Go Wander Wild are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Read More. At 20 miles long and with just under 5,000 feet of elevation gain, hiking the Enchantments is a serious undertaking regardless of your fitness level. Pin this blog post to prep for your trip! And the quote about toilet paper is directly from the LNT website, but we agree that you should pack everything out and we carry ziplocs and trash bags to do so. 14 days ago. The challenging trail is brimming with dramatic stunning scenery, as glacial activity has left the mountains here jagged and steep, and deposited several picturesque alpine lakes. Its not at all uncommon for other hikers to help with shuttling! Hiker from Olympia The trail The Enchantments trail consists of the Stuart Lake Trail, Colchuck Lake Trail and Snow Lakes Trail. However, space on the shuttles is limited and they dont always operate on weekdays, so its best to book well in advance. This is the recommended starting trailhead to hike through the Enchantments, as you will climb up the steep Aasgard Pass instead of scrambling down the steep trail. The Enchantments Thru-Hike point-to-point Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Hiked on 10/9/2021 Start: Stuart Lake Trailhead Destination: Snow Lakes Trailhead View Hike Track View Gallery Distance: 18.12 mi. 25. r/hiking. Heres a quick rundown of each one! The trail crosses over a wooden bridge at this point, marking the end of the Enchantment Lakes basin. There are so many spots youll want to sit and relish the view! One awesome thing about this permit is that you can camp in any of the zones, which gives you a lot of flexibility in your trip! From Lake Viviane, the trail descends steeply down towards the Snow Lakes. The Enchantments is a region in Washington, just 15 miles southwest of Leavenworth, a super cute Bavarian village town. You cant go wrong with overnighting at any of the five lakes; theyre all stunning! Day 1: Hike to Colchuck Lake and set up campDay 2: Hike up Aasgard Pass and find a good camping spot in the Core. If you do not have prior wilderness backpacking experience, first try some shorter trips to learn how to pack, improve your fitness level, and practice backpacking skills. At this time, applicants must choose an exit date and provide payment for the permits. They headed up to Lake Stewart and up to Asgard Pass. You are likely to encounter snow in the Enchantments area between mid-October through mid-July, and during this time period you will want to pack microspikes for travelling on potentially slippery snow, especially when traveling on the steeper sections of the trail. This is actually the highest elevation point on the entire trail, so from here, the rest of the hike is mostly downhill. Then, youd likely get a long rambling list of epic places weve been or those were itching to visit. Although its rare for them to be aggressive, weve heard of instances where mother goats have attacked hikers trying to protect their kids. That is awesome! It is one of our favorite Washington memories and we cannot wait to experience it again someday! The trail steadily climbs through dense forest, with increasingly picturesque views of the valley below. One of the most scenic hikes in the region, this hike passes several waterfalls and glacial lakes before climbing to Snow Lake. On a four day backpacking trip you can take day trips from camp to explore over a dozen crystal clear lakes, summit surrounding peaks, and camp at an alpine lake of your choice! Our friends had some and we were a taddddd jealous when their legs were nice and dry!If its warm out, bring a swimsuit so you can swim in one of the lakes! As we mentioned, we did not end up going to Aasgard Pass, so we cannot speak to that experience, but we can attest that the lakes at the top are magical! For a challenging side adventure, there is a trail that branches off near Perfection Lake and heads up Prusik Pass. hiking the Enchantments, WA. The zone is named after Snow Lake, the final lake before you climb up into the Core zone. It should either be thoroughly buried in a cat hole or placed in plastic bags and packed out. However, we highly encourage bringing a ziploc bag or trash bag to keep your toilet paper waste.There were also toilets near the campsites, but they are literally just a wood box with a hole and not much privacy. A hard-to-acquire permit is required to camp in any of the area's five zones, with the Enchantment Core permit being the most desirable. Before embarking on your adventure, please review theLeave No Trace principlesto ensure you leave every place better than you found it, so that others can enjoy these beautiful places for many years to come!These seven principles include planning ahead and preparing, hiking and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly (pack out what you pack in! Stuart Lake is at the end of this valley, but youre actually going to detour and gain a bit more elevation in order to reach stunning Colchuck Lake. More than a dozen high alpine lakes carved in granite. Most people prefer to backpack in the Enchantments during the summer months, to enjoy the clear blue lakes and granite rocks. Bring rain entertainmentOne of the best things we did was download Netflix and books in case it rained. Were Adam, Kathryn, and Kona, an adventurous married couple (+ pup!) The summer temperatures drop (it occasionally reaches a scorching 100 degrees in July and August!) Its also nice to see how far you have to your next stop . Mile 4: There are many campsites at Colchuck Lake around mile 4 from the trailhead. Its not scary, but you will need to go slow. You can either try to get a walk up permit (covered above) or day hike it (covered below). Once we reached the top of the pass, however, it was all worthwhile! Understandably, the trail gets busy and snagging an overnight permit is extremely tough. And she got permits! Whitney in CA as a day hike. The Enchantments is a collection of alpine lakes nestled amongst tall granite peaks and spires in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in Washington. You can often find us driving all around the US and Canada, scoping out the best coffee shops, eating tacos and ice cream (were a 5+ taco and 2+ scoop household), and enjoying nature. ), most of the high alpine terrain is still covered in snow and the lakes are frozen. Where is the Enchantments hike? To do the car shuttle, you will need to first drop a car off at the Snow Lakes trailhead, then gather at the Stuart Lakes Trailhead to begin your hike. Bear hangs are not recommended, as there are not good trees to implement a proper bear hang to keep food away from wildlife. Overview of the Enchantments Hike These statistics are for the thru-hike from Stuart/Colchuck Lake Trailhead to the Snow Lakes Trailhead. After you finish your hike, its time to celebrate! Mar 18, 2012 at 6:00 pm #1855705. You can either start and end at the same trailhead or start and end at different trailheads depending on the route youre going to take. The trail through the Enchantments is also very rocky and uneven, further increasing the difficulty of the hike. It is never acceptable to clean pots by submerging them in a natural body of water. Hiking up Aasgard Pass means that the remaining 13 miles of trail are generally downhill. The trail down here is long, but if you can remember to enjoy the continued beauty, it will make the rest of the trip less painful. And it's tough getting there. For this multi-night backpacking adventure, make sure you are prepared with the right gear. THE ENCHANTMENTS TRAIL BREAKDOWN. We highly recommend getting the Alltrails app so you can see the map (even without cell service) and make sure youre going the right way. Although it may look too formidable to even attempt, the beautiful craggy peak behind Colchuck Lake is where the Enchantments hike continues. Nestled in the Cascade Mountains, the Enchantments is full of alpine lakes, rocky peaks, larches, mountain goats, and incredible views. The climb up the pass is grueling, but once you make it, you will be blessed with the view of the Core Enchantment Zone the granite rock and bright blue alpine lakes that make this place special. The Enchantments are one of the most enchanting (sorry, we had to!) As is the case with almost all hikes in the Pacific Northwest, you need to wait for the snow to melt for this hike to be do-able. In fact, this stunning mountain landscape has been termed the "Crown Jewel of Washington Hiking" by the Washington Trails Association, the leading expert on hiking in Washington.And after doing the full thru-hike of the Enchantments ourselves, we couldn't agree more: it is absolutely incredible. To be on the safe side, plan your hike for mid-July to late-September. Once applications are drawn, there is a few-week period where successful applicants must accept their permit. We couldnt get enough of this section, and highly recommend it as the best for camping! Yay, congrats! With your permit you will receive special parking permits for each of the trailhead, allowing you to park in designated spots for permitees. Just outside of the Bavarian town of Leavenworth, the Enchantments are part of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness filled with pristine glacial lakes surrounded by towering granite peaks. Some links throughout this site are affiliate links. And do it on a hot daya record-breaking hot day is even better. I think it was definitely one of the best spots out in the Snow Lakes area! Directions To Stuart Lake Trailhead: Drive the US2 west out of Leavenworth. In the Lee of Winter Storms: The Enchantment Basin. As you proceed down the trail, the next and final lake of the Enchantments is Lake Viviane. If you arent up to completing the entire thru-hike, there are multiple shorter trails in the Enchantments. One of Washingtons best hikes, the Enchantments absolutely lives up to the hype (and its name!). If you only want to see the Core, this would be a good option for you! "I can see why it's called the Enchantments. Early Summer While hiking in June still requires a permit, you run the risk of the trail being heavily covered in snow. Many consider it one of the most beautiful areas of the state. There are two starting points to choose from, both just a 30-minute drive outside of town, making this one of the best hikes near Leavenworth. We coordinated with two friends (Yvonne and Jeffrey) on the dates we wanted, zones we wanted to apply for, and other logistics. If you get lucky, you have until March 31 to accept your permit, otherwise those do become available to the public. Four of us applied together and each put the same dates, zones, etc. When you apply, you select your entry date and location and pay a $10 non-refundable application fee. Overview. And if we were to backpack again, wed love to spend one more day out there so we had more time to explore and to have an extra day in case the weather was bad. 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