The Enchanted Valley trail runs up the East Fork Quinault in the Olympic National Park. This is a rain forest valley and the forest is primarily Douglas Fir and Western Hemlock. Along the river bottom there are willows, maples and lots of alders. The image below is a small group that is in the middle of the stream bed … and likely to be washed away with the next big storm.
At 6.7 miles (10.8 km) on the N Fork Skokomish trail in the Olympic National Park is Camp Pleasant, one of my favorite camping spots. It isn’t too large a space, but there are several campsites spread along the river bank. I have spent several 4th of July evenings camped there to avoid the noise of the celebrations. It’s just a beautiful, peaceful locations.
The 6 Mile Bridge … actually at 5.6 miles (9.0 KM) … is where the North Fork Skokomish trail crosses from the east side of the river to the west side. As you can see, the river runs through a narrow chasm at that point. It’s one of my favorite spots for a break … such a nice view. And even on a hot summer day there always seems to be a cool breeze coming down the valley at this point.
This is the Dosewallips River from the bridge over to an abandoned logging area in the Olympic National Forest.
On the far side of the valley is the current river bed. The little bit of water in the image is just a few wandering streams that likely show a future river channel. This is the Chilkat River outside of Haines, Alaska.