Enchanted Valley via East Fork Quinault River — Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

note: The temporary bridge IS back up at North Shore Rd, but Graves Creek Rd is closed, so the bridge doesn't really get you anywhere.

I wanted to take advantage of the Spring and check out Enchanted Valley with the waterfalls in full force. Graves Creek Rd is currently closed to vehicles for repairs due to a minor washout, but pedestrians and bikes are still allowed. I thought this would be a good opportunity to hit the trail with less people (and hopefully see more wildlife), so I decided to bike to Graves Creek Trailhead. This hunch proved correct and I didn't see a single other human the entire time I was on the trail.

The day I started, I wasn't feeling 100% due an ill-fated sushi dinner the night prior :(. I was surprised by how difficult biking Graves Creek Rd was since the road net gains elevation, has some steep climbs, and has lots of potholes to dodge. The trail up to Pony Bridge is in decent condition, with several small downed trees that are easily handled. Past Pony Bridge, the trail becomes much more difficult with many enormous downed trees that have varying levels difficulty to maneuver around.

About half a mile past Pony Bridge is the most dangerous downed tree in the hike in my opinion. It is relatively easy to hop over it while heading into the valley due to a pile of sticks, but it is extremely dangerous in the opposite direction. Since it sits on a steep slope above a slot canyon, it isn't easy to get on top of it without incurring the risk of a high consequence fall. I opted to scramble up the hill using the limbs of the tree, climb on top of the rootball, and then slide down the other side. This felt super sketchy and I definitely wouldn't attempt it solo again.

Beyond that point, I was generally able to move past downed trees by following the trail left by the Elk over or around the trees. Other than the trees, there was a bit of overgrowth, lots of water on the trail, and some small washed out sections near the river. I trudged all the way to Pyrites Creek (~10 miles in) and set up camp for the night. I slept terribly since I still felt pretty sick from the aforementioned sushi dinner :(, so I made the call to end my trip early and head back in the morning.

Although I didn't make it the last few miles to the valley, the rest of the trail was beautiful. I had blue skies throughout with a smidge of rain as I first arrived at camp on day 1. I also was lucky enough to walk past not one, but two (!) large herds of Elk, which was amazing. I saw no signs of bears or cougars.