6 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

I never heard about this fire:

 

 

https://www.nps.gov/...e-post-fire.htm

 

 

 

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 29 October 2023 - 02:53 AM.

[vortoozo]

Caused a lot of issues up there this summer as there weren't enough restroom and other facilities for visitors.

There was a quota of visitors and unless you were there in the early morning it was difficult to get up.

Coho Ferry had to cancel their walk on package as they could not guarantee passage on the shuttle busses as a result.

[Victoria Watcher]

October 27, 2023:

 

 

 

 

Sen. Patty Murray announced Friday that $80 million of the White House’s $56 billion supplemental budget request has been set aside to rebuild the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge that was destroyed in a fire earlier this year.

The lodge was reported a total loss after a fire broke out on May 7. The lodge had been closed for $11 million worth of renovations since March 27, which included upgrades to the building's fire detection and notification systems.  ( < irony alert)

Hurricane Ridge Road reopened to public visitors on June 27.

The $80 million requested would be used for the full redesign and rebuild of the lodge, as well as interim facilities. It would be rebuilt on the existing footprint.

President Joe Biden set aside $375 million of his $56 billion supplemental budget to repair and rebuild federal facilities and roads that were damaged as a result of wildfires in Washington and snowstorms in California.

“When I visited Hurricane Ridge in August to see the damage from the fire firsthand and meet with staff on the ground, I promised that I would do everything in my power to ensure that Olympic National Park has the funding it needs to rebuild this important site,” said Sen. Murray. “I took what I heard during that visit directly to the Biden administration, to make sure the President’s team understood what an important priority this was for Washington state and especially our communities in the Olympic Peninsula.”

Originally built in 1952 as a ski lodge, the lodge saw about 300,000 visitors each year.

 

 

https://www.king5.co...ke out on May 7.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 29 October 2023 - 05:47 AM.

[Mike K.]

I never knew about this place!

[Victoria Watcher]

I never knew about this place!

 

It's quite good.  Especially if you pick a day with good visibility.

 

 

 

 

 

Elevation of 5,242 feet.  Always seemed like you could feel the fresh air up there.   That's almost the identical height of our Mt. Washington near Comox.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 29 October 2023 - 07:33 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

High above Port Angeles, Hurricane Ridge provides the most popular access to Olympic National Park. A paved road twists and turns 17 mi (27 km) up a steep 7-percent grade to the mile-high summit, where, on a clear day, you can gape at the breathtaking 360-degree views of mountain, valley, and sea. A (former) lodge at the crest provides food and drink, and a concession offers ski and snowshoe rentals on winter weekends. Trails lead down into the backcountry, where you’re likely to spot marmots, deer, and bald  eagles—and if you’re lucky, maybe an elk or a mountain lion. From Hurricane Ridge, thrill-seeking drivers and mountain bikers may get a kick out of Obstruction Point Road, a twisting gravel road that continues (without guardrails!) for another 8 mi (13 km) along the crest from the parking lot. In winter, the snowed-in road becomes a popular cross-country skiing trail.

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.roadtrip...urricane-ridge/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 29 October 2023 - 07:38 AM.

[Mike K.]

Seems like a nice place to retire to, the area in and around the range.