Hurricane Ridge, located 17 miles south of Port Angeles, is the most easily accessed mountain area within the Olympic National Park. Hurricane Ridge offers fantastic summer hiking trails, springtime subalpine meadows filled with flowers, and unlimited activities for snow enthusiasts during the winter months.
Hurricane Ridge is where Secretary Munro used to ski in high school. He and TVW revisited the National Park in 2017 on the day of the dedication of the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness Area.
Evans, Washington’s governor and U.S. Senator was known for his commitment to wilderness preservation. On the week of the dedication, Dan Evans – age 91 at that time – hiked through Hurricane Ridge’s Royal Basin, just like he did as a Boy Scout 77 years earlier. “What a glorious spot … it brings back memories of hundreds of hikes and several thousand miles of trails that I have enjoyed in the Olympic Mountains.” Earlier this year, Evans released a book, his memoir: “Daniel J. Evans: An Autobiography”. You can read more about Evans and his book on this link from KIRO NEWS: Former Washington Gov. Dan Evans reflects on storied career and more – MyNorthwest.com.
Ralph Munro’s report on Hurricane Ridge:
Here we are Hurricane Ridge in the heart of the Olympic Mountains.
What an incredible place and now the core of the entire park is the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness area. It’s a delight and a wonderful place to visit.
When I was a kid from Bainbridge Island, I was a leader in our ski club. Bainbridge Island was almost all strawberries in those days, and so our symbol was a strawberry on skis. We came here and skied nearly every weekend.
This is a tremendous location, Olympic National Park. It’s a beautiful place and certainly one of my favorite places.
Editor’s Note: Planning a trip to Olympic National Park this summer? Ruby Beach will be closed through mid-September. Also, the Hurricane Ridge Road will be closed Sunday morning, August 7 for the “Ride the Hurricane” bicycling event.
ABOUT RALPH MUNRO: My Favorite Places host Ralph Munro was elected Washington’s 13th Secretary of State in 1980 and served five terms. He was born in 1943 in Seattle and spent his childhood on Bainbridge Island. He attended Western Washington University, receiving a B.A. in Education and Political Science. Governor Dan Evans appointed him in 1969 as the State’s first volunteer coordinator. He currently resides on Triple Creek Farm in Thurston County and remains active in election reform and international trade issues.
TVW is local programming offering coverage of Washington State government, politics and public policy. TVW also offers “My Favorite Places” with Ralph Munro, former Secretary of State. In these video diaries, Munro travels through some of Washington’s most iconic and interesting places. Videos of Ralph Munro’s favorite places can be found at My Favorite Places.
