Obstruction Peak, Mountain summit in Olympic National Park, United States.
Obstruction Peak is a 6,450-foot (1,966 m) summit at the eastern end of Obstruction Point Road, an eight-mile dirt road on Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park, Clallam County, Washington. The road ends below the peak's south slope, and a short hike leads to the top. Elk Mountain, the nearest higher peak, lies 0.46 mi (0.74 km) to the northeast.
The name comes from a road-building project of the 1940s, planned as a full loop from the Elwha River to Hurricane Ridge and Deer Park, then on to Port Angeles. Work stopped at Obstruction Point because of loose shale and the unstable slopes there, leaving the obstruction that gave the peak its name.
The summit functions as a triple divide point where waters flow into three separate river systems: the Elwha, Dungeness, and Morse Creek.
Plan to drive eight miles on the dirt road from Hurricane Ridge to reach the Obstruction Point trailhead, then hike a half-mile to the peak. Visit during summer and early fall when the road is fully open and snow has melted from the higher elevations.
The road-building project of the 1940s was meant to loop from the Elwha River through Hurricane Ridge and Deer Park to Port Angeles, but it stopped at Obstruction Point because of loose shale and unstable slopes. The peak takes its name from that obstruction, and the eight-mile dirt road ends below the south slope.
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