March 8, 2008 – Dave Lasorsa, a resident of Port Angeles, WA, on the Olympic Peninsula, has brought to our attention that Olympic National Park will close the park’s Hurricane Ridge Road to cyclists during two years of construction. This road is in the USA, but is a popular destination for Canadian riders, with a Canada Day ride that attracted around 80-100 riders last year. Roland Green used to take the ferry over from Victoria and then do hill repeats up this major climb.

Here is Dave Lasorsa’s message regarding the Olympic National Park/Hurricane Ridge cycling closure:

Hello Cycling Friends!

Did you happen to see the article in the February 15 Peninsula Daily News regarding the upcoming repairs/repaving scheduled for Hurricane Ridge Road? Slipped into the end of the article was this statement:

During the construction, bicycles will not be allowed on the road, Maynes said. “It is a safety issue,” she said.

So it appears that for the next two summers Olympic National Park is planning to close Hurricane Ridge Road to cycling. We were very disappointed to read this, and felt compelled to write a letter to the Acting Park Superintendent asking her to reconsider this decision. If, like us, you feel that the planned bicycle closure is unacceptable, we encourage you to also share your feelings with the Park. We felt that a paper letter might carry more impact, but you could send an e-mail if you prefer. Send your thoughts to:

U.S. MAIL:

Sue McGill, Superintendent
Olympic National Park
600 E. Park Avenue
Port Angeles, WA 98362

E-MAIL:

sue_mcgill@nps.gov

If you need help getting started, here are a few topics you might consider
addressing in your letter:

a. who you are and why this issue is important to you;
b. bicycles are a non-polluting, quiet way of enjoying the Park’s natural beauty;
c. roads that are open to motorized vehicle traffic should be open to bicycle traffic;
d. the experienced cyclists who ride on Hurricane Ridge Road are very aware of safety concerns;
e. the National Park Service should not discourage human powered transportation;
f. unlike motorized vehicles, bicycles allow park visitation while causing virtually no damage to the roads;
g. most road construction projects are carried out safely without prohibiting bicycles.