Olympic National Park
News Release
May 10, 2017
For Immediate Release
Penny Wagner 360-565-3005
Work on Boulder Creek Trail to Begin Monday; No Access on Olympic Hot Springs Road Above Glines Canyon Overlook
Beginning Monday,
Olympic National Park crews will start work on Boulder Creek Trail
which begins at the end of the Olympic Hot Springs Road in the Elwha
Valley. This project involves the use of heavy equipment for the
demolition and removal of the Crystal Creek bridge and installation of
an alternate route and creek crossing at that location. For visitor and
employee safety, there will be no access above the
Glines Canyon Overlook on Olympic Hot Springs Road beginning Monday, May 15, until later this summer.
“Crews will be working as
quickly as possible to complete the necessary bridge removal and reopen
the area to visitors” said Olympic National Park Acting
Superintendent Lee Taylor. “As much as we regret the inconvenience,
this project will ultimately restore safe access on Boulder Creek Trail
for hikers and stock use.”
Damage caused by a
rockfall event in the winter of 2014-2015 led to the closure of the
Crystal Creek bridge. Since then, further erosion has led to increased
destabilization. Inspection by Federal Highways geotechnical and
structural engineers last June determined the bridge was unsafe for
pedestrian and stock use.
The Olympic Hot Springs
Road will remain open up to the Glines Canyon Spillway Overlook for the
duration of the project. Whiskey Bend Road is open all
the way to the trailhead.
For current road and travel information, visitors should consult the park website at
www.nps.gov/olym or call the recorded Road and Weather Hotline at 360-565-3131.
About the National Park Service.
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s
417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help
preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational
opportunities. Learn more at
www.nps.gov.
