Murray: Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge rebuild remains a focus
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 5, 2026
PORT ANGELES — Rebuilding the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge is a key focus of the National Park Service, according to a spokesperson for Sen. Patty Murray who said the U.S. Department of the Interior relayed that message to Murray’s office.
The update came after Murray, the vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pressed Secretary Doug Burgum at an April 22 subcommittee hearing on the status of the project, which has been awaiting a finalized plan from the National Park Service.
“It’s good I could secure the funding needed to rebuild a permanent lodge, and my focus now is making sure the administration moves forward with this critical work,” Murray, D-Wash., said in a statement.
“Rebuilding the lodge is so important for people who come from all over the world to visit Olympic National Park, so I’ll be making certain it’s a priority for this administration.”
Murray pushed to include $80 million for a new lodge in a federal disaster supplemental request in October 2023, and secured that funding in a 2024 disaster supplemental appropriations package.
Burgum visited Hurricane Ridge with Murray in May 2025.
The National Park Service selected Anderson Hallas Architects of Golden, Colo., to design the lodge. The work covers architectural design services only, not construction. The final building design will determine the total cost.
The project is currently in the pre-design phase with plans to move into design and request proposals in 2027, and a contract start date in 2028.
Also at the April hearing, Murray questioned Burgum about proposed cuts to the National Park Service, citing staffing reductions and service impacts at Olympic National Park and others around the state.
She pointed to the administration’s request to eliminate about 3,000 National Park Service positions, along with cuts of roughly 38 percent to facilities operations and maintenance, 35 percent to support staff and more than 50 percent to resource stewardship funding.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
