THIS is How to EXPERIENCE Hurricane Ridge Area of OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

Welcome to our travel vlog of Hurricane Ridge Road in Olympic National Park! Located in Washington state, Olympic National Park is one of the best National Parks in America. This park has one road where you can experience the Olympic Mountains through scenic drives, incredible hikes, and even stargazing!

The gateway to Olympic National Park is Port Angeles, Washington. Hurricane Ridge Road begins at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center, in Port Angeles, and ends at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center. The Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center actually burned down in 2023, so it is no longer standing. But the parking area, and trailheads, still remain. Overall, Hurricane Ridge Road is 17 miles long and takes about 45 minutes. Driving Hurricane Ridge Road is a great way to experience one day in Olympic National Park.

Olympic National Park in the summer can be crowded. During the summer, Hurricane Ridge Road can get so busy that it closes before noon, depending on how bad the crowds get. We arrived before 8:00AM and were blown away by a bunch of deer that were grazing among the mountains! Deer are among the long list of wildlife you can find at Olympic National Park and we got to experience them up-close before the crowds arrived.

We did the easiest hike at Hurricane Ridge Road: the High Ridge Nature Trail to Sunrise View Point. We literally had to hike the ridge of a mountain, which led to panoramic views of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This is one of the easiest hikes at Olympic National Park with the biggest payoff! Hiking to Sunrise View Point is a must-do at Olympic National Park!

There are a few overlooks along Hurricane Ridge Road. We stopped at Morse Creek Overlook, which used to be a lake but now has amazing mountains. We also stopped at the North Peninsula Overlook. This offers views of Port Angeles, Victoria, B.C., and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

We visited the Olympic National Park Visitor Center to inquire about their Night Sky Program that's offered in the summer. We were surprised to find an authentic log cabin at the visitor center and were thrilled to know that the park was doing the stargazing program that night. The Night Sky Program is weather-dependent but we were lucky enough to have a clear sky when we were there!

We joined a Master Observer at Hurricane Ridge for an evening of astronomy and stargazing. The astronomy program at Olympic National Park lets you see meteor showers, constellations, and planets. They even have telescopes for close-up views--and it's all free!

You can easily spend half a day just on Hurricane Ridge Road. Hurricane Ridge is the most popular area of Olympic National Park and is an awesome way to experience epic mountains without strenuous hikes.

What did you like the most about Hurricane Ridge? Let us know in the comments!
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Vlog 78 | Port Angeles, WA | Filmed: Aug. 12th, 2023
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LEARN MORE
Hurricane Ridge Road: https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisi...
Night Sky Programs: https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisi...
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TIMESTAMPS ⏰
0:00 Introduction
0:11 Overview of Hurricane Ridge Road
0:53 Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center 2023
1:16 Top of Hurricane Ridge Road
1:31 Deer at Olympic
2:26 Hike to Sunrise View Point
3:47 Fun Facts about Hurricane Ridge
4:25 Hurricane Ridge Road Overlooks
6:17 Olympic National Park Visitor Center
7:21 Olympic Astronomy Program
8:39 Stargazing at Hurricane Ridge
10:02 Bloopers
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MUSIC 🎵
All music is from Epidemic Sound: https://www.epidemicsound.com/
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FOLLOW US
Instagram:   / the_traveling_stewarts  
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ABOUT US 👫🏻
We’re The Stewarts—high school sweethearts from the DC Metropolitan Area. We’re full-time professionals and part-time explorers. We love exploring nature, discovering new places, touring historic sites, and sharing fun facts. We’ll show and tell you about our travels, so come join us! #hurricaneridgeroaddrive #hurricaneridgeolympicnationalpark #hurricaneridgeroad #olympicnationalparkvlog #olympicnationalpark #olympicnationalparkwashington #olympicnationalparksummer