Enchanted Valley
Jul 08, 2002
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Enchanted Valley
- Region: Olympics -- West
- Avg Rating: 3.33
- Be Aware Of
- Blowdowns
- Bridge out
- Mudholes
- Washouts
- Water on trail
- Overgrown
- Bugs
WHAT A GREAT ADVENTURE!!
Mileage: 4 days and 45 plus miles
Let's start with trail conditions: The trail begins on the So Quinalt river road where the gate is closed at the junction bridge with the No. Quinalt. This is due to a large washout about a mile or so up, and tacks on a monotonous six mile road march, but beautiful just the same. The suspension bridge is out at Graves creek and requires a ford around 21/2 feet deep with mild currents...just keep moving and it is no problem. The second ford is done just before you get to the meadows on the Quinalt and is marked with cairns. It is easier than the first ford, as the river is braided into smaller streams. The blowdowns on this trail are like none I've seen before...I mean we are talking two and three tree combinations that are not easy to get by or over without some trepidation. Some of these trees are easily six feet plus in diameter. The trail is in pretty good shape but needs some minor maintenance in a few spots. I went up the valley towards the the Anderson pass junction and the trail up to that point is in very rough shape, with total wash outs in some spots and snow around 3000'...I was told by another hiker that the snow is negotiable if you go right at the junction, but not Anderson Pass. A final note on the trail: on the way down from the valley we ran into a trail crew that was doing repairs on the trail and it was clear past the Pony Bridge, so by the time you get up there it should be cleared up much farther.
Wildlife: We must have been the only group in the valley to NOT see bear. Everyone else we talked to reported them. There was a hiker lost up in the area and a helicopter was floating around all day on the 5th, so we thought it may have scared away some of the wildlife (Luckily, he later bushwhacked out and made it down safely.) There are signs everywhere, so take the necessary precautions. We did see some park deer (too tame) and a few elk up by the Quinalt crossing. The greatest sighting was a Bobcat up by the Horse Camp!! At first we thought it was a Cougar, but when it stopped, we saw pointy ears, a bob tail, and a furry face. I thought it was a Lynx, but maybe just a little too big for that. Plus, the volunteer at the ranger station said there are no Lynx around there. Oh well, a great sighting any time you see a cat in the wild!!
There are numerous sights to camp all the way up, so you can take your time getting up to the valley, or do the nearly nineteen miles in a single day. The meadows in the valley ringed with numerous waterfalls cascading down the nearly 4000'cliffs is truly breath taking. Sunset changes the valley by the minute and if being up there doesn't make you forget about all your troubles, nothing will. A truly beautiful, inspiring wilderness.
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