Enchanted ValleyRecent Trip Reports
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Enchanted Valley
— Jul 31, 2011
— natureboy
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Ripe berries
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Our group of 4 arrived at Graves Creek Trailhead in a morning mist, but weather improved dramatically. Began...
Our group of 4 arrived at Graves Creek Trailhead in a morning mist, but weather improved dramatically. Began at 9:00 am. Hiked full 13 miles to Valley, and were greeted by a herd of elk upon arrival, at 4:30 pm. Made camp for two nights in Valley. Many others there, but you would'nt really know it--very peaceful and communal setting. Great weather continued. Did a day hike to just past junction of O'Neil Pass/Anderson trails, and continued toward Anderson Pass but turned back due to snow--but others braved the snow for some great photos. Left Valley on day 3 and hiked down to Pyrites Creek, camping on sand bar. Hiked the final miles out on day 4. Only saw elk--no bears, though many we talked to had seen them. Bugs not much of a problem--soem flies.
Multi-night backpack
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Ripe berries
Issues:
Water on trail | Bugs
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Oh, my. We had not been to Enchanted Valley for 16 years and were afraid we had exaggerated the beauty...
Oh, my. We had not been to Enchanted Valley for 16 years and were afraid we had exaggerated the beauty of it. Not so! We packed in the 6.5 miles to O'Neil Creek Camp for Thurs. night and were the first ones there at 1:30, seeing very few hikers on this popular trail. The trail is easy and incredibly well maintained, with zero issues.
Friday we hiked the 14 miles round trip to Enchanted Valley, spent a couple hours soaking in the countless waterfalls and snowy mountains, then headed back to O'Neil Camp. Although established campgrounds at Pyrite's and Enchanted Valley had several campers, there were long stretches of trail in solitude and the Valley itself offered plenty of shady meadow or sunny river spots where no other people could be seen. The trail had only one issue - a wash took out about 20 feet of trail maybe 2 miles before the Valley. It's easily negotiable with a couple logs to clamber over. We saw a black bear here (O lucky day!!!) who ambled off briskly but was not unduly concerned. Back at O'Neil Camp, there was only one site besides ours occupied. All established camps are equipped with bear wire and privy (carry out or burn your TP, though several hikers didn't). On the hike back out Saturday, there were more folks on the trail, including several families - great to see the kids out there! We encountered what we later found out (thanks to comment below) were fine men & horses of Jefferson County Search & Rescue. Thank you so much for all you do to keep us wilderness fanatics safe and ready for more hikes!!! In all, this trail still deserves its place as one of the most popular in the Olympics. Pics are at http://www.flickr.com/[…]/. Overnight
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Mudholes | Water on trail
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My buddy and I had been planning this trip for at least six months. He had never been backpacking...
My buddy and I had been planning this trip for at least six months. He had never been backpacking before and I had not been since 1996!
The weather was absolutely gorgeous! The scenery was incredible, but we both agreed that, in the future, we won’t cover 27+ miles in 2-days carrying 50-pound packs! The trail is in very good shape; the avalanche between Pyrites Creek and E-Valley is almost completely gone. The foot log at Pyrites is in place! The only slightly scary moment of the trip was the second Quinault River crossing (a second hand rail would reduce the fear-factor considerably!). The waterfalls are spectacular right now with the extra-heavy snowpack. We saw only 1 bear the entire trip between Noname and Pyrites Creeks, no elk, and only 1 deer in Enchanted Valley. Enchanted Valley is truly an enchanting experience everyone should enjoy at least once! Multi-night backpack
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Spur of the moment trip with a friend to E-Valley got the call and less than 24 hours later I...
Spur of the moment trip with a friend to E-Valley got the call and less than 24 hours later I was meeting her at the ranger station. We set out at noon thursday and returned noonish on Sunday. We covered 30 miles at least.
Stayed at Pyrites, E-valley & O'neil in that order. Weather was perfect for hiking, no rain to speak of and min bugs only one bite all trip. Trail is in great shape compared to last time I was there it was a mud slog. We saw Elk, 2 bears, birds, and even a mouse. It was challenging and fun all at the same time. I'd never been out for 3 nights and I learned what I need to pack more and less of. It's a constant learning curve. BC is training for wonderland trail next month and this was a small test run of some of her gear. We had alot of fun and met some cool people. I loved the valley, there were alot of people but it's so spread out you feel like you are alone at times. The waterfalls were gorgeous right now! Overnight
Issues:
Bridge out | Mud/Rockslide | Water on trail | Snow on trail
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First off Hello to everyone. My buddy and I decided to hike the enchanted valley trail on monday and in...
First off Hello to everyone. My buddy and I decided to hike the enchanted valley trail on monday and in doing our research I could not find a recent trip report. I have used the WTA site periodically over the last couple years and decided it was about time to give back.
The road up to Graves CK is clear and very accessible. We made it to the trailhead and was on our way at about 930. Passed about 6 people coming out and had overall great weather. On our way up to the valley we encountered 5 bears and 7 elk. The trail is in great condition, a few muddy spots and most creek crossings had bridges in place. At Pyrites ck the bridge is out. We waded across with no problems. (deepest part was just over our knees.) After Pyrites creek There is a massive avi debris field covering the trail. The snow we estimated to be about 15'deep however it is very consolidated and we had no problems scrambling over it and finding the trail again. Upon entering the valley is when the wildlife extravaganza erupted. We encountered an additional 7 bears. We utilized safe bear practices and had no problems. In the AM there was a herd of 15 elk in the valley and the ridge to the north had 7 mountain goats. The hike out was uneventful, water levels at creek crossings seemed a little lower. We made good time and saw 3 bears in the same spot we saw the day before and 2 additional bears in different locations along with an additional elk herd of about 11. All in all we had great weather saw an abundance of wildlife and finally got my first overnighter of the season in. Stats: 27mi round trip. 14 bears 32 elk 7 mountain goats Snow started to become intermittent approx. 1.5 mi past Enchanted Valley. |
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