Olympic National Park, Washington- The Pacific Northwest has been going through it this season, with a lack of snowfall resulting in late openings and insufficient snowpack at times. Located inside Olympic National Park, Hurricane Ridge has been among the hardest hit.
Up until this past weekend, Hurricane Ridge Ski & Snowboard Area was unable to open due to a lack of snow. That changed on Saturday, as they opened up with its two rope tows.
Hurricane Ridge is a very unique ski area. It’s one of the three ski areas located inside a U.S. national park, with the other ones being Boston Mills/Brandywine at Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio and Badger Pass at Yosemite. They have no chairlifts, as they only have surface lifts, consisting of a Poma and two rope tows. The ski area is open on Saturdays, Sundays, and holiday Mondays. If you’re looking to go, Hurricane Ridge is on the Indy Pass, so passholders can shred there for free.
This also seems like an appropriate time to share Hurricane Ridge’s new trail map. Designed in 2023 by Todd Fischer, it’s got a trippy vibe that makes it one of the best recent trail maps that I’ve seen. If you’re looking to get one of these maps, Todd is selling them for $25 on his website.
Image Credits: Hurricane Ridge Ski & Snowboard Area, Todd Fischer
