PORT ANGELES — Clallam Transit shuttle service to Hurricane Ridge resumes Tuesday from Port Angeles with seven daily trips and two added stops to one of the most popular visitor destinations in Olympic National Park.
Tuesday is the first day the Ridge will reopen to the public since the day lodge burned May 7.
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer plans to visit Hurricane Ridge at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Kilmer represents the 6th Congressional District, which includes the North Olympic Peninsula.
Kevin Gallacci, Clallam Transit general manager, said drivers on the route have been practicing navigating the 17 miles from the Olympic National Park Visitor Center to Hurricane Ridge and then back down again.
“Because of the grade and tight turns and the turnaround at the top — they don’t usually back up a bus — we’ve been doing some driver training,” Gallacci said.
The buses are equipped with a retarder system that slows them down without wearing out the brakes, and they have been outfitted with cameras to improve drivers’ visibility and improve safety.
New this year are stops at the Lake Angeles and Switchback Trail trailheads.
“The park came to us and said that Lake Angeles and the Switchback Trail were two of the most popular spots for visitors, and we got feedback from people saying they wanted us to stop there,” Gallacci said.
The shuttle will stop at the Switchback Trail only on its southern trip up the mountain because there is not enough space on the side of the road heading down the mountain to safely allow passengers to get on and off.
Passengers who get off the shuttle at the Switchback Trail must re-board there and ride the short distance to Hurricane Ridge from where the shuttle will make its return to The Gateway transit center.
The shuttle does not stop at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center.
The start of shuttle service and opening of the park were delayed by the complete destruction of the Hurricane Ridge Lodge by fire May 7 and the subsequent investigation as to its cause. Portable toilets will be available, but there will be no food or drink for sale.
The shuttle departs from The Gateway at 125 E. Front St. in Port Angeles in four morning runs, at 8:15, 9:15, 10:15 and 11:15, and three afternoon runs at 12:45, 1:45 and 2:45. It leaves the ridge at 9:15. 10:15 and 11:15 in the morning and at 12:15, 1:45 and 3:45 in the afternoon.
The trip between the transit center and the ridge takes 45 minutes.
Passengers must purchase their fare and show a valid park pass before boarding.
The cost to take the shuttle is the same as regular Clallam Transit one-way fares: $1 for adults; 50 cents with a Regional Reduced Fare Permit; and free for youths 18 and younger, Peninsula College students with an ID and veterans with a Clallam Transit veteran ID card.
Park passes can be purchased online or at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center, 3002 Mount Angeles Road. Three kinds of passes are available: $80 for an America the Beautiful Annual or Lifetime Pass that allows the holder and three other passengers to enter the park; $55 for an Olympic National Park Pass that is valid for one year; and $15 for an individual pass that’s valid for seven days. Children 15 and younger can enter the park for free.
Information about the shuttle can be found on Clallam Transit’s website, tinyurl.com/mtt5acxp.
________
Paula Hunt can be reached at 360-425-2345, ext. 50583, or by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
