North America · United States
Olympic National Park, Washington
Hikes / North America / Enchanted Valley, my first group trip
In June 2022 I spent five days backpacking into the Enchanted Valley in Olympic National Park, Washington: up the East Fork Quinault River from Graves Creek through old-growth temperate rainforest, into the valley under the snowy peaks and the old chalet, up to Anderson Pass in the snow, and back out the same way. It's the trip from my film Hiking 50 Miles Through Washington's Enchanted Valley.
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Moderate · about 8 mi (12 km) and 1,076 ft (328 m) of climbing a day over 5 days, up to 4,465 ft (1,361 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.
From Kraig Adams's GPS
Elevation614–4,508 ft38.3 mi
From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (USGS 3DEP, SRTM) on AWS · Glaciers, rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tap a day for his map of it
The film
Hiking 50 Miles Through Washington’s Enchanted Valley
Before you go
From Kraig Adams's guide
Wilderness permit $8 per adult per night plus $6 per permit: for one…
my own Hyperlite pack · a bear canister · an umbrella · trail runners · microspikes from the company · a filter · AllTrails · Six Moon Designs Silver Shadow Carbon and 12 more.
When bookings open, from the sources named under each. Dates move: confirm on the official site.
Summer permits are released on April 15 at 7 a.m. Pacific; book that day for summer weekends.
Next: Apr 15, 2027
Book on recreation.gov.
Source: Kraig Adams's Enchanted Valley guide: Permits and rules (checked Sept 2026). Checked September 2026.
From Kraig Adams's guide
From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
1 creator so far: Kraig, 5 days, tent.
Hiking 50 Miles Through Washington’s Enchanted Valley
Walked Enchanted Valley, my first group trip? Be the first to share your track: log it with your GPX.
Sign in and log a few hikes to see how long this one would take you.
Typical: 5 days (the hike's facts).
Planning questions about Enchanted Valley, my first group trip, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".
From hikers
Sign in to comment. Free; your hikes stay private unless you share them.
Answered from the data
We took five, at a group's pace: about 7 miles a day, plus a day hike to Anderson Pass. On my own I'd have gone faster. See Other ways to do it.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Wilderness permit $8 per adult per night plus $6 per permit: for one person on a 4-night trip, $38. Park entrance $30 per vehicle. A guided trip with Wildland Trekking from $1,942 a person (4 days, September 2026 listing). Bear canister loans are free at Wilderness Information Centers while they last.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
The Park Service says the trail above about 3,500 ft is snow covered from November to June. I went on June 8, 2022 and climbed the last part on snow with microspikes. For a snow-free pass, plan July to September.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Yes. Every overnight trip in Olympic National Park needs a wilderness permit from Recreation.gov, and there are no walk-ups. In 2026 it was $8 per adult per night plus a $6 reservation fee, summer permits opened April 15 at 7 a.m. Pacific, and the East Fork Quinault was a quota area on a trial that started in 2024.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
The National Park Service puts the Enchanted Valley 13 miles from the Graves Creek trailhead and Anderson Pass 18.2. My whole trip, in and out with a day hike to Anderson Pass, was 38.3 miles on my GPS over five days in June 2022, with about 5,380 ft of climbing.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
In 2026 the South Shore Road was closed by a washout, so the only way was the North Shore Road from US 101 at Amanda Park, then 6 miles of narrow gravel on Graves Creek Road. As of November 2026 the South Shore Road has reopened and the North Shore bridge is out for the winter, so use the South Shore Road. No RVs or trailers. There's no bus to the trailhead.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Yes. Bear canisters are required in all wilderness camps in Olympic National Park, and hanging food isn't allowed in the Enchanted Valley. We saw one or two black bears every day of my trip.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
No. The chalet was built in 1930 and 1931, moved back from the river in 2014, and in 2026 it was closed and boarded up. You camp in the valley near it with a permit.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.