Washington state is providing more than $600,000 to help repair the lone access road to the Hoh Rain Forest, which officials say should allow the popular area of Olympic National Park to reopen sometime in May.

A popular destination in the Olympic National Park has been closed with no timeline for reopening. Because the Upper Hoh Rain Forest Road is the only route to the rainforest’s trailheads, its closure could lead to canceled summer plans and disappointed tourists.

In December, the Hoh River took out Jefferson County’s Upper Hoh Road, the only vehicular access to the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, campground, picnic area, and trailheads. The county’s efforts to get federal aid for emergency repairs have failed,

The Hoh Rain Forest has been closed since Upper Hoh Road was impacted and shut down in late 2024. Jefferson County officials now say there are concerns the campground, picnic area, trailheads and visitor center won't be able to open at all this summer.

Bob Ferguson announced on Thursday that he directed the use of $623,000 from the strategic reserve account on an emergency basis to fix the access road to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson plans to use $623,000 from the state’s Strategic Reserve fund to fix the road leading to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park.

Private donors gave $27,000 toward the repairs, which Jefferson County officials are hoping to complete before summer.