PORT ANGELES – It was announced Friday afternoon that the Hoh Rain Forest area of Olympic National Park would temporarily close until it can be confirmed that the Upper Hoh Road is safe for travel. The Upper Hoh Road, which is maintained by Jefferson County, was thought to be in danger of imminent failure at milepost 9.7 because the river had crested and was eroding the roadway.

We have since received an update from Eric Kuzma from Jefferson County Public Works. Kuzma said, for now, the road remains open, but out of an abundance of caution, the County has narrowed the roadway to alternating one-way traffic.

He said the river on Jefferson County’s west end crested at about 30,000 cfs (which is about 10x the typical flow), after last week’s heavy rainfall. That caused the immediately adjacent Upper Hoh Road at MP 9.7 to lose several feet of bank or shoulder, segments of the highway barrier, and at least one large tree. With these changes, and since the storm season is only just beginning, the road in this location is still considered in imminent danger of failure.

But for now, with no large weather fronts currently forecasted they’re hopeful that location will stabilize and they can keep the road open for a bit longer.

The Upper Hoh Road provides the only access to and from the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, campground, picnic area, and trailheads.