August 4, 2007 Last updated: 8/11/07 3:00pm PT
Hurricane Ridge, Marymere Falls, Sol Duc Falls, WA 2007
This month we went to Hurricane Ridge, a very popular spot in the Olympic National Park. The visitor’s center is at an elevation of 5242 feet. The visitor’s center is about 17 miles from Port Angeles, and is an easy drive on a paved road. Once at the visitor’s center, there are spectacular views of Mount Olympus and the Olympic Range, assuming the clouds cooperate. We were lucky, arriving early in the morning, and were able to see the mountain range in all its glory. By the time we were leaving, the clouds had started to move in. By late afternoon, when we were heading home, you could not see the tops of the mountains.
Mt. Olympus is the tallest peak of the Olympic range at 7980 ft. It is located about 15 miles south of the visitor’s center (that’s strictly a guess from eye-balling my map). There are some easy trails at Hurricane Ridge that allow you to see the mountain range to the south, but also Vancouver Island to the north.
The last gasp of sunset on the ferry over to the Olympic Peninsula (actually the Kitsap Peninsula, you have to drive over a bridge to get to the Olympic Peninsula). 
We saw a few deer. One on the side of the road up to Hurricane Ridge and the others right next to the visitor’s center. 
Pictures from the visitor’s center. An average of 30-35 feet of snow falls here each year. 
An easy hike from the visitor’s center is to Sunrise Point. It’s not very far but it does gain a little elevation, not too strenuous. From there you can see the mountains to the south and Vancouver Island to the north. On a clear day, you can see Victoria, BC. While we were able to see Vancouver Island (barely), it was a bit too hazy to see the Canadian city to the north. The slightly darker spot below the red arrow in the middle picture is Vancouver Island. And that white blob in the front of the picture is snow. In the first picture, with Denise, in the lower left corner, you can see a tiny car down below. The red arrow in the third picture points to an eagle, honest. 
A bit harder hike was to the top of Hurricane Hill. You drive west from the visitor’s center to the end of the road (about a mile). The trail is about 3 miles round trip. You head out on a easy paved trail for half a mile or so. Then the fun begins. It only climbs 660 feet in elevation, but when you start at a mile high already, that last 660 feet makes you want an oxygen tank (I don’t think I’ll be making that trip to climb Mount Everest any time soon).
On the way up, you see sandstone and shale rock layers, formed from sand and mud deposited on the ocean floor 40-60 million years ago. The ocean floor, now a mile above sea level. Cool! 
There were meadows filled with small colorful flowers, purple, red, yellow, and two Denises 
And we were standing next to snow in August. 
We drove a little farther to the west and stopped at Marymere Falls, just south of Lake Crescent. With a hike of just under 2 miles round trip, it’s a pretty easy hike right up until the end, when there are some serious stairs to climb to get to the falls. 
The last stop was a little farther west. The Sol Duc Falls were much more impressive than the Marymere Falls. Mostly because of the greater volume of water, but also because there is an interesting channel worn into the stone below the falls. The channel appears to have been dug by humans, it is so straight and of even width. The hike is a simple 1.5 mile round tripper. 
On the ferry home, we saw seals arcing through the water. Either that or the Loch Ness monster moved to Puget Sound.
In summary, Hurricane Ridge is a must see, even if you only go to the visitor’s center. It’s in easy reach by car, no hiking required to see spectacular views of the mountains. If you’re into a little easy hike, go see the Sol Duc Falls. Marymere Falls weren’t worth it.
And wear insect repellent if you ever go in August. It seemed like I was collecting mosquitoes. I got 10-12. Denise didn’t get any. So maybe forget the insect repellent and just bring me.