Rehabilitating the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge at Olympic National Park

Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge and its parking lot, with Mount Olympus in the background. NPS/Penny Wagner.

The place

Hurricane Ridge is one of the most visited places in Olympic National Park, with about 300,000 visitors a year and the park's most easily reached mountain area.

• Summer: hiking trails, panoramic views of the Olympic Mountains, and native plants and wildlife.
• Winter: snowshoeing and cross-country and downhill skiing, with the lodge as a warm refuge.
• The weather: severe winter storms with hurricane-force winds drive rain and snow into the lodge, causing both surface and structural damage.

The project

With Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) funding, the park planned to rehabilitate the lodge.

The work

• renew the structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire and elevator systems;
• replace the roof structure to meet seismic, wind and snow-load requirements;
• fix severe weatherproofing problems damaging the structure, for an airtight, efficient building;
• replace windows, doors, exterior walls and floor coverings; refinish wood walls and window trim; install non-skid flooring;
• meet current codes and ABAAS accessibility standards;
• replace the 40-year-old, 10,000-gallon underground heating-oil tank with one that has spill and leak protection;
• clear $6.68 million of deferred maintenance.

South upper-floor windows: rotting sills and failing paint. NPS/Lisa Turecek.

An east window: failing paint, rotting trim and a telecommunications line. NPS/Lisa Turecek.

More: visiting Hurricane Ridge.

Sources

Based on "Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge in Olympic National Park to be Rehabilitated through GAOA Funding," National Park Service; a work of the United States government in the public domain. The article describes the project as planned; the lodge was destroyed by fire in May 2023, shortly after the work began.