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ENCHANTED VALLEY
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Enchanted Valley Chalet [270 Kb]
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The Enchanted Valley is near the headwaters of the Quinault River,
in the southern part of Olympic National Park. Access to the valley
is via the Graves Creek trail head, at the end of the road which
enters the park by Quinault Lake.
The trail is long, 20 kilometers, but the elevation change is small,
gaining only 400 metres from the 200 metre trail head.
The trail parallels the Quinault River and remains in the forest
the entire way with few views of the surrounding mountains.
Once the Enchanted Valley is reached, however, the forest gives
way to a large open meadow alongside the river, now little more
than a trickle. Centred in the meadow is the historic Enchanted Valley
Chalet, constructed in 1930 by a private company as a guest lodge
in the Olympic interior. The chalet was purchased in 1951 by the
National Park Service and opened for public use, which we exploited
on all of our several hikes to this valley. The large fireplace on
the main floor was great for warming up during the crisp and cool evenings.
A few of the local bears in the area have also been known to use the chalet
for their winter hibernation, much to the surprise of early season visitors.
The surrounding area is beautiful; the steep cliffs to the northwest
are adorned in the springtime with a multitude of waterfalls, inspiring
another name often given this area - Valley of a Thousand Waterfalls.
To the northeast rises the glaciated Mount Anderson.
The trail continues up and over Anderson Pass, where one can descend
the Dosewallips River to the east side of the park. Alternatively,
one can take a trail leading south before reaching the pass, which
leads up to the remote LaCrosse Basin, then exit either via the
Skokomish River or Duckabush River.
Other stuff:
Other pictures
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