SWITCHBACK TRAIL

Length 0.6 mi/1.O km 
Access Hurricane Ridge Road 
USGS Map Mount Angetes Agency Olympic National Park

This route, which is short and steep, provides the quickest, most direct 
access to Mount Angeles and Klahhane Ridge. The trailhead (ca. 4400 ft/1341 m) 
is located on the Hurricane Ridge Road, 5.8 mi/9.3 km beyond Lookout Rock.

True to its name, the trail switchbacks as it climbs through meadowland and 
stands of subalpine forest beneath the frowning basalt of Mount Angeles. 
The path ends at a junction with the Mount Angeles Trail (0.6 mi/1.0 km; 5100 ft/1554 m) 
on the peak's south slope, below Victor Pass. (Left here to Hurricane Ridge; 
right to Victor Pass and Klahhane Ridge.).

The views from the Switchback Trail arc rewarding, looking out across Morse 
Creek Valley to Hurricane Ridge. Mountain goats often stand on nearby crags. 
The display of wildflowcrs during the summer is excellent, but many low-grewing 
plants have suffered severe damage because the goat population is excessive. 
Consequently, the National Park Service has established .study plots, enclosed 
by fences, near the trail's upper end. Here biologists study vegetation that 
has not been disturbed by the animals to determine the impact they have had 
upon the land.