Parking
Use the roadside surface parking area beside the northwest end of the path on Hurricane Ridge Road.
Overview
About Lookout Rock Nature Trail
Why go
- A very short paved walk reaches a mountain-valley view.
Heads up
- Winter access depends on Hurricane Ridge Road’s schedule and conditions.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Olympic map
Full mapElevation2,591–2,627 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
6 active Olympic alerts
- InfoNo potable water at Hurricane RidgeMentions Hurricane Ridge, referenced in this guideNo potable water is available at Hurricane Ridge; bring your own drinking water.Official details
- CautionUS 101 Hoh River Bridge reduced to one laneUS 101 at the Hoh River Bridge is restricted to one lane of alternating traffic; obey the signals and 25 mph speed limit.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
Your drive to Lookout Rock Nature Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Olympic National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Olympic audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
North Peninsula Overlook: A Quick Valley View0:00 / 0:17
“North Peninsula Overlook is coming up, with a short paved path to a view across the forested valley toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Stop if the distant view is clear; fog can hide the water.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Goats That Flew Out
- The Motorcycle That Pulled Skiers
- The Patterns in a Rotting Log
- Morse Creek Overlook: The Vanished Lake
- 204 audio storiesacross Olympic’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Olympic Marmot, Humpback Whale, Grey Whale, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 148 trails, 94 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Lookout Rock Nature Trail
A tiny walk for a ridge viewLookout Rock Nature Trail is a paved out-and-back from a roadside parking area on Hurricane…
Lookout Rock Nature Trail is a paved out-and-back from a roadside parking area on Hurricane Ridge Road to the Lookout Rock viewpoint. It is about 0.1 mile total, and 10 to 15 minutes is enough to walk out, take in the open view and return. The route is for a quick look across a forested valley toward snow-streaked peaks, not a half-day hike.
The short routeFrom the parking area, follow the paved path about 0.
From the parking area, follow the paved path about 0.05 mile southeast to Lookout Rock, then return along the same tread. The 0.1-mile round trip is a best estimate: the mapped path is about 0.05 mile each way, while the short distance listing does not explain its measurement convention. The path is reported as paved, but its grade and obstacles have not been verified, so do not treat that alone as an accessibility rating. The valley and distant peaks are the main view; including both in a photo gives the ridge some scale.
Getting thereThe parking area sits beside Hurricane Ridge Road at the northwest end of the path.
The parking area sits beside Hurricane Ridge Road at the northwest end of the path. The road is open throughout summer; in winter it is scheduled Friday through Sunday and holiday Mondays, weather and road conditions permitting. All vehicles must carry tire chains during winter. Check the road status before driving up. Pets are not allowed on this trail under park rules.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Olympic
710 sightingsOlympic MarmotMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
30 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
42 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map
23 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
71 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
306 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Olympic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
