PORT ANGELES — Olympic National Park officials have closed the route to Olympic Hot Springs following a trail washout that stranded 10 hikers and a dog Sunday.
According to park spokeswoman Barb Maynes, the washout occurred along the trail 2 miles from the trailhead — about 0.4 of a mile from the springs.
The washout created a gully nearly 30 feet deep and 50 to 75 feet wide, Maynes said. At the bottom of the gully is a raging creek.
In addition to the trail, Olympic Hot Springs Road is closed and gated, Maynes said.
“The road is closed at Glines Canyon Dam because it is such a hazard,” Maynes said of the washout area. “You could literally fall 30 feet with just one step.”
Park officials believe the washout occurred when a culvert became blocked, causing a small stream swollen by recent rainfall to erode the area.
————-
The rest of the story appears in the Tuesday Peninsula Daily News. Click on SUBSCRIBE at the top of this page to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.