Olympic Hot Springs Road leaves US Highway 101 at its bridge over the Elwha River and goes up the valley (south), soon entering the Olympic National Park. The junction is about 10 minutes west of Port Angeles. This is the road that leads to popular recreational areas on & around the river, to the Elwha Ranger Station, and provides access to various river-valley campgrounds and backcountry trails. It also gives access to the Glines Canyon Dam and Lake Mills, both slated for elimination in the high-profile Elwha River Restoration Project (both now gone, end of 2014).
The road originates at an intersection a stone’s throw from the bridge where Highway 101 crosses the Elwha River. The sign for the road at the intersection identifies it as Olympic Hot Springs Road. It’s a notorious intersection, with Hwy 101 executing a hard, downhill corner as it approaches the old two-lane, none-too-generously-wide old bridge. The corner & junction are posted for 25 MPH.
There is some confusion about the name of this road. Some people & sources call it the Elwha River Road: it seems like a fitting name, but there are other roads on the Elwha, and this one was meant for the Olympic Hot Springs.
The road begins a few yards east of the bridge on which Hwy 101 crosses the river, and proceeds south, up the right-hand bank. The junction is on a justifiably notorious corner: both 25 MPH signs visible in the picture are for Highway 101, not the Hot Springs Road.
Be wary, approaching this junction, and especially making the left turn & crossing 101 onto Hot Springs. There have been many accidents here.