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Road To Olympic’s Elwha Valley Will Close For Two Months To Repair Storm Damage

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By NPT Staff - July 24th, 2016

Olympic Hot Springs Road was washed out by storms last winter/NPS

The road to the Elwha Valley in Washington’s Olympic National Park will be closed for two months starting Monday as crews repair damage from a string of floods last winter.

While the Madison Falls trail and parking area will remain open, Olympic Hot Springs Road will be closed to all entry for the duration of the repair project. The park hopes to reopen access in early October.

“Crews will be working as quickly as possible to complete the necessary in-water work before spawning fish return in mid-August, so we are taking steps to avoid any interruptions to their work,” Acting Superintendent Lee Taylor said in a release. “As much as we regret the inconvenience of closing pedestrian access, any construction slowdowns jeopardize the chances of reopening the road to vehicles this year.”

The park’s road crew staff will complete the repairs, which include installation of a temporary bridge and construction of new bridge abutments, along with extensive road repair on both sides of the washout. Heavy equipment, loaded dump trucks and other construction vehicles will be using the road, creating significant hazards for anyone on the road.

The temporary bypass trail built around the washout earlier this year will also be closed.

A series of severe winter storms in November, December and January led to exceptionally high flows and flooding along the Elwha River. Approximately 90 feet of Olympic Hot Springs Road was washed out, and additional sections were eroded and damaged by flood waters.

Precipitation in the Elwha Valley this winter measured 138 percent of normal, making this winter the fourth-wettest in the 75-year record at the Elwha Ranger Station. In the four-month period from November through February, the Elwha River experienced a 25-year flood, a 10-year flood, two five-year floods and one two-year flood.

Visitors interested in visiting sites related to the Elwha River restoration and dam removal are encouraged to stop at the Elwha River Interpretive Kiosk, located at Highway 112 and Lower Dam Road. Foot access to the former site of the Elwha Dam is also available from that location.

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