Hike of the Week: Sunrise Ridge

Wildflowers line the way on Sunrise Ridge

Sunrise Ridge

Start your “daze” right on this scenic trail



by Craig Romano
photo by Craig Romano
produced by Michael Fagin
June 17, 2005

Quick Facts
Location: Olympic National Park-Hurricane Ridge Road
Land Agency: National Park Service
Roundtrip: 5.4 miles
Cumulative Elevation gain: 900 feet
Access: From Port Angeles, follow Race Street to the Heart O’ the Hills Parkway (Hurricane Ridge Road). Proceed 18 miles on this road all the way to its terminus at the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center. Trail begins at the Big Meadow Parking Lot.
Notes: Park fee collected: $10 for 7 day pass, $30 for annual pass, or $50 for National Park Pass, good in all national parks. Dogs prohibited on trail.
Green Trails Map: Mt Angeles, Wash- No. 135


Most visitors to Hurricane Ridge intent on stretching their legs soon find themselves marching towards Hurricane Hill. The paved path to the rounded knoll sure delivers some impressive views-and it’s a hike that can be completed by just about everyone. But, if Hurricane Hill is a little too tame and a tad bit busy for your tastes, consider Sunrise Ridge.
Sunrise Ridge delivers the same jaw-slacking far-sweeping views as Hurricane Hill, but without the asphalt and crowds. And chances are good on Sunrise Ridge, especially in the morning, of encountering some resident wildlife. Deer, bear, coyote, and the ubiquitous ground squirrel all make themselves right at home along this delightful trail. Oh yeah-and wildflowers-they grow in profusion here; from magenta paintbrush, to spreading phlox, penstemon, lupine, bistort, and larkspur.
Sunrise Ridge is reached via the Mount Angeles Trail from the Big Meadow Parking Lot. The first ½ mile of trail is paved, but real tread begins soon enough. Leave the hubbub of Hurricane Ridge and let yourself be wooed by the natural beauty of Sunrise Ridge. Undulating between groves of sub-alpine fir and resplendent alpine meadows, the trail works its way over and around a handful of knolls.
Gaze north, out across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to massive Vancouver Island. Scan the strait eastward to snowy Mount Baker rising above myriad islands and inlets. Turn your attention south to the Olympic Peninsula interior, to an emerald sea punctuated with craggy summits adorned in ice and snow. Mount Olympus, the centerpiece of this magnificent wilderness setting, dominates the southwestern horizon.
Of course, it’s impossible to ignore the imposing peak in front of you-the one growing taller with each step, 6454-foot Mount Angeles. In just over two miles, the trail delivers you right to the base of this locally-prominent peak. A climbers path takes off to the left while the Mount Angeles trail continues right, skirting the southern slopes of the rocky mountain. In 2.7 miles a junction is reached. To the right is the Switchback Trail which drops hard and fast to the Heart O’ the Hills Parkway. The Mount Angeles Trail continues left, climbing 800-feet to Klahhane Ridge. Carry on for more wide-sweeping views or retrace your steps back to the trailhead with Mount Olympus now acting as your beacon.