The Hurricane Ridge area of Washington's Olympic National Park reopened to visitors today after a fire last month destroyed its day lodge and closed the area, the National Park Service (NPS) has announced.

Limited access to Hurricane Ridge Road is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. beginning today, NPS reported in a June 21 press release. The parking area supports 175 vehicles at a time, with a daily limit of 315 vehicles "(d)ue to restroom capacity," NPS states in the release. The road will be closed to private vehicles once the daily capacity is reached, the release states, with the park making "adjustments as needed, including to daily vehicle capacity."

The May 7 fire that destroyed the 71-year-old Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge was discovered late in the afternoon by a law-enforcement ranger on patrol, the NPS reported May 11. The two-story structure, built in 1952, was closed for rehabilitation at the time of the fire, according to NPS. The fire remains under investigation, according to the release. 

NPS encourages visitors to use the Clallam Transit Shuttle to avoid congestion and long lines at the Heart O' the Hills entrance. The service will operate several shuttle runs per day, even if the road is closed to private vehicles, according to the release. 

Visitors are also advised to check weather forecasts before coming, as drinking water and indoor warming sites are not available at the site and "(w)eather can be unpredictable at Hurricane Ridge," the release states. 

NPS notes in the release that Obstruction Point Road will not open today but "should be fully soon after." Visitors to that area should be ready for traveling an "8-mile gravel, narrow, winding mountain road, with some steep drop-offs. Trails from Obstruction Point Road may still be snow covered," the release states. The 1.5-mile Hurricane Hill Road beyond the Hurricane Ridge parking area will be open, according to the release. 

Additional road closures are expected after the investigation is finished and debris-removal begins, NPS states in the release, with closures announced as they are known.

“We are excited to re-open this area to visitors and are committed to restoring permanent visitor services in the future,” Superintendent Sula Jacobs said in the release. “We are also thankful for the public’s understanding. Our commitment is the safety of our visitors.”