Olympic’s Hoh Rain Forest looks set to reopen this summer after new funding source emerges
After a months-long closure, Jefferson County has secured some of the funding it needs to repair the Upper Hoh Road that leads to Olympic National Park’s Hoh Rain Forest. The fix will restore access to one of the park’s most popular destinations.
The road, which is the only way to access the rainforest, has been closed since a December 2024 storm caused a washout. Jefferson County had been working to secure emergency relief funding from the Federal Highway Administration, but its request was denied late last week. Olympic National Park does have other entrances.
Repairs are only eligible for funding through the Emergency Relief Program if the damage was caused by a natural disaster that triggered a federal or state emergency declaration, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Since no such declaration was made in the aftermath of the December storm, the administration ruled the repair ineligible.
Gov. Ferguson authorizes Hoh funding package
On Thursday, March 13, Governor Bob Ferguson’s office announced that it had authorized a $650,000 alternative package to repair the road.
The package, which includes $623,000 from the Economic Development Strategic Reserve Account and $27,000 in private donations, doesn’t cover repairs to the Quinault South Shore Road, which was also closed from rain damage that caused a washout. An estimate provided by Jefferson County to McClatchy was that the two repairs together would cost $1.28 million.
When will Hoh Rain Forest reopen?
According to Jefferson County Assistant Public Works Director Eric Kuzma, the funding will be enough to cover the Upper Hoh Road repair, but there are some complications.
“The county anticipates that construction alone will cost less than $650,000,” Kuzma said in an email. “However, we also anticipate that the total project cost, including some agency costs, after-the-fact environmental permitting and mitigation, etc., could exceed $650,000. The cost of the required after-the-fact environmental permitting and mitigation has historically been extremely variable as well as challenging for permitting agencies to determine, but part of the total project cost nonetheless.”
Kuzma previously told McClatchy that the Upper Hoh Road repair could be completed within a month once funding is secured, which would put it on track to reopen by the summer.
The Washington State Department of Transportation has also recommended that the January emergency proclamation for road repairs related to November’s “bomb cyclone” storm be amended to include the December storm that caused the Jefferson County washout, in order to give the county a path toward federal funding.
Kuzma said that the county is proceeding with the funding from the governor, but will continue to pursue federal emergency relief funding as an option for the Quinault South Shore Road.
Why Hoh Rain Forest funding matters
The Hoh Rain Forest drew nearly 185,000 visitors between June and August last summer, according to NPS data, around 12% of the park’s total recreational visitors across those months. According to Ferguson’s office, some tour operators in Olympic would see bookings fall by 30% to 40% if the forest doesn’t reopen. Tourism in the counties of Jefferson and Clallam generated around $39 million in state and local tax revenue last year, according to Ferguson’s office, and $444 million to the local economies.
“The Hoh Rain Forest is one of the crown jewels of Olympic National Park and Washington’s coastal communities,” Ferguson stated in a press release. “It is also a critical driver of tourism on the Olympic Peninsula. We cannot allow access to remain closed during the peak visitor season, costing Washington businesses tourism dollars that rural communities rely on. My team is focused on finding solutions for Washingtonians.”
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 11:06 AM.