Hurricane Ridge

Hurricane Ridge's summit reaches 5,498 feet, dropping 698 vertical feet to a base at 4,800 feet across 11 runs within Olympic National Park, Washington. Terrain splits 40 per cent advanced, 35 per cent intermediate, 15 per cent expert and 10 per cent beginner, with average annual snowfall of roughly 279 inches. The resort carries Indy Pass affiliation and operates as a small, weekend-focused ski area within a national park rather than a conventional commercial resort. Three t-bars serve the entire mountain.

Hurricane Ridge is one of very few ski areas operating inside a US national park, giving it a genuinely wild, backcountry-adjacent atmosphere unlike almost any other lift-served mountain in the country. Its modest scale, with just three t-bars and eleven runs, reflects a deliberate choice to keep the operation low-impact within the park's protected setting. Sweeping views over the Pacific Ocean and the Olympic Mountains define the visitor experience as much as the skiing itself.

The ski area opened on 1 January 1958 with two rope tows relocated from Deer Park on Blue Mountain, which had been Washington's premier ski area through the 1930s. Deer Park's light snowfall, sun-exposed slopes, narrow winter access road and tiny 50-car parking lot made it impractical to expand, prompting the move. The National Park Service's Mission 66 program, launched in 1956 to modernise park infrastructure ahead of the agency's 1966 fiftieth anniversary, funded the paved road that made Hurricane Ridge accessible.

A Poma surface lift was added in 1971 as the ski area's infrastructure continued to develop within the park. On 7 May 2023, the historic Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge and visitor centre, built in 1952, was destroyed by fire during preparations for a planned renovation. Adult daily tickets run from 32 to 42 US dollars, with a season pass from 195 dollars, reflecting the modest, community-scale nature of skiing within the park.