If youre hiking the Enchantments with another person but only have one vehicle, another option is to rent an additional car to drop off at the endpoint. Our friends all brought Mountain House meals and loved theirs too! It is mostly just super bumpy, rocky, and steep. Was the road to Stuart Lake Trailhead scary or just extremely bumpy? ), dry bag (we always carry one with us for our valuables in case of rain), bear canister (to properly store your food), toilet kit: toilet paper, small shovel, bag for packing out TP, hand sanitizer, camp chairs (we love our Crazy Creek chairs), battery pack (if you are relying on your phone), dehydrated meals (we like making our own backpacking meals with dehydrated ingredients, but you can pick up a decent variety at most outdoor stores). Clothing itemsLayers are a great idea any time of the year while hiking the Enchantments. Hi yall! With your permit you will receive special parking permits for each of the trailhead, allowing you to park in designated spots for permitees. Hiking The Enchantments in Washington . There are two trailheads for the Enchantments: Stuart/Colchuck Lake and Snow Lake. ELEVATION GAIN: around 5,000 feet of elevation gain across the entire 20-mile length of the trail; this includes climbing 1,900 feet in less than a mile up and over Aasgard Pass. Cathole TrowelNature may call during your trip and when it does, youll need a cathole trowel! With a large b, Our FAVORITE things we did in Mrida, Mexico! Some links in this post may be affiliate links. We hope this blog post helped give you some more information to help plan your trip to the Enchantments! The Enchantments is a classic Washington hike. The Enchantments is a slice of hiking paradise. Bonus: during the tail end of the month and into October, the foliage turns to a beautiful vibrant yellow-orange! The descent from here is long and tedious, and the large decline in elevation challenges most hikers. Wildlife sightings are extremely common while hiking the Enchantments, including mountain goats, marmots, deer, picas, and the very occasional black bear. Whitney in CA as a day hike. To overnight between May and October, however, a lottery permit is required. Were glad this helps! We hope to inform, inspire, and empower you to get outside and see this world, while doing your part to respect and protect the lands beneath your feet. Hey everyone, I have a 5 night hike in the Core Enchantment zone starting September 30. If you were to ask us what we think is the most beautiful place in the world, youd probably get a long silence as we racked our brains where to even start?! To mitigate the heat, it is suggested that you start hiking early in the day and aim to arrive at your evening campsite before midday. As an Airbnb Associate, we may earn a commission when you book through our links, at no extra cost to you. Note: We did not visit all of these spots due to timing, but we wanted to! Regardless of the time of year of your hike, this is a mountainous alpine hike, and it is important to pack a range of layers for clothing, including enough warm layers in case the weather turns bad. 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. places in Washington and in this guide we're sharing all of our tips for hiking the Enchantments, including how to get permits, what to pack, different route options, and things to know before you go!This past September we got to kn. Here is a sample packing list for your trip, More Hiking: 21 Bucket List Hikes in Washington State, More North Cascades: 15 Best Hikes in North Cascades National Park, Waterfall Hikes: 11 Best Waterfalls in Washington State + Hikes to Find Them, Hiking Near Seattle: 11 Best Day Hikes Near Seattle. Prior experience will help prepare you for the Enchantments hike and make it more fun! water is almost as impressive as the backdrop: the jagged and dramatic Dragontail peak. Mileage: 20ish, 4600 Elevation gain/ 6000 elevation loss. This is another hike that is a doable day trip, but if youd like to stay overnight, youll need to enter the Enchantments lottery for a permit. If you click through a link on Small Town Washington, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. See some of our recommended stops below! I think it was definitely one of the best spots out in the Snow Lakes area! But the wait, stress, and uncertainty of getting to access this area is worth it!Note: Dogs are not allowed in the Enchantments. Mile 7: The next campsites are located just below the Upper Enchantment Lakes just before the trail descends down the ridge. Ensure you know the correct routes and have the gear to keep you safe. A hike through the Enchantments is a very strenuous hike. Some links throughout this site are affiliate links. To reach the Snow Lakes trailhead to drop a car for your return trip, you will need to head into Leavenworth. We would love to do this hike again in the future, however, we think we would do it a bit differently. However, the Forest Service warns that hiking or camping on snow is highly likely during May, June, late September and October, so keep that in mind when planning your trip. Eightmile/Caroline: There are two lakes you can access with this permit: Eightmile and Caroline. Widely regarded as the crown jewel of hiking in Washington, this trail exceeds even the wildest of superlatives. Once we reached the top of the pass, however, it was all worthwhile! At this time, applicants must choose an exit date and provide payment for the permits. Day 4: Hike out through Snow Lake. The permit season for the Enchantments is between May 15 and October 31. They can be overly friendly, to the point of dangerous, and often follow visitors in an attempt to lick up salt from human urine (delightful, huh?)! Youll pass through dense forests, blankets of wildflowers, and high-elevation mountain passes to reach an otherworldly tree-less environment filled only with ancient rocks molded by wind and water. Stuart: The Stuart zone is named after Lake Stuart, which is a 9 mile round trip hike. The only way to visit the Enchantments is by hiking and it is no easy task. Located in Central Washington near the small town of Leavenworth, this piece of the Cascade Mountain range is as spectacular as the name implies. To apply, you will need to choose an entry date, group size, permit zone, assign an alternate group leader, and pay the application fee. Take a left at this intersection, then follow the dirt road for 4 miles until reaching the Stuart Lake trailhead. You can also find information on AllTrails (Colchuck Lake, the Enchantments). and permits are also a little easier to come by. places in Washington and in this guide were sharing all of our tips for hiking the Enchantments, including how to get permits, what to pack, different route options, and things to know before you go!This past September we got to knock off an item from our bucket list: hiking the Enchantments in Washington! 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. The Snow Lake trailhead is off of Icicle Creek Road and has a decent parking lot. These days experience the least precipitation and are most likely to have clear skies and warm days. The busy September peak golden larches day we hiked the trail, around 95% of people hiking The Enchantments began at Stuart / Colchuck Lake trailhead and ended at Snow Lake trailhead. Second, waste management in the Enchantments is difficult since the area receives a high amount of use. 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 next mile is by far the toughest of the entire trail. Our friends also brought water treatment liquid that worked great too! We managed to score a 5 day permit in the snow zone for Aug 30-Sept 3. This is a helpful article as I plan my permit asks and hopeful my hike. If you are cooking in the alpine, research proper techniques for cleaning pots and pans. This is a great campsite if you are planning a short first day of hiking. Nestled in the Cascade Mountains, the Enchantments is full of alpine lakes, rocky peaks, larches, mountain goats, and incredible views. Perfection Lake is another clear, shallow alpine lake, perhaps more beautiful than the previous ones (hence its name, perhaps!). As the trail winds through the lakes surrounded by lichen-covered rocks beneath the rugged mountain peaks, you will find more campsites. Directions To Stuart Lake Trailhead: Drive the US2 west out of Leavenworth. Starting your hike at the Stuart Lake trailhead as I recommend, you will need to find a ride back to this trailhead from the Snow Lakes trailhead. They also make some amazing meat and veggie bars. When: Do it between late July and early September. A rainy day at Rune Lake (Perfection Lake) in September. YouTube, Travel Guides, Gear, & FAQs. $18.00 Tags: Day Hiking Share this Page: Hi Kym! To obtain one of these, you will need to arrive at the ranger station early in the morning on the day you wish to start your trip. The Enchantments hike is most commonly completed as a one-way thru-hike since the hike is long and the terrain can be difficult. We are big fans of Wild Zora backpacking meals, especially the beef ones, as they are super natural and healthy. Most see this coveted area by day hiking to some of the closer lakes (Colchuck Lake is popular), but to really experience the core of the Enchantments, an elusive overnight permit is required. Since youll be at a higher elevation, the nights may get cool. There are five total regions: Eightmile/Caroline, Stuart, Colchuck, Core, and Snow. The Traverse runs through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and as you might guessit passes by a stunning array of glacial-fed lakes. The total hiking time ranges from 8 hours for ultra-fast trail runners to about 15 for reasonably fit hikers going at a steady pace. Permits are required for day and overnight use in this area. But we couldnt miss the opportunity to go, so we committed to the permits and figured we would make it all work. It should actually called "Asskick Pass". The final group of campsites is at Snow Lake and Nada Lake, after quite a bit of descent and just a few miles from the Snow Lakes Trailhead. . The trail up Aasgard Pass looks a little unlike a trail at times, with the steep terrain and loose footing requiring hands-and-feet scrambling to reach the top. THE ENCHANTMENTS TRAIL BREAKDOWN. 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! If you begin at the Stuart Lake Trailhead and go up by way of Colchuck Lake and Aasgard Pass, you'll have 6,000 vertical feet of elevation gain and 7,800 vertical feet of elevation loss. Mid-July through early October is the best season for hiking the Enchantments. Bonus: during the tail end of the month and into October, the foliage turns to a beautiful vibrant yellow-orange! Drop one off at the hikes endpoint, then drive everyone to the starting point. On the AllTrails map, I believe it was around the 14.9 mile mark (close to the restroom) https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?mobileMap=false&ref=sidebar-static-map&ref=sidebar-view-full-map. All Rights Reserved. This will give you time to cool off and avoid hiking in the heat of the day. The summer temperatures drop (it occasionally reaches a scorching 100 degrees in July and August!) Its also important to note theres a lot to consider before hiking the Enchantments. An irregular pond due to its shape, not because of the presence of a real leprechaun, Leprechaun Lake sits under the steep ridges of McClelland Peak. Permits: Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Hikers use two trails to approach the Enchantments Basin. *If you choose to us your phone for navigation, be sure to bring a reliable battery pack to charge your phone. When you apply, you select your entry date and location and pay a $10 non-refundable application fee. I had done no training barring weekly hikes in LA and it took me 20 hours to complete it. With the added weight of a pack, some training or backpacking experience is highly recommended before attempting to hike the Enchantments. However, to go backpacking in the Enchantments between May 15 and October 31, you will need to secure a permit from the US Forest Service. One of the most scenic hikes in the region, this hike passes several waterfalls and glacial lakes before climbing to Snow Lake. Weve done multi-day hikes in the area (after obtaining the illustrious Enchantments Wilderness Permit), and weve also thru-hiked this 19-mile trail in one day. These campsites provide excellent views of Little Annapurna, one of the tallest peaks along the trail, and an opportunity for a scrambling side-trip if you are feeling adventurous. Insider tip: Since these campsites are outside the Core Enchantment zone, theyre easier to obtain and open to groups, rather than just individuals. Can you drive to the enchantments? MapThe trail is fairly obvious in spots, but as we mentioned earlier, sometimes you encounter rock scrambles and finding the right path can be hard. This campsite location puts you in a great position to finish the hike the next day and return home. Up is easier than down, especially at the beginning of a long hike! Although some things may biodegrade over a long period of time, they do not belong in the alpine, they are unsightly and spoil the view of your fellow hikers, and they are unhealthy for animals who will eat them.
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