By Joe Smillie, Forum Editor

Closed since it was ordered to evacuate guests because of the federal government’s shutdown Oct. 3, Kalaloch Lodge near Ruby Beach in West Jefferson County reopened Sunday night.

“We got word Saturday evening that we could open Kalaloch Lodge and resume operating as normal,” said Alicia Thompson, with Delaware North Companies, the firm that runs Kalaloch Lodge.

Staff at the front desk reported Monday afternoon that they had five rooms occupied Sunday night after opening the 64-room resort, dining room and gift shops, and said a dozen reservations had been made for Monday night.

Though the lodge was permitted to reopen, Olympic National Park beaches and trails were still off-limits because of the partial government shutdown.

Delaware North petitioned the park service to reopen Kalaloch, Thompson said, because it has no gate to keep U.S. Highway 101 traffic out.

“Because there’s no barrier to entry, it made it hard to keep people out,” Thompson said.

The highway route passes through sections of Olympic National Park unaffected by the half-month shutdown.

Delaware signed a 10-year contract to operate Kalaloch in May 2012.

The park’s Lake Crescent Lodge, Log Cabin Resort and Sol Duc Hot Springs, managed by Aramark Inc., remained closed Monday.

Sol Duc already was set to close for the season today, Oct. 15.

Lake Quinault Lodge has remain-ed open because it is inside Olympic National Forest, not the park.