GRAVES CREEK TRAIL Length 8.6 mi/13.8 km Access Enchanted Valley Trail; Six Ridge Trail USGS Map Mount Hoquiam Agency Olympic National Park The Graves Creek Trail branches right from the Enchanted Valley Trail just beyond Graves Creek Bridge, follows the stream to its headwaters, and then traverses the Graves Creek-Six Stream Divide to Six Ridge Pass. Of botanical interest on (his route is the fact that large trees persist to comparatively high altitude. Several vantage points along the trail afford splendid views of the Graves Creek gorge and early-season waterfalls on the opposite mountainside. The trailhead (646 ft/197 km) is located in a setting of western red cedar. The path first climbs above Graves Creek-which can be heard but is not visible- onto a bench covered with stands of hemlock, cedar, and fir. Little streams are numerous, and the ground is blanketed with luxuriant undergrowth, such as oxalis, vanilla leaf, queen cup beadlily, and ferns (sword, deer, and maidenhair). This is also elk country, and the animals' traces are everywhere. On occasion the lucky hiker may see a herd. The trail gains elevation gradually, and the sound of the creek disappears. Then, after a bit, the trail descends, and Graves Creek, still hidden, can be heard again. In fact, this stream is just the reverse of what children are supposed to be like-it can be heard continuously but is almost never visible. As it follows the creek's course, the trail traverses high above the deep, curving canyon. The forest here is in a state of transition. Large firs are not numerous, and several big ones have fallen in recent years. When a trail crew cut out sections of two trees that were laying across the trail, the men recorded the number of growth rings. One tree was 563 years old and the other was 643 years old. Traversing high above Graves Creek, the trail rises and falls as it crosses several streams. Now for the first time, one can glimpse the creek occasionally, the white water rushing furiously through a box canyon walled in by timbered mountainsides. The creek has a steep gradient, with many falls and cascades, hence the booming and thundering. The sound is intensified after heavy rains or when the snowmelt in the high country is at its peak. The trail climbs steadily, crossing avalanche tracks overgrown with maple, salmonberry, and slide alder, then descends to Graves Creek just below its confluence with Success Creek (3.5 mi/5.6 km; 1880 ft/573 m). The stream is not bridged, and the crossing is difficult in late spring and early summer when the water is deep and swift; but one can cross easily in late summer and fall. Beyond the ford the trail switchbacks up through hemlock and silver fir, makes a long traverse to a large creek, then descends to a camp on Graves Creek (5.3 mi/ 8.5 km; 2520 ft/768 m). The camp is located at the lower end of Graves Creek Basin, which consists of a series of openings in the forest where the stream is no longer in a canyon. At this point the trail again crosses the creek, which must be waded if one cannot find a suitable log to serve as a footbridge. However, the stream is much smaller here. After crossing two avalanche tracks, the trail intersects the Wynoochee Trail (6.0 mi/9.7 km; 2700 ft/823 m) in a stand of western hemlock and silver fir, and then switchbacks up the mountain, following the course of a stream. Marked by ribbon tied to bushes beside a large cut log (6.6 mi/10.6 km; 3400 ft/ 1036 m), a faint track leads uphill on the right side of the trail. This is the eastern terminus of Sundown Lake Way Trail. As it climbs higher, the trail breaks out into little bits of meadow on the steep side hill, then bigger, more extensive openings. The trees are now mostly hemlock (both western and mountain) and subalpine fir. Here several rock-bottomed streams flow down the mountainside, where big boulders, covered with lichen and moss, lie scattered about. The view to the north down Graves Creek includes snow-clad peaks beyond the forested ridge in the foreground. The junction with the Upper South Fork Skokomish Trail (7.2 mi/11.6 km; 3820 ft/ 1164 m) is located in a big meadow. This is lovely subalpine country- beautiful meadows framed by mountain hemlocks, with masses of showy white beargrass plumes and an abundance of dwarf huckleberries. The latter tempt one to linger even when time is pressing. Beyond the meadow's far edge, the trail contours a steep slope through stands of huge, pistol-butted mountain hemlocks. When the trees were young, the snow pushed against the trunks, causing them to lean; then they grew upright again, creating the pistol butt effect at the base of the trees. The shelter near the outlet of Sundown Lake (7.5 mi/12.1 km; 3900 ft/1189 m) can be seen before the lake itself is visible. This oval-shaped tarn lies at the bottom of a steep-sided glacial cirque. The lake is bordered by narrow fringes of meadowland and brush, with forest above, and is oriented so that the outlet-and the only view from the cirque-is toward the setting sun in summer; hence the name. The lake is popular with fishermen because it is stocked with rainbow trout. A large meadow, where a few patches of snow linger throughout the summer, extends from the head of the lake to the ridge crest. Beyond Sundown Lake the trail climbs through stands of big mountain hemlock as it traverses the cool, shaded north slope beneath low cliffs, then crosses broad meadows made attractive by groves of subalpine trees, rough sandstone boulders, and wildflowers, including the white lupine. The common blue lupine, beargrass, and false hellebore are abundant. Huckleberries also grow profusely here. The sweeping view is dominated by Mount Olympus on the horizon. The trail then climbs sharply, switchbacking up steep, forested slopes that alternate with meadowland as the route climbs to Six Ridge Pass (8.6 mi/13.8 km; 4650 ft/1417 m), where the path becomes the Six Ridge Trail. At this gap in the narrow divide, the gentle summer breezes murmur faintly in the hemlocks. During other seasons, however, the trees struggle for existence, pitting themselves against the fierce winds and the cold. The view from the pass is splendid. Mount Rainier stands to the southeast, appearing ethereal and unreal. The Sawtooth Range, less than 10 miles distant, is dominated by Mount Lincoln and Mount Cruiser. One looks down the valley of Six Stream, which is bordered on the north by Six Ridge and on the south by the Three Sisters. One of the McGravey Lakes glimmers in the forest below. Beyond the heavily timbered ridges rise snow-clad peaks-among them Mount Henderson, Mount Duckabush, and Mount Olson.