Parking
Use the Switchback Trailhead on Hurricane Ridge Road. The sources reviewed do not identify a dedicated lot or parking capacity; the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center is a separate, longer starting point.
Overview
About Switchback Trail
Why go
- Direct road-side start to Victor Pass
- Summer meadows and views across Morse Creek Valley
Heads up
- A 1,500-foot climb packed into about 1.5 miles
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Olympic map
Full mapElevation4,459–5,886 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 Switchback 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
Switchback Trail to Victor Pass0:00 / 0:27
“Up ahead is the Switchback Trailhead, the short, steep way to Klahhane Ridge. Allow about three hours for the three point one mile return to Victor Pass, with fifteen hundred feet of climbing.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Griff Fire’s Steep Slopes
- A Marmot’s Short Summer
- Trees That Grow Sideways
- Hurricane Ridge
- 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 Switchback Trail
The direct climbSwitchback Trail is a 3.
Switchback Trail is a 3.1-mile out-and-back from Hurricane Ridge Road to Victor Pass on Klahhane Ridge. Its 1.54-mile mapped path climbs about 1,500 feet; allow around three hours for the ascent, time at the ridge, and return. This is the shortest, steepest approach to Klahhane Ridge, and a good pick if you want the climb without starting at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center.
Forest to open slopeThe first 0.
The first 0.6 mile gains roughly 700 feet on shaded switchbacks through subalpine mixed-conifer forest, reaching the Mount Angeles Trail junction. Above it, the trail climbs open meadows with summer Indian paintbrush, lupine, phlox, and glacier lilies. Views open across Morse Creek Valley toward Hurricane Ridge, so the upper climb has a different feel from the shaded start.
Victor Pass and the ridgeVictor Pass sits at 5,850 feet, where Mount Angeles rises to the west and tilted sedimentary…
Victor Pass sits at 5,850 feet, where Mount Angeles rises to the west and tilted sedimentary and volcanic beds show on its shoulder. Pillow lavas along the route formed on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. The direct Switchback route reaches the ridge at Victor Pass; beyond it, the longer Klahhane Ridge trail narrows along exposed cliffs and ledges. That continuation is outside the 3.1-mile estimate.
Getting thereStart at the Switchback Trailhead on Hurricane Ridge Road.
Start at the Switchback Trailhead on Hurricane Ridge Road. The separate Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center route follows Sunrise Ridge before joining the switchback segment. The sources reviewed don't identify a dedicated parking lot or its capacity, so check the park map and current road conditions before setting out. Pets aren't allowed on this trail under Olympic's normal trail 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.
