PORT ANGELES — Olympic National Park has closed Hurricane Ridge Road as of 12:40 p.m. Friday for an avalanche in the roadway.
The roadway is closed at the Heart of the Hills entrance station.
Park spokesman Jared Low said crews have estimated the avalanche at milepost 13 to be about 40 feet wide across the roadway and 20 feet deep.
Milepost 13, said Low, is above the treeline and the tunnels going to Hurricane Ridge.
He said the park estimated 38 cars were at Hurricane Ridge before the avalanche.
The park’s lodge building is open and stranded visitors have access to water, warm shelter and bathrooms.
At 3:45 p.m., crews reported that they had enough of the roadway open to allow vehicles to come down from Hurricane Ridge. They expected to allow vehicles to make their way down soon.
An avalanche warning is in effect until 6 p.m. according to the park’s Twitter feed.
