Enchanted Valley Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Graves Creek Trailhead
- End point: Enchanted Valley
- Hike type: In and out
- Distance: 26.4 miles round trip
- Elevation gain: 3600 feet
- High point: 2,060 feet
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Seasons: Spring, summer, fall
- Family Friendly: Yes, for older kids
- Backpackable: Yes
- Crowded: Yes
Contents |
Hike Description
The Enchanted Valley is a fairly low elevation meadow area along the East Fork Quinault River in the Olympic Mountains. Many people go to the Enchanted Valley to see bears, at least in the spring. There are more sightings of bears here than just about anywhere else. Enchanted Valley is a fairly low elevation meadow, so there must be early season food available. A historic chalet is located in the middle of the meadow. There are nice views of the ridges above. There are campsites, an outhouse, and bear wires. Bear canisters are required if you're backpacking. Below Enchanted Valley, fires are allowed, and firewood is somewhat plentiful. This hike is very popular, so don't expect solitude.
The trail up to the valley, the East Fork Quinault River Trail, is a pretty good trail. It's in the Olympic National Park, so it's maintained a little better than some other places. The trail crosses the East Fork twice on sturdy bridges. The river is quite wide and would be difficult to cross without a bridge. There are a number of bridges over side streams. In addition, there are some side streams without bridges that are a little difficult to cross. The tread is muddy in places, so if there's a lot of rain, it's best to wait a few days for it to drain away.
There are designated camps with bear wires at 3.5 miles, 6.5 miles, and 9 miles from the trailhead. In April 2015, hikers fed a bear which had started to bother people so the national park closed Enchanted Valley to camping, but the other camps were still open. Since there are so many bears here, many of them somewhat habituated to humans, it's important to use bear canisters.
You can continue past Enchanted Valley. Anderson Pass is another five miles. Then the trail goes back down to the Dosewallips River. It's a total of 34.3 miles to the Dosewallips Trailhead (see the Dosewallips River Hike). You could also do a loop by going southeast from Anderson Pass and then circling back around to the Graves Creek Trail. It's about a 55 mile loop.
Detailed Description
The East Fork Quinault River Trail is pretty obvious from the trailhead. There's a junction right at the beginning for the trail going up Graves Creek, which is supposed to be fairly primitive. You'll be keeping left on an old road bed, which keeps to the slope above the river. After two miles, the road bed ends, and you'll descend to the East Fork Quinault.
There are developed campsites at Pony Bridge (3 miles), O'Neil Creek (6.5 miles), Pyrite Creek (9 miles), and Enchanted Valley (12.5 miles). At O'Neil Creek and Pyrite Creek, there are bear wires. You'll find outhouses at O'Neil and Enchanted Valley. At Pyrite, there are camping spots before and after the creek. All of these are fairly spread out, so a number of parties could camp without bothering each other. These are not designated sites; you just have to find a good spot.
For O'Neil, there's a side trail about 0.2 miles down to the campsites. There's supposed to be a rough, primitive trail going partway up O'Neil Creek south of the Quinault, but it is very indistinct. There are many other undeveloped campsites that do not have bear wires. You need to have a bear canister or be good at hanging food in a bear-proof manner.
The last 0.1 mile before the chalet, the trail can be washed out, so the actual route is a little difficult to locate. However, Enchanted Valley is a meadowy parkland, so it's not too difficult to make your way. The two-story chalet was constructed in 1931 by a private owner to lodge backcountry tourists, many of them arriving by mule. The chalet is very close to the changing channel of the East Fork Quinault, and there is currently a recommendation to remove the chalet from the valley entirely.
I encountered a bear up past the chalet. I took the trail further upriver about 0.1 miles into some trees. It was a little difficult finding just where "the trail" was. Then, I walked around a corner, and the bear was about 100 feet away. It put its front paws up on a tree and started huffing at me, so I backed away.
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Wilderness Campsite Information (Olympic National Park)
- Green Trails Maps: Mt Christie, WA #166 and Mt Steele, WA #167
- National Park Service: Olympic National Park
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; National Park Service: Olympic National Forest – Olympic National Park
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Olympic National Park
- Discover Your Northwest: Olympic Peninsula Map
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- $30 National Parks 7-day pass (America the Beautiful Pass also valid)
- Information kiosk, restrooms, campground
- No dogs on trails
- $8 per night backcountry camping fee plus $6 permit fee. Reservations essential (see the Wilderness Backpacking Reservations page.
- Bear canisters are required; in summer, you can rent them at the South Shore Lake Quinault Ranger Station
- Pack all food in a bear canister or use the bear wires at designated campgrounds
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Enchanted Valley Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Enchanted Valley Hike
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- Backpacking Washington by Craig Romano
- 100 Classic Hikes: Washington by Craig Romano
- Hiking Washington by Ben Adkison
- 102 Hikes in the Alpine Lakes, South Cascades and Olympics by Ira Spring & Harvey Manning
- Day Hike! Olympic Peninsula by Seabury Blair, Jr.
- Washington Hiking by Scott Leonard
- Pacific Northwest Hiking by Scott Leonard
More Links
- East Fork Quinault River Trail (Olympic National Park)
- Backpacking Guide To Enchanted Valley Olympic National Park (The Wandering Queen)
- Enchanted Valley (Cynthia Wong)
- Enchanted Valley Trail Guide: One of the Best Hikes in the Olympic Peninsula (Go Wander Wild)
- Enchanted Valley (Poop in the Woods)
- Enchanted Valley via East Fork Quinault River (Washington Trails Association)
- Enchanted Valley: Olympic National Park's Most Epic Backpacking Trip (Uprooted Traveler)
- Enchanted Valley Trail (Wildland Trekking)
- Backpacking Enchanted Valley, Olympic National Park — WA (Her Trail Stories)
- How to Hike the Incredible Enchanted Valley Trail in WA (West Coast Wayfarers)
- Enchanted Valley (Outdoor Project)
- Enchanted Valley Chalet (Wikipedia)
- Enchanted Valley Chalet (Washington Trust for Historic Preservation)
More Information
- Port Angeles Visitor Center (360) 565-3100
- Forks Visitor Center (360) 374-7566
Contributors
- retiredjerry (creator)