A trip for those finally ready to push their boundaries and attempt something harder. The main reason this route gets labeled as difficult is because of Aasgard Pass. Not only do you gain about 2,207 feet in 1.1 miles, but you also walk on a scree field with never ending false summits. However, how long of a trek this is for you depends heavily on which route you take up. Over the years people have placed hundreds of different cairns that mark multiple different ways up. Therefore, you can easily add mileage by simply taking a longer route up with more switchbacks. However, if you can make it past this mountain pass, the rest of the hike is relatively easy. You will end up walking either on flat ground or downhill throughout the entirety of the core enchantments. Then once you pass Lake Viviane you will proceed to walk downhill for what feels like forever as you lose 5,511 ft of elevation aka everything that you gained throughout this hike and some. Your only break will be the walk around Snow Lake, which is a great place to stop and have lunch. It should be noted that the other portion of elevation gain comes from getting up to Colchuck Lake. Here you will gain 2,349 feet over 4.25 miles. However, this portion of elevation gain is fair more gradual then Aasgard Pass, leading it to be a very popular day hike. I would say that endurance would be required for this part, but I often see all types of skill levels making the trek up. So, I won’t discourage anyone from the challenge. However, if you choose to take this on, make sure you pack lots of water/snacks.
Overview
Trail Guide: AllTrails 18 miles with 4,809 ft of gain (AllTrails just to and from Snow Lake)
Permits: Obtained through Recreation.gov with information to be found on the Forest Service website
Shuttle service: Leavenworth Shuttle & Taxi
Must have items: BeFree and headlamp
Road conditions: Paved to Snow Lakes trailhead and gravel to Colchuck Lake trailhead. Road to Colchuck is in very decent condition and drivable for any vehicle without stress. Make sure when googling Snow Lakes trailhead that you pull up the one in Leavenworth not Snoqualmie.
Shuttle
The most difficult part of planning your trip, will be figuring out how to get back to your car once you are off the trail. Since this is a thru trail, your car will be far away from the trailhead you started at. First, you need to decide which trail you would like to start hiking from. I highly recommend that you start from Colchuck Lake, due to Aasgard pass and differences in elevation gain. I also recommend this, because there is no service at Colchuck Lake trailhead. Therefore, if you end at this parking lot, you will not be able to call for help to reaching your car.
If you start at Colchuck Lake, you have two options. If you have more than one car, you can self-shuttle your way between cars as long as you leave one parked at Snow Lakes trailhead. However, if you have only one car, I recommend parking it at Snow Lakes trailhead and purchasing a shuttle ride from Leavenworth Shuttle & Taxi. If you go this route, you will want to park your car at Snow Lakes and take the shuttle up to Colchuck Lakes as a start to your adventure. Doing this would ensure that you don’t have to deal with retrieving your car after a long day on the trail. It would also mean that if you got in far later than expected, you wouldn’t have to worry about making a shuttle time.
If you choose to go the other route and leave your car at Colchuck Lake, you will have service at Snow Lakes trailhead. So, you could try and call for a ride. If you chose to do this though, keep in mind that the reviews of the road up to Colchuck have made it a blacklisted path for most uber drivers. Personally, I think the reviews of the road are completely inaccurate. It is not only drivable, but significantly better than trailhead roads. I drive a Prius and have never had a single issue or stress driving this road. The road to Snow Lakes trailhead is completely paved and in great condition. Finally, make sure when googling Snow Lakes trailhead that you pull up the one in Leavenworth not Snoqualmie.
Backpacking
This is often the most common way to complete the Enchantments simply because it allows you to not only have time to enjoy the beautiful lakes, but also to split up some of the grueling elevation gain up through Aasgard Pass. However, to attempt the route by backpacking, you will require an overnight permit via Recreation.gov. The Forest Service website explains this process pretty thoroughly. However, keep in mind that winning the advanced lottery, is extremely hard. Therefore, I highly recommend doing their walk-up permits. Unfortunately, these permits are going back to the tradition walk-up style, now that Covid is over. These take place Mon-Sat at 8:30am at the Leavenworth Ranger Station (Wenatchee River Ranger District Office). However, if there are less permits available than people wanting one at the walk-up, a drawing will be held. Therefore, there is no need to camp out at the Ranger Station, as long as you arrive 15 minutes before 8:30am. Unfortunately, this may mean you won’t receive a permit. In that case, I recommend that you stay in town and try again the next day or take this as a chance to trail run the enchantments. You could day hike them, however, you would be getting a very late start. So, if you choose this route, I recommend just going up to Colchuck and Stuart Lake. Also, keep in mind that you can only obtain a permit for the current day/night that you are present. So, you will not be able to complete a multi-day backpacking trip if you go this route.
Next you will want to decide on which zone to book for your permit. Of course, the core zone is the most sought after. However, only 24 people per day are allowed in this zone. Therefore, it is also the most difficult to receive. If you do manage to get a permit in this zone, note that you are actually allowed to not only camp in core zone, but also in any other permitted zone. Therefore, this is prime for backpacking, because you would be able to spend a night in Colchuck or Snow to break up the elevation gain. However, if you don’t receive this zone, you will have to stay in the zone you are assigned each night. Meaning that you will have to do day hikes to complete the trail or do a large portion of it on your way out the last day. If you receive core zone, also note that you will not be allowed to increase your group size after the lottery. This is because this zone is based off number of people rather than number of groups, which is different than the other zones.
If you wish to increase your odds and apply for a different zone, I recommend Snow Lake. The gain that is required to reach Snow Lake is exhausting if you start from Snow Lake Trailhead. However, you will be able to avoid going up and down Aasgard during day hikes, which is key. Not only because it is exhausting, but also because it is time consuming. Not to mention, if you plan to just camp at Snow Lake and continue the trail with your packs on the way out, you will have completed a huge portion already. Not to say you won’t still have a lot more to gain, and miles to cover, but the worst will be past you. Although, if you would like to spend your time doing other day hikes aside from the main enchantments trail, then I would say to opt for Colchuck Lake. Here you will have access to the main enchantments trail, Stuart Lake, Dragontail Peak, and many others. If you are unsuccessful in obtaining any of these permits or they don’t fit your needs. You can also try for the less popular zones at Stuart Lake and Eightmile/Caroline. These zones are both very beautiful, but unfortunately fairly far away from the main enchantments trail, leading them to be least desirable. I would say these are great backpacking trips on their own, but not as a combination with the main enchantments trail.
Day Hike
Due to the difficulty of obtaining a permit, often people will choose to either day hike or trail run this route. If you are choosing to day hike this, I cannot express enough, how early you need to start. On the bright side, the trek from the Colchuck trailhead to Colchuck lake, really doesn’t have many views that you would be disappointed at missing. So, starting before dawn isn’t an issue. However, if you choose not to start before dawn, I recommend being ready to start the moment the sun is up. This will allow for you to take more breaks throughout and truly enjoy each lake. In terms of which direction to hike in, I would say taking the traditional route is in your best interest. Though you wouldn’t have to go up Aasgard if you started at the Snow Lake side, the never-ending steady climb up to the core enchantments, might be worse. Not to mention walking down Aasgard’s scree field would be very taxing and difficult on the ankles. Therefore, I recommend starting your trek at the Colchuck side.
Since you are doing the day hike route, there isn’t too much you need to bring with you. However, I highly recommend bring a BeFree. You will still want to keep your pack weight down, so carrying a bunch of water with you isn’t wise. The only time you may not be able to make it to the next water source with a liter of water, would be Aasgard. However, I hiked this during the dead heat of September and found multiple different small waterfalls to fill up in. If you are concerned about this though, I recommend having just an empty bladder or water bottle that you can fill up with the BeFree, for extra water to get you through this section. Other than that, there are numerous lakes you will be able to use to fill up your water along the way. You will also need to make sure you bring a headlamp! Even if you start after the sun is up, odds are you will be hiking down past Snow Lake in the dark.
If day hiking later in the season, remember that this is a great place to attempt to see Larches!! Larch season will always vary based on the cold weather that year, but an average estimate is around September 25th. I would recommend looking at trail reviews to see if they are starting to turn during your desired time frame.
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