Enchanted Valley
May 20, 2005
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Enchanted Valley
- Region: Olympics -- West
- Avg Rating: 3.33
- Be Aware Of
- Mudholes
- Washouts
- Water on trail
Four of us decided to brave the weather and try the Enchanted Valley trip in the Olympics. It did rain… but, it is close to the RAIN forest, so we were prepared. The trail starts on an old road to nowhere, but it is smooth and mostly level. The trees are massive and the misty moss covers everything. We arrived rather quickly to Pony Bridge with some great views of the narrow canyon this section of the Quinault Rive has carved out. From here the trail became, and remained VERY muddy. As we continued along, the side streams and tributaries showed marked evidence of massive flooding. Continuing along, we encountered numerous camps, and several herds of elk. While the trail has very little elevation gain, you do some up and down as you cross various streams and banks. We set up camp about 5 miles in, and waited out the rain. No such luck. We pushed on into the valley on Sunday and it is spectacular, even in the clouds and rain. Seeing the waterfalls, and the hanging glaciers provides some wonderful views. I strongly recommend the view from the outhouse looking up at the mountain; a very scenic rest stop. The trail is in good shape, and most of the major bridges have been repaired. There are several major washouts that make things not quite as straight forward. However, follow the pink flagging and you should find the route without difficulty. Several places the river has rerouted itself, and it is amazing to see this large river flowing in the middle of the forest. It really makes you appreciate the power of water. Most streams are easy to cross, or have logs. Some are VERY slippery. The log crossing for NO NAME creek is closed, and after we went anyway, we realized why. The high path to the log has held up ONLY by tree roots. The entire trail up to the log is completely undercut. Keep this in mind when looking for safe crossing. Also, the NO NAME creek log is slippery. Other than mud, the trail is in great shape. It stays in the forest for the entire way.
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