definitely be bring water because it gets hotter and hotter as you reach the top. There's also a lot of wild life on the trail. Witnessed a few deers hidden behind some trees on the trail. You may also encounter some fresh snow patches on the trail even in the dead of summer. It's super green with lots of rolling hills, tall trees, and colorful wildflowers all throughout the trail. I truly enjoyed this lovely hike and would hike it again in a heartbeat. read more

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Hurricane Hill Trail was one of the big highlights for me during my time here at Olympic National Park. And it's located right in the most popular and visited section of Olympic NP...called Hurricane Ridge. Hurricane Ridge was the first stop I made when coming inside the park. It's situated just outside the town of Port Angeles...about a 20 mile drive uphill. But...everyone pretty much starts their adventures here from Hurricane Ridge. It has the main Visitor Center of Olympic NP and then it has this...Hurricane Hill Trail...the star attraction and opportunity for witnessing Olympic's grandeur mountains in all their glory. So...even at Hurricane Ridge...the sights and surroundings were picturesque. But I'd recommend coming here to Hurricane Hill and navigating this reasonable 3.2 mile round trip trek up to the peak for some pretty magical views and scenery. Along the 3.2 miles or 1.6 each way...it's 650 feet gain in elevation. Not too bad at all...manageable for everyone including kids and families. At the end of the trail, the elevation change is most significant...but the backdrop all around sort of distracted me from realizing I was climbing the hardest part of the trail. Just to back up a moment...to spot this Hurricane Hill Trailhead...I found it to be quite tricky. There weren't any clear signs saying where the hike started. When I first noticed there were some trails to traverse at Hurricane Ridge, I figured one of them could be the Hurricane Hill Trail, but they weren't. Ultimately...towards the right of the Visitors Center I found a hidden sign for Hurricane Hill mentioning that the trailhead was 1.5 miles away. So after I snapped a few pictures at the rear of the Visitors Center and around Hurricane Ridge...I returned to my car (which I'd recommend) and drove the 1.5 miles to get to the Hurricane Hill parking lot and trailhead. I came here to Hurricane Ridge and Hurricane Hill Trail first thing in the morning. I'd also recommend getting here early as this area was so popular...even trying to find a parking spot at Hurricane Hill was difficult. The parking lot area didn't offer many spots. So...if you get here early you'd avoid hiking the 1.5 extra miles in each direction just to get to Hurricane Hill. What I think I really enjoyed most about Hurricane Hill Trail were the views popping up immediately as I started hiking. The entire 1.6 miles each way, I was staring off into the distance and stopping for photo opportunities. I will say...I visited back in the summertime in the month of August and had perfect weather! Perfect! Yes the sky was sun filled and there were patches of clouds around but that sort of enhanced the entire backdrop. I swear when I hiked up Hurricane Hill...the clouds felt like they were within reach. They appeared parallel to the skyline kind of hovering in and out among the mountains. Also, even for August...the Olympic Mountains had snow covered peaks overlooking the valley floor. This hike was really good for having that quintessential feel for being far away from reality while basking in what made Olympic National Park so unique. When I did arrive at the top...there were so many different directions I headed towards. I felt like a kid running around a candy store. The outlook from high above was really special. There were no poor views and looking around really provided terrific perspectives from all angles. I wouldn't really be able to describe this...but there was a short little path at the top that I truly enjoyed allowing me to see dramatic sights in every which way. Be on the lookout for it. Also, there were some deer roaming around at the top and they were pretty comfortable with humans. They didn't run away and just casually went about their business eating grass as I took some up close photos of them. That was a pleasant surprise. I spent about 90 minutes up at the top. That's unusual for me spending that much time at the pinnacle and peak of a trail. But there was so much room to walk around and explore along with soaking up great sights and perspectives, I was in no rush to head back down. I certainly recommend taking advantage of all the space at the peak to venture along the many photogenic vista points. I highly recommend hiking this Hurricane Hill Trail right after checking out Hurricane Ridge and the Visitors Center. If you do this first thing in the morning...you'll have a good chance of finding a parking spot at the trailhead. And for just a 3.2 mile round trip hike along a paved walkway...Hurricane Hill is fun for everyone. It's a terrific overall introduction to Olympic NP. From this area I continued onto the rest of my journey around the park including sights at...Lake Crescent, Marymere Falls, Sol Duc Falls, the city of Forks, Hoh Rain Forest, La Push Beaches, Rialto Beach and Ruby Beach all within an event filled extended weekend getaway. read more

My fiancé and I made this trail one of our day trips when we were on our Olympic National Park vacation. The drive to the trailhead from Port Angeles is about 30-45 minutes as you gain elevation, and the hike is shorter but can be a lung stretcher. We were lucky and enjoyed the companionship of an older local couple who started the hike with us, so we slowed to their pace, as they explained a lot of the local wildlife, policies, changes to the trails, and other enjoyable conversation. The trail starts wide enough for people to walk side by side, and even is handicap friendly for quite a ways, despite the steepness. The views are absolutely magnificent to enjoy the mountainous regions of the National Park. We went to some of the other regions on other days. In October the Visitor Center at the top of the Mountain is closed, and there is only one restroom available. So pack in and pack out folks ;), and plan ahead with your toilet paper during the off season! Fall is still a beautiful time to enjoy the park, and it is not over crowded. read more

This is a fantastic hike! The best part of it is that it's open in the winter. It makes for a short but vigorous snow-shoe. Just be careful on the timing, the road up here has a gate. A gate that is locked. By a ranger. Don't be like me and get a massive ticket! No 5-stars until they stop that ticketing nonsense! Protip: if you come up here in the winter, tire chains are MANDATORY. You don't have to use them, but you must have them in your car. read more

While the elevation and views around the Visitor Center will take your breath away, I highly recommend driving the 1 1/2 miles down the end of the narrow road for the trailhead to Hurricane Hill. It is only a 3.1 mile hike round trip to the Hill and back. The trail is mostly flat. Most of the elevation change occurs near the end but there are manageable switchbacks that help. Nonetheless, the challenge of the hike is more about breathing at a higher elevation [again, the 5,200+ feet] than the elevation change. Hurricane Hill is at an elevation of 5,757 feet. However, I still assess the difficulty of the hike as moderate at best. It is likely easy for regular hikers. Of course, the views at the higher elevation of Hurricane Hill is certainly worth it. It took my friend and I 2 hours to complete the hike. I will qualify that time by noting that we went at a very leisurely pace to take in the beauty and snap a lot of pictures. It took us 30 minutes to get from the top back to the beginning of the trailhead when we stop sparingly for pictures. If you are visiting Olympic National Park and looking for recommendations, feel free to message me through Yelp and I can share my itinerary, which includes my Yelp reviews. The information for an electronic copy can also be found via my Yelp profile. read more

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Thank goodness for our National Park System. Hiking the Hurricane Ridge Trail to Hurricane Hill makes you realize how lucky we are to have such a well run public resource. We got there early which was important so we could get a parking space close to the trailhead. Otherwise you could end up having to walk an additional mile or more to just get to the trailhead. They have built several supplemental parking lots but the hike is so popular that when we exited we saw cars parked all the way back to the Visitor Center. Once on the hike you will be glad to find that it is an easy to moderate level hike over 3.2 miles. The entire trail is paved asphalt with benches placed strategically along the path for hikers to pause and rest. Very important as there were many seniors making the hike and also because there were places where the drop immediately next to the trail would be fatal for anyone who wandered off the path. The views from a one mile high elevation are magnificent and breath-taking. Along the trail we encountered deer, chipmunks, hawks, ravens, and numerous wildflowers in bloom. There were many spots where the quiet of the mountain was just awesome to experience. It was a beautiful day and we were able to shed most of the warm clothes we used in the chilly air when we first go there. Hikers were very respectful and careful not to eat on the trail, litter or feed the animals. We were so glad to experience this hike. A must do for any national park fan. read more