Study approved in attempt to restore vehicle access to the Elwha Valley

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Olympic National Park announced Tuesday a finding of no significant impact for a study that will determine the feasibility of relocating a portion of Olympic Hot Springs Road outside of the Elwha River’s floodplain.

That marks the end of the first Environmental Assessment required in what will be a multi-year effort to restore vehicle access to the Elwha Valley.

It allows the park to begin a geotechnical investigation that includes drilling about 22 off-road test borings, excavating two test pits and monitoring subsurface conditions along a one mile stretch of slope east of Olympic Hot Springs Road.

The study will determine the engineering feasibility of relocating a portion of the road onto a slope outside the floodplain.

If feasible, the park will conduct a second Environmental Assessment to determine what is the best option for long-term access to the Elwha Valley.

“Long term, sustainable public access in the Elwha Valley is our goal,” said park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum in a news release. “This is a necessary step before we can analyze viable options for the road and we appreciate the public’s participation.”

The off-road test boring requires constructing an access path up to 10 feet wide and about 4,800 feet long. It will start about 1,000 feet north of the Elwha Ranger Station and end about 800 feet north of the Sanders Creek temporary bridge.

The Elwha River has carved its way through the Elwha Campground and through Olympic Hot Springs Road. The park installed two temporary bridges that improved foot access over the summer, but will be removing all three temporary bridges next month.

The park has been fighting to maintain visitor access to the Elwha River since the National Park Service led the $325 million effort to restore the Elwha River to its natural state with the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams.

The river has been free from the two dams since 2014, which has allowed the river to move through its floodplain.

In all, the park has spent more than $450,000 on its temporary efforts to maintain visitor access in Elwha River Valley.

Penny Wagner, spokesperson for Olympic National Park, said the study would likely begin before the temporary bridges are removed.

“The goal is to mobilize while those bridges are in place,” she said. “I imagine it will happen very soon.”

Monitoring instruments will be installed at the off-road test boring sites to collect longer-term data and monitor slope stability.

She said it could be determined this winter that relocating Olympic Hot Springs Road is feasible. If that determination is made this winter, work on the next Environmental Assessment could begin.

“In the long term, as soon as we can get the subsequent EA and get the public involved, the sooner we can move forward and implement a selected alternative,” she said.

“We want that to happen as quickly as possible, but we have to follow through with the public planning process.”