Trip Report: Backpacking Enchanted Valley, Olympic National Park — WA
Trip Date: October 21–24, 2019
Trip Details
Hello, this is Em coming at you with trip details for Enchanted Valley! We originally had our sights set on The Enchantments and won permits for Core Enchantments earlier in the year (bless Carne’s soul for being the luckiest out of the three of us). We were very optimistic about the weather conditions (reminder: we are from California lol) and kept checking until the morning of our flight to Seattle. Unfortunately, a storm was coming through that very day effectively canceling our Enchantment plans.
We were still set on being enchanted! After hanging up the phone with the Okanogan-Wenatchee Ranger and calling up the girls, we pivoted to Enchanted Valley. With swift fingers all Enchantment lodgings, permits, and shuttle reservations were cancelled. Enchanted Valley lodgings and itinerary were booked. The Olympic National Park Ranger informed us that a rainstorm would be coming through but the trail should be safe to trek by the time we arrived. Done, done, and done. Reeling from the sudden change in plans, we all took a collective breath and got ready to head to the airport.
Permit: Obtained permit week of trip date from Recreation.gov. From Olympic National Park Wilderness Permits, select Quinault and navigate to Enchanted Valley. There doesn’t appear to be a quota for the trail but a permit is still required for overnight trips. Cost is $5 per person, per night. There’s also a $25 fee to enter the park.
Getting There: We drove from SEA to Quinault Lodge, a 3.5hr drive, where we stayed overnight before hitting the trail. From the lodge, it was about an hour drive to Grave’s Creek Trailhead.
Parking: Easy-peasy. Lot by the trailhead. Keep in mind we did come at the end of October on a Tuesday, sooo…
Other Notes: Bear canister required! Though, there were bear wires in several locations to hang food and scented items.
Trail Length:
Trail length: 30.6 miles
Elevation Change: 4642.4 ft
Overall Difficulty: The trail in itself was not difficult but the consistent ups and downs can definitely tire you out!
Weather: Overcast, VERY wet. 50Fs daytime/low 40s, high 30s nighttime.
Day 0: Monday, October 21, 2019
After landing, we stopped at REI on the way for gas canisters and I got a rain cover for my pack. Sus drove us to the lodge through a dark, windy path, as we were accosted by heavy rains. I was useless during this drive, slumped over in the front seat with motion sickness. I took Dramamine too late and it ended up kicking in the last ten minutes of the drive. Sorry, sus!
When we arrived at the lodge, check-in was easy, and our room was small but just what we needed for the night. The lodge itself was really nice and cozy! There was also a sauna that caught our eyes and you bet your ass we took advantage of it before heading to bed.
Day 1: Tuesday, October 22, 2019
In the morning, after having a hefty breakfast at the lodge (which was delicious and I would recommend having a meal here), we set off for Grave’s Creek Trailhead.
The lot at the trailhead is small and has a bathroom.
At the start of the hike, you’ll come across the first of many bridges!
After the bridge, the forest quickly welcomes you with massive trees and ferns lining each side of the trail.
The first mile or two, we thought, “Wow, the drainage system here rocks! A rainstorm just rolled through and it’s still navigable!” Which was true to an extent; the trail dried out more the day we hiked out. However, the morning after, we weren’t so lucky.
Soon after, we would discover a lot of the trail to be flooded and had an unexpected foray through the watery aftermath of the storm. As a result, it took us exponentially longer to hike each mile. Downed logs, likely from the recent storm were found here and there but we found ways of going around them pretty easily. We were patting ourselves on the back for doing so well staying dry when we came upon a particularly wide path that was completely swamped. We walked back and forth and back and forth trying to calculate the distance or an alternate route. We even deliberated turning back. “Why are we doing this again? This is fun right?” We questioned ourselves and our reasons for being here. In the end, we decided to take a risk and jump. In a leap of faith to get to the other side, we all ended up short and our shoes and socks succumbed to the wetness. In retrospect, we could have simply taken off our shoes and walked across the short distance. Sigh.
The bridges, which are probably completely innocent when dry, were daunting post-rain. Some were narrower/shorter/longer than others but each wet with rain and slick with leaves. We traversed with caution.
After just shy of 7 miles, we made it to the first campsite at O’Neill Creek. Exhausted from the mental work of going around flooded areas of the trail and quickly losing sunlight, we decided to set up camp for the night. In order to get to the campsite, you need to hike down from the main trail. The next day, you’ll have to hike back up to get back to the trail. If we weren’t so tired, we would have opted to continue on to Pyrites.
Each campsite here seemed pretty private. You navigate through tall grass on a path to each site and one path leads to a pit toilet. Not that it mattered, we had the whole area to ourselves.
We hung up our socks to dry and filtered water by the river, which was roaring from new rainfall, and inevitably murky upon collection. At closer inspection, I saw critters swimming around the dirty Platypus filter bag. That’s the dirtiest looking water I’ve ever filtered (I silently gagged and hoped for the best) but I must say it tasted mighty fresh post-filter. Kudos to Platypus!
When the sun set, bats came out and flew about in the darkness. Out of sheer paranoia, I covered my neck with my hands on the way to use the toilet at night (yes, I also ran). I learned later that bats in Washington don’t feed on blood, lol. They also might fly close to your body because they’re trying to eat the insects attracted to your body heat. Excuse my ignorance. During the whole hike and at camp, we saw not one person other than ourselves. So, the entire place felt a little eerie the first night. Still, it was a long day and we fell asleep to the sounds of the rushing river next to us.
Day 2: Wednesday, October 23, 2019
We usually wake up to the sun baking our tents but no such thing happened this time around with Fall in full swing. The sun was still on it’s way up when we opened our bleary eyes around 8am. After a quick breakfast we packed up and set our sights toward the chalet.
The forest glowed with morning light and it was magical! As the sun rose higher, rays would peak through the trees as we passed. Steam rose from the sudden heat and hung in the air. Vibrant green moss clung to tree trunks and branches, moist, and shimmering with dew. Giant fallen maple leaves covered the trail and led the way.
Along the route, we scoped out some animal tracks in the mud that we thought belonged to a cougar, though we couldn’t confirm. If we weren’t alert before, that definitely did the trick!
We finally had our first human interaction on the trail when we came across a woman hiking in our direction. Exasperated from the flooded trail, she was walking barefoot in the water while holding her hiking boots. Respect! She told us a bit about the trail ahead, we exchanged pleasantries and went on our way.
As we rounded a corner, the trees opened up and the valley came into view. Waterfalls cascaded off the mountainsides into the valley like a fairytale. Patches of snow dotted the steep-walled landscape. We got a second wind and the anticipation made us pick up our speed. Almost there!
The final stretch to the chalet required us to cross a pretty aggressively flowing stream. From our vantage point, the only way to cross without coming into contact with water was a large and round moss-covered log (Note: We found a better route on our way back, if this log is there when you trek across, abort, abort, abort!). We unclipped our backpack straps and went across one by one. Sus trekked across first with no issues like a graceful swan but cautioned us that the moss made the log slippery. Carne slipped once and almost lost her balance, but made it across intact. When my turn came, I tried to grip with all my might with my shoes and stabbed the log with my poles to maintain balance. Thinking back, putting all my weight into my feet was probably my downfall. I slipped on the log and fell backwards, landing on my back (which was cushioned by my backpack) and perfectly on my crotch (thank god I am a woman) with my legs straddled on either side. It took me a second to take in my 10/10 landing and stop myself from panicking. I stuck out my hiking poles for Sus to grab and slowly scooted my butt across the log with her support. I was so relieved when I got across, that was a close call!
As we approached the Chalet, we saw a gang of Roosevelt Elk hanging out in the meadow. They quickly dispersed once they heard and saw us coming. There was one couple and a larger group who shared the campgrounds with us. Juust enough people to make us feel comfortable. Campsites are marked by fire rings and we picked a nice spot next to the river and behind the chalet. There were two pit toilets in the campgrounds, one by the river and one closer to the tree line.
The chalet used to be a retreat for hikers and the like back in the 30s but has since been closed due to erosion and its proximity to the Quinault River. It still makes for a great photograph, though!
We tried and failed to make a fire with the wet logs around us. We got a good smoke going though for a little while! No one else got a fire going, so that made us feel a little better… As the night fell, we shared stories around our wet smoky logs, ate chocolate, and drank hot tea. We went to bed with bellies full and warm!
Day 3: Thursday, October 24, 2019
Our initial plan was to day-hike to Anderson Glacier, spend another night, and hike back out the following day. Since there was rain in the forecast, we didn’t want to deal with it and decided to hike the ~14 miles back and peace out.
On our way back, we found a less sketchy way to cross the water not visible to us from the other side coming in. There is a shallow portion of the water, crossable via several rock skips and up a steep dirt incline on side of the hill.
Not too long after we started, Sus tweaked her ankle on a sneaky leaf covered rock. Scumbag rock! Even in the pain, she hauled ass and trekked the whole way back like the bad ass mf that she is.
We took a break for lunch and found this perfectly stout purple mushroom by our pee spot!
After 22 narrow bridges (one very traumatic log crossing for me), one-hundred and forty water crossings, consistently soggy socks, bat and elk sightings, suspicious cougar prints, and cool purple mushrooms, we arrived at the last mile. The last mile always feels like a hundred but we eventually made it! All in all, an unforgettable experience in very …unique conditions.
We happily removed our packs from our tired backs, exhausted but feeling accomplished. With car packed and hiking shoes off, we headed to Seattle and spent the rest of our time stuffing our face-holes, using real toilets that flush, and walking as little as possible.
Hope this was helpful! See you on the trail and trek on!
❤ Em
Post Trip Notes
- I longed for my Teva sandals during this trip and regretted leaving them at home as they would have been infinitely helpful during water crossings. Which, admittedly felt like the entire trail during our trek to the chalet.
- We packed gaiters for this trip but they didn’t end up using them very much. We thought maybe the trail would be muddy from the rain (which it was), but it was a lot more wet than muddy and water shoes would have been the better choice, as I mentioned above.
- We all brought North Face Thermoball Booties/Mules for this trip (lots of feet things here lol) and they kept our feet nice and toasty at camp! Weighing 11.86oz, I don’t mind hauling the extra luxury weight for those “colder” trips. Plus, I get my money’s worth wearing them around as house slippers when they’re not in use on the trail. They’re also machine washable! Winning.
