Wow, what a trip this was! I went on a 4 day backpacking trip through the Olympic National Forest, a total of 32 miles with my brother, cousin, and cousin’s husband; Josh, Paullena, and Kyle. We hiked along the Quinault River on East Fork Quinault River trail.
Paullena, and I started planning this trip in November 2020 but, at that time, the permits were not available. Our goal was to hike into Enchanted Valley after seeing pictures and videos of how beautiful it is, but did not expect to be able to stay the night there as permits can be difficult to come across with the number of permits being issued is very limited. As we were talking on the phone, they became available which meant we ordered them right away! Then, after nearly 7 months of waiting the day was finally here. We had a 7 1/2 hour drive to the trailhead from where we live in eastern Washington, so we all stayed the night leading up to it at Paullena and Kyle’s house.
Day 1
We arrived at the Graves Creek trailhead around 3:00 PM and eagerly got out of the car to start loading our packs. We had about an 8 1/2 mile hike to our first night’s camping spot, the O’Neeil Creek campsite.
Because we had a late start to the day (sick child which many of you can relate), we knew we had to hike at a fairly decent pace to avoid having to hike after sundown. There was so much to see which slowed us down, but we wanted to take in as much of the experience as possible. There was so much to see and we stopped every few minutes to look around and take a picture.
The first campsite we came to was at Pony Bridge, about 2 1/2 miles from the trailhead. There was another long bridge crossing the river with a small waterfall coming from the creek above the river. This bridge was followed by a trail that went through the creek. It was fairly difficult to hike this area because of the rocky terrain, but it was fascinating and beautiful.
The trees were covered in bright green with mushroom shelves wrapped around the trunks. Many of the trees were enormous in size with what looked to be dens at the base, most likely a popular spot for black bears to sleep. There were also many meadow-like areas filled with ferns, clovers, and small flowers.
We made it to the O’Neil Creek campsite around 7:30 PM and immediately began setting up our camp. Josh was the first person to set up his sleeping area and began collecting wood for our fire while Paullena, Kyle, and myself finished setting up our sleep area. I had to get a bit creative as we were in an area with many small trees that would not support my hammock, and I did not want to risk breaking any trees. Once we were settled into our campsite for the night, we enjoyed a short campfire before deciding to go to sleep.
Day 2
I woke up around 8:30 to the sound of Josh collection firewood for our morning campfire.
Wait, did I just say 8:30? That never happens with having two young children.
We took our time that morning with cooking breakfast and packing up our camp, and didn’t start the day’s hike until around noon. We had an almost 7 mile hike into Enchanted Valley and wanted to leave ourselves with plenty of time to enjoy it.
My breakfast was Bivy Bran Flakes and a mocha, all made at home. If you have been following my blog since the beginning, you will already know that most of my trail food is homemade.
There were many creeks to cross on this day; some creeks were shallow which allowed us to just walk through them, while other creeks were deep and we had to use logs and large rocks to cross. Some creeks also had beautiful bridges that almost looked handmade.
We decided to stop about halfway between the O’Neil Creek and Enchanted Valley, at Pyrites Creek. We had been told by another hiker earlier in the day to watch for black bears, that there had been three sightings already that morning.
We eventually made it to Pyrites Creek and found a small area along the water which we thought was perfect for eating lunch. We unloaded our packs and began preparing our food when we looked over to see a black bear watching us. It was about 25 ft away. It startled me a bit because I was not expecting to actually see a bear let alone being so close to one. While it seemed pretty docile, we quickly packed our lunch back into our packs and hiked about a half mile before finding another spot to eat lunch, just on the other side of a bridge that crossed over the river. It also had a small area where we could collect water to fill our water reservoirs.
My lunch was Parmesan Pesto Ramen, dried mango slices and a Chai Latte.
We eventually started hiking again and were still fascinated and amazed by what we saw. I cannot say enough how beautiful this forest is and pictures are not enough. We also saw trees that were covered in moss at the base with bright, bushy leaves above as well as quite a few “Tarzan trees” between Pyrites Creek and Enchanted Valley; the branches were long and tangled, covered in moss and seemed to have no beginning or end. We also came across quite a few fallen trees with root systems like you wouldn’t believe! We had to take a few pictures for size comparison, of course, because we do not have anything like it at home. Many of the fallen trees had new trees growing from them. The trail continued to offer stunning views of the river as well. The water was flowing quickly and was so peaceful.
We got the entrance of Enchanted Valley around 5:30 PM and had to cross a very long and narrow bridge across the river. If you have a fear of heights, it would be a difficult bridge. It was just wide enough for your feet and any loss of balance would be trouble.
Once we crossed the bridge we hiked just a few minutes more before having to cross a small section of the river, then went alongside a very large meadow. Paullena and I were so excited to be in the heart of enchanted Valley so when it finally came into sight, we stopped and just stared at it. It was breathtakingly beautiful!
Located in the center of it is the Enchanted Valley Chalet. It looked extremely old and was close to the river bank so I wanted to research it a bit once I was back home.
Here is a brief history of the chalet:
– It was built during the summers of 1930 and 1931, and opened on August 6, 1931.
– The Olympic Recreation Company retained a special use permit and operated the Enchanted Valley Chalet as a backcountry resort for eleven years (1931-1942).
– Olympic National Park was established in 1938. It included all of Mount Olympus National Monument and Enchanted Valley.
– During World War II the Aircraft Warning Service stationed two plane spotters at the Chalet for roughly a year and a half (1943-1944).
– The building was sold to the National Park Service in 1951.
– Olympic National Park staff reopened the Enchanted Valley Chalet for the public to use as a shelter in 1953. It served as a shelter for sixty years (1953-2013).
– The Enchanted Valley Chalet became a Backcountry Ranger Station when the first seasonal ranger was assigned to it in 1954. It served as a Ranger Station for fifty-nine years (1954-2013).
– The Enchanted Valley Chalet became undercut by the East Fork Quinault River and was closed in spring of 2014.
– Enchanted Valley is home to the world’s largest Spruce Tree, which currently stands 191 feet tall and is about 1,000 years old. It is about 3 miles from the camping area (we did not hike to it this time around).
Once we set up our camp, Josh and I wandered around Enchanted Valley. There were quite a few waterfalls and the river was so low in this area that we were able to walk into the riverbed.
Our camp was right along a small creek which made it quick and easy to get water for our meals, washbag, and drinking. I use the Katadyn gravity BeFree Water Filtration System (3 liters) and it works great! I previously used the Katadyn BeFree Water Filtration System that has a drink nozzle similar to a Smartwater bottle, however, I prefer the gravity filter style. I can easily use it as a washing station and fresh water station at the camp, and I can hang it rather than having to manually having to squeeze the reservoir.
We were also lucky enough to find quite a bit of dry moss for our fire that evening. The forest was humid which meant all of the wood we gathered throughout our trip was damp. I packed cotton balls coated in Vaseline which also helped to actually start our fires.
My dinner was Spicy Mac & Cheese with chicken. This was one of my favorite meals all weekend!
Day 3
We set our alarms for 6:00 AM because we had a long hike planned for this day. We were going to hike almost 14 miles from Enchanted Valley to Pony Bridge, the very first campsite we passed once we entered the trailhead. We ate breakfast then packed up our camp.
My breakfast was Bivy Bran Flakes and a mocha.
We started our hike around 8:00 and it was a little tough to leave Enchanted Valley so soon! I would like to plan another trip there with one extra day being spent in Enchanted Valley. There is so much to see!
Our plan was to hike for one hour then stop for a 15 minute break, to keep ourselves moving while still allowing our bodies to rest, eat a snack and make sure our water reservoirs are filled. We made a plan to stop at O’Neil Creek since it was about halfway between Enchanted Valley and Pont Bridge.
Here is a picture of an Elk we saw in ne of the meadows:
And a few other little critters, of course.
We made it to Pony Bridge around 4:00 which gave us plenty of time to set up our camp, eat dinner, and just relax and have fun together the rest of the night.
My dinner was Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta followed by Herb and Cheese Spread with Triscuits and Brownie Batter Hummus, which was shared among the four of us for dessert.
Day 4
Just as the day before, we set our alarms for 6:00 AM so we could pack our camp, eat breakfast, and start the day’s hike around 8:00 AM, and allow for the 7 1/2 hour drive back home. We were only about 2 1/2 miles from the trailhead.
My breakfast was Berry Breakfast Crumble.
We met a few hikers along this stretch of the trail and were happy to offer what we knew of the trail from the first three days.
We made it back to the trailhead around 9:30 and it was such an incredible, but weird feeling. This was one tough trail and it felt great to have completed it!
Here is a complete list of the meals I ate along the trail (though not all are pictured):
Breakfast
– Bivy Bran Flakes
– Berry Breakfast Crumble
– Cherry Chia Oats
Lunch / Dinner
– Spicy Mac & Cheese
– Chickpea Tacos
– Parmesan Pesto Ramen
– Bean & Cheese Burrito
– Garlic Parmesan Ramen
– Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta
– Backcountry Spaghetti
Snacks
– Herb & Cheese Spread
– Black bean Dip
– Brownie Batter Hummus
– Dried Mango
– Trail Mix
– Clif / Protein Bars
Drinks
– Afternoon Pick me Up Mocha
– Chai Latte
– Starbucka VIA Instant Coffee
– Water, of course! Lots and lots of water!
Outdoor Trail Adventures 