Enchanted Valley via East Fork Quinault River — Friday, Jun. 2, 2023

Went out to enchanted valley on a 3-night backpacking trip. Trail in great shape, there were a couple blowdowns about 3 miles in but otherwise it was clear. Road to trailhead had some potholes once you get in the national park, but it was in pretty good shape compared to other roads. Trailhead parking was pretty full on Friday morning, but plenty of space to park on roadside so it’s not a big issue.

Trail highlights - amazing views, beautiful rivers/waterfalls, giant trees (both living and dead), wildlife, and wildflowers are blooming right now!

We camped at pyrites our first night, the valley the second, and O’Neill the third. All campsites were in great shape and beautiful in their own right, but if we were to do this hike again we’d probably go to the valley in one day. Some advice I’d give is to look for social trails around the campsites, as some of the best sites are kind of off-trail and offer more privacy.

We saw one bear just east of the enchanted valley camp, and a herd of elk as we were leaving the valley on our last day. We were hoping for more bears, but I think there were just too many people over the weekend. If you’re looking for wildlife, you may want to consider coming in the middle of the week.

We decided to do a few bonus miles and took the Quinault trail east past the valley two miles to the worlds largest western hemlock! Unfortunately, it’s broken in half, but still impressive to see, and the trail there is really beautiful and gives you some other views of the valley you wouldn’t otherwise see.

Overall, this is a beautiful trail and I’d highly recommend this for anyone looking for a longer backpacking hike that’s still pretty accessible in early seasons