One of the Olympic National Park’s most scenic and most visited areas, Hurricane Ridge rises over 5,200 feet seemingly straight up from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, providing an awesome contrast from sea level and breathtaking 360-degree views.

The paved road starts at Race Street in Port Angeles, becoming Mt. Angeles Road and then Hurricane Ridge Road as it snakes up mountainsides for 17 miles at an easy 7 percent grade; frequent turnouts allow for photo breaks. At the top, the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center provides a must-stop location to peer across a meadow-and-mountain landscape that might have been imported straight from the Swiss Alps.

This is one of Olympic National Park’s best areas for spotting wildlife; black-tailed deer often bound across the parking lot, marmots are found in nearby slopes, and black bears are occasionally visible from a distance.

Hurricane Ridge’s name isn’t without basis in fact: the first lodge at the summit lost its roof in a strong winter blast. The weather can change quickly up here; tune in to AM 530 in Port Angeles for weather and other park information.

Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center provides food service, a gift shop, winter ski rentals, and ski-tow service. It is usually open daily May–Sept., and on weekends only during October and mid-December through April. Park naturalists offer summertime walks and talks plus wintertime snowshoe treks. Royal Victoria Tours, 360/417-8006, offers three-hour (very hurried) bus tours up Hurricane Ridge daily at 1 p.m. from the ferry dock in Port Angeles; $21 adult, $12 kids age 5–16.

If the drop-offs and absence of guardrails on Hurricane Ridge Rd. made your palms sweat, you’re in for a real treat on Obstruction Point Road. Starting from the Hurricane Ridge parking lot, this narrow gravel road (no RVs) follows the ridge for eight miles without a rail or fence, providing spectacular views for the strong-hearted. The road, constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, went as far as it could until a steep talus slope prohibited any further road-making.