Olympic National Park’s Hoh Rain Forest to reopen Thursday

SEATTLE – Just in time for the summer tourist season, the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park will reopen Thursday.

Repairs on the Upper Hoh Road, the only road to access the forest, are now complete, Jefferson County said in a news release Monday.

The rainforest is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most visited natural destinations, the county said. About 450,000 people visited in 2024.

Access to the Hoh Rain Forest is crucial for local businesses and the economy, Jefferson County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour said at a news conference in Seattle in March. Tourists spent more than $444 million in Jefferson and nearby Clallam counties in 2023, generating nearly $39 million in state and local tax dollars.

The Upper Hoh Road has been closed for nearly five months after heavy rains heightened the Hoh River’s flow in December and eroded several feet of the road.

Gov. Bob Ferguson in March announced that the state would spend $623,000 from its Strategic Reserve Fund to repair the road. That came alongside $27,000 from more than 100 private donors.

The Hoh Rain Forest hiking trails, parking area and restrooms will reopen Thursday, shortly after a noon celebration at the repair site, the county announced. Ferguson will join local officials and community members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome visitors back to the rainforest, according to the county’s news release.