# Hurricane Ridge ride (on a sunny day!)



## bismo37

This past Monday we rode Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Peninsula. We drove the roadway the day before just to scope things out. It was foggy, windy and cold. So for the following day's ride, we dressed accordingly expecting bad weather. We were surprised to find a completely different scene the following day: hot, sunny and not so windy. 

The ride wasn't so bad in nice weather. The roads are smooth except for the occasional rock fall splatter. The traffic wasn't too bad. Most people are driving slow enough taking in the scenery. The climbs are gentle 5-6% with some pitches up to 8% or so. It's about 17 miles to the top (at 5200ft) from the bottom of the Ranger's station. $5 for a bike to get through the tollbooth a few miles up.

Here are some pics with obligatory bike shots and the burger I ate at the visitor center at the top. (I always love it when there is a restaurant at the top of a long hill climb!)


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## PSC

My girlfriend is going to Port Angeles next week for work, hope to get a Hurricane Ridge ride in. Been wanting to do this ride for a couple years, hope weather is as good as yours was.


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## IcemanYVR

I love the hurricane ridge ride, looks like you had a great day... and that burger, a well deserved treat for completing the climb :thumbsup:

I'm going to go back and do it again next year, we did it a few years ago as an RBR ride.


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## Argentius

Hurricane Ridge is great -- my only dislike is the cold, windy nature of the descent -- seems I always did this ride around, well, this time of the year or a little later, and it ended up frigid and snowy at the top.

Any snow up there for you? The view is amazing across the straight.

Perhaps we can get another RBR ride up there, our PacNWrbring kinda flubbed this summer.


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## kreger

great shot

ive never been up there when the services are open. between that and sunrise i always seem to get to the top only to pee in the bushes


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## Bertrand

I love that ride, but I think I've missed the window for doing it this year.


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## bismo37

No snow up there. Clouds rolled in after a bit and the temps dropped quickly. The descent was frigid! But I was prepared with windproof jacket, gore gloves, neck gaiter and cap that also covered my ears. I was expecting worse weather!


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## Argentius

One time I was up there with only arm and knee warmers, hey, it was 72 at the base! When I had to pull on the warmers going UP, I knew it was trouble.

I, uh, "rented" a hoodie, from a guy in a camper, for the descent, that's how bad it was. I tried to buy it off of him for twenty bucks but ended up just handing it back at the bottom. I would've bought him a beer but he had all of the beer in the camper.



bismo37 said:


> No snow up there. Clouds rolled in after a bit and the temps dropped quickly. The descent was frigid! But I was prepared with windproof jacket, gore gloves, neck gaiter and cap that also covered my ears. I was expecting worse weather!


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## IcemanYVR

Argentius said:


> Perhaps we can get another RBR ride up there, our PacNWrbring kinda flubbed this summer.


That would be cool if we could plan something for next year, maybe late spring when the mountains still look spectacular.



Argentius said:


> One time I was up there with only arm and knee warmers, hey, it was 72 at the base! When I had to pull on the warmers going UP, I knew it was trouble.
> 
> I, uh, "rented" a hoodie, from a guy in a camper, for the descent, that's how bad it was. I tried to buy it off of him for twenty bucks but ended up just handing it back at the bottom. I would've bought him a beer but he had all of the beer in the camper.


Classic... lol'd that one :thumbsup:


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## MarkZeus

Nice pic Bismo! I rode up there just last weekend. It was nice in the mid sixties at the base and the temp drop to high 40s up there. COLD! Make sure you carry a vest, arm or leg warmer and and a full fingered glove, stuff in your back jersey. Just be prepared for the weather and traffic especially going down the descend.

There's a organized ride held annually around first week of August. They close the road for the event. Hey I'm down for a RBR ride


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## bismo37

Argentius said:


> I, uh, "rented" a hoodie, from a guy in a camper, for the descent, that's how bad it was. I tried to buy it off of him for twenty bucks but ended up just handing it back at the bottom. I would've bought him a beer but he had all of the beer in the camper.


LOL... I was eyeballing the sweatshirts in the gift shop wondering if I needed another layer.


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## Johnpembo73

That look a really nice part of the world. 

Nice lunch as well.:thumbsup:


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## bismo37

Mark, were you there on Monday by chance? 

I rode on Monday. I think my wife and I were the first ones to hit the road that day. We didn't see any other cyclists until a bit later in the day. I stopped to say hello to some other cyclists on my way down.


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## MarkZeus

bismo37 said:


> Mark, were you there on Monday by chance?
> 
> I rode on Monday. I think my wife and I were the first ones to hit the road that day. We didn't see any other cyclists until a bit later in the day. I stopped to say hello to some other cyclists on my way down.



No, I rode on Saturday


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## uwhuskies

looks awesome! i cant wait until i am in good enough shape to do this climb.


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## banosser

How many miles is the road up.. and elevation gain?

You can see a lot of the peaks making up the Bailey Traverse from there.. including the Catwalk..


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## IcemanYVR

Here you go, everything you could ever want to know about the climb... well almost 

Hurricane Ridge in Port Angeles, WA | Bike Map | MapMyRIDE


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## epicxt

This is a classic climb! A few buddies and I did this ride (parked the car in town) this summer and had amazing weather. 

Ended up extending the ride into near-epic proportions by taking a cut-off road on the way back down (just outside the toll booth) that shoots over to the Elwah river. We climbed up that road to the reservoir, and then kept going until we ran out of road before turning around and heading back to town. 

Lovely area, and fantastic descents! 80-ish miles never felt so long...


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## tyro

Argentius said:


> Hurricane Ridge is great -- my only dislike is the cold, windy nature of the descent -- seems I always did this ride around, well, this time of the year or a little later, and it ended up frigid and snowy at the top.
> 
> Any snow up there for you? The view is amazing across the straight.
> 
> Perhaps we can get another RBR ride up there, our PacNWrbring kinda flubbed this summer.


Amen.

I live near the base and almost every time I ride it, I carry a bag with clothes in it and still freeze my a$$ off. I would love to ride it all the time if I didn't have to ride down. Sometimes I ride half way twice just so I don't have that long & cold ride down. The best time is some time around the warmest day of the year. At these temps you can ride it with out even warmers on the way down. I'll admit that these day are rare.

Maybe I can pay a taxi to drive to the top just to take me down after I ride up? :idea::thumbsup:


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## PSC

Did this ride yesterday. The ascent was awesome, perfect temp (48 degrees at the top), was able to wear a short sleeve jersey and was comfortable. At the top I put on an extra long sleeve jersey and a wind jacket with full finger gloves and absolutely froze on the descent. Any speed above 25mph, I would be shivering so hard the bike would start shake. My girlfriend met me at the top, if I would have know the descent was going to be so miserable I would have ridden down with her. This ride needs to be done in warm temps or have someone drive you back down, taking up the amount of clothes to keep arm on the descents is kind of impracticle.


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## bismo37

PSC said:


> Did this ride yesterday. The ascent was awesome, perfect temp (48 degrees at the top), was able to wear a short sleeve jersey and was comfortable. At the top I put on an extra long sleeve jersey and a wind jacket with full finger gloves and absolutely froze on the descent. Any speed above 25mph, I would be shivering so hard the bike would start shake. My girlfriend met me at the top, if I would have know the descent was going to be so miserable I would have ridden down with her. This ride needs to be done in warm temps or have someone drive you back down, taking up the amount of clothes to keep arm on the descents is kind of impracticle.


Yes... this is one of those rare climbing rides where I didn't look forward to the descent. So cold that I couldn't just enjoy the fast downhill.


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## PSC

I have been cold in my life and some of them were worse than this (survival school), but I was cold to the core and trying to get down this descent was not fun. It took me a coulple hours to warm back up after I got back to the hotel.


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## banosser

Hurricane Ridge gives one an excellent view of the backside of the Bailey Traverse.. made famous by Herb Crisler back in the 30's... I spent a week completing it a couple summers ago.. awesome back country traverse.. Your pic 7 nicely shows from rt to left Cat Pk, the Catwalk, Mt Carrie, Carrie glacier & Ruth Pk.. then you'd see Mt Fairchild, Stephen Pk (pic 5) & Mt Ferry... 

from the ridge between Ruth & Stephen.. looking at Mt Queets to Olympus massiff


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## bismo37

Great photo! Love the campsite. My wife and I want to go back for hiking at some point. Our big backpacking trip for the year was hiking part of the Ansel Adams Wilderness/JMT in California. Maybe next year we can head out this way.


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## bigbill

I need to get back up Hurricane Ridge before I move away next year. I did it the first time in 1987 on my Mercian with campy NR and a 13-23 Sachs Maillard freewheel and 42T small ring (young knees). On the descent back to Port Angeles, I thought I was riding through swarms of bugs because I felt stuff hitting my legs. It ended up being tubular glue that was melting and slinging off the spinning wheel. Got it all over my frame too. I can't believe I didn't roll a tire.


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## IcemanYVR

banosser said:


> Hurricane Ridge gives one an excellent view of the backside of the Bailey Traverse.. made famous by Herb Crisler back in the 30's... I spent a week completing it a couple summers ago.. awesome back country traverse.. Your pic 7 nicely shows from rt to left Cat Pk, the Catwalk, Mt Carrie, Carrie glacier & Ruth Pk.. then you'd see Mt Fairchild, Stephen Pk (pic 5) & Mt Ferry...
> 
> from the ridge between Ruth & Stephen.. looking at Mt Queets to Olympus massiff


Great photo, looks like quite the adventure.


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