Although the record low snowpack in the Olympic Mountains is causing concerns about drought and summer water supplies, the poor winter conditions mean that high-elevation roads and trails in Olympic National Park are open this three-day weekend.
The opening is about a month earlier than usual, a park spokesman said.
Except for camping in Enchanted Valley — which remains off-limits because of an abnormal number of bears — this weekend appears to provide an exceptional springtime opportunity to explore the park.
Courtesy of OIympic National Park headquarters Thursday evening, here’s a rundown of what’s open:
High Elevation Roads
The 9-mile Deer Park Road will open Friday, along with the 14-site Deer Park Campground.
Visitors are advised to use caution while driving this winding gravel road. The campground provides a primitive camping experience, with vault toilets and no drinking water.
Hurricane Hill Road (the 1.5 mile of road that leads past the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center to the Hurricane Ridge picnic area and Hurricane Hill trailhead) is already open.
The first 3 miles of Obstruction Point Road are open, providing vehicle access to the Waterhole area. The remaining 5 miles, leading from Waterhole to the road’s terminus at Obstruction Point, will open this Saturday.
Low-elevation Roads and Campgrounds
Most of the park’s low-elevation campgrounds are open, including Elwha, Fairholme, Graves Creek, Heart o’ the Hills, Hoh, Kalaloch, Mora, North Fork, Ozette, Queets, Sol Duc, South Beach and Staircase. Altair Campground in the Elwha Valley remains closed due to winter flood damage from the newly undammed Elwha River, which flows adjacent to Altair.
All of the park’s low-elevation roads are open except Whiskey Bend Road in the Elwha Valley. This road is closed to vehicles at the Glines Overlook — overlooking where Glines Canyon Dam used to exist — because of a major slide. It remains open to hikers, bicyclists and stock use.
Olympic Wilderness, including Enchanted Valley
Enchanted Valley will remain closed to camping through the Memorial Day weekend as rangers and wildlife biologists will continue to monitor the situation in the coming weeks. The area was closed to camping in late April after black bears were observed consuming human food and hikers reported aggressive bear behavior.
When Enchanted Valley reopens to camping, the use of bear cans will be required for all overnight use in the area.
Hikers are urged to check the following website for current trail conditions: http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/wilderness-trail-conditions.htm
For more information on visiting Olympic National Park and current conditions of park roads, campgrounds, trails and other facilities, visit the Olympic National Park website at http://www.nps.gov/olym.
