Trip Report: Backpacking The Enchantments, Central Cascades — WA
Trip Date: September 9–11, 2022
Someone aptly described the Enchantments as a cross between Patagonia and the Shire and I have yet to find a better description. Thousands of people apply for permits via lottery every year with only a couple hundred granted a golden ticket for the core (see 2020 reward statistics). In our own attempts, we were thwarted by lottery losses or winning only to be faced with cancellations due to blizzards and COVID. I know what you’re thinking. Why not just do this as a day hike? Yeeeah we’re not masochists and preferred to experience the Enchantments as leisurely as possible. So, the wait for permits continued.
In 2022, after losing the lottery, we made our own luck by scoring seven Core permits during the unclaimed permit release date for the one weekend we were all available! Huzzah! I was brimming with anticipation and excitement for the rest of the year until our trip started in September and had a great time planning logistics for our largo group because I’m a weirdo.
Permit: Overnight permits are required from May 15 — October 31 and can be obtained via recreation.gov through the pre-season lottery or on a first come, first serve basis after unclaimed permits are released. Plan ahead because lottery applications typically occur in February/March and are awarded in April.
The lottery application fee is $6 (non-refundable). The cost of the permit is $5 per person/per day.
Zones & Quotas: You may only camp in the designated zone on our permit with the exception of the core permit. A core Enchantment permit allows you to camp in any if the Enchantment zones.
- Core Enchantment Zone: 24 people per day
- Colchuck Zone: 3 groups per day
- Stuart Zone: 4 groups per day
- Snow Zone: 5 groups per day
- Eightmile / Caroline Zone: 3 groups per day
Shuttle: We decided to take the Loop Connector Shuttle from Snow Lakes parking lot to Stuart Lake trailhead. There are options to be shuttled from 5, 6, & 7AM. We selected 7AM since our first day only required a hike to Colchuck Lake. The cost is $24 per person.
Parking: Snow Lakes parking lot — small lot but you can also park on the side of the road (on the same side as the lot, not the other side) leading up to parking if full. Enchantment overnight parking pass is required to be displayed on dash.
- No campfires allowed above 5,000 ft or within 1/2 mile of any lakes
- Leave your annoying drones at home, they are not allowed in all of the Enchantments
- Dogs are not allowed
- “Toilets” are available at various points in the trail
- Bathe and wash dishes at least 150–200 feet from lakes and streams. Remember that ALL soaps, including biodegradable soaps, pollute water.
- Treat all water by boiling, using purification tablets, or filtering.
- Do not urinate on vegetation or soil. Use gaps between boulders, crevices in rocks, large flat rocks, sandy bare areas, or the toilets provided. Urine attracts goats and leads to pawing and chewing of plants and soil and may lead to abnormal aggressive animal behavior.
Trail Information:
Route: Stuart Lake Trailhead > Colchuck Lake > Perfection Lake > Snow Lakes Trailhead (3 days/2 nights)
Trail Length: ~20 miles
Elevation Change: +6000/-7800ft
Difficulty: Very hard & recommended for experienced backpackers. Scrambling on loose rock/gravel, navigating over bedrock, hand stuff, butt scooting, focus required until about the last 5 miles of the trail, trail not always obvious though marked by cairns
Weather: Mostly sunny, high 60s/Low 40s, winds up to 20MPH (intermittent), light morning sprinkle on day 3
Day 1: Friday, September 9, 2022
Stuart Lake Trailhead to Colchuck Lake: ~4.5 miles, +2400 ft
The alarm went off at 5:00AM and I somehow willed myself up to get ready. At 6:30AM, the group was ready to set off after parking our non-backpacking luggage at the hotel. We stayed at the Bavarian Lodge, which I highly recommend, if not for their fabulous spa water that we all filled our bladders with the night before, then for the the hot tub, fantastic continental breakfast, and excellent customer service.
Snow Lake parking was a quick 12 minute drive from our lodging and we found the lot full after arriving at 6:45AM. We made space on the side of the lot where we entered for both our cars to park. The Loop Connector Shuttle was already there. It was a big white van (as described on the website!), you can’t miss it!
Before heading into the shuttle, we made use of the bathrooms and trash cans. There was also a picnic table by the trailhead.
We piled into the shuttle and set off toward Stuart Lake Trailhead, a bumpy 30 minute ride on gravel roads. I’m glad we decided to take the shuttle instead of shuttling ourselves!
The Colchuck Lake parking lot was larger than Snow and had designated parking spots for overnighters. There was one bathroom with a trash can inside and a picnic table.
After tending to foot care needs, adjusting our packs just right, etc., etc., we set off on the trail despite the smokey air from nearby fires.
The hike was pretty uneventful. Consistent incline through heavily rooted trail bed, footbridge, boulder field, and some granite brought us to Colchuck Lake. We ambled at a leisurely pace, wanting to reserve all energies for Aasgard Pass and knowing that our only goal today was to hike the mere couple of miles to camp at Colchuck.
When Colchuck Lake came into view, I was astonished by the immensity of the lake and surrounding mountains. It was way bigger than I imagined! In my defense, many of the photos I’d seen only pictured the lake underneath Aasgard Pass and Dragontail Peak, not the rest of the lake to the left of it.
We descended down towards the lake in search of a formidable campsite and launchpad for Aasgard. After half a mile or so, we found a forested campground several steps and hop away from a small beach with a great view of the lake and mountains.
While I saw clear signs for “toilet” every mile or so along the trail, I did not traverse away from the main trail to check one out until we reached camp. I was expecting a full outhouse built off the trail like those in Enchanted Valley or the West Coast Trail. What I found instead was a wooden cover atop a cooler from which you sit on and drop your deuce. The one I opened was so full that if I sat on it to add my own, the amassed pile would touch my bare ass. Sus mentioned that the coolers were switched out and airlifted out every so often via helicopter. Pray that you come just after the poop coolers have been switched! Colchuck Lake is a highly treaded area though, so fortunately not all toilets were at this capacity.
After setting up camp, we took to eating our snacks until there was enough room in our respective bear canisters for food, toiletries, and trash (we might have overestimated the amount of snacks we needed, heh). For lunch, Sus and I ate sandwiches from Dan’s marketplace in Leavenworth, which was not too shabby for the only option that was available last night.
We then all took a mid-afternoon nap. I would have slept more if I hadn’t been awoken by the voice of a park ranger coming by to check our permits. Later identified as Ranger Scott, he was courteous and professional while asking for my information and documentation. Afterwards, he answered our questions about the trail before setting back on the trail to go about his other duties. We would see him everyday on the trail like clockwork, as if he were a NPC, making us all feel assured and on the right path!
Aasgard Pass stared down at us while we watched the sunset and I pushed down the mild panic that stirred inside me. From the lake, the pass looked impossibly steep and daunting. No turning back now! Shortly after sunset, we all agreed to be hiking ready tomorrow by 8AM and retired to our tents to sleep.
Day 2: Saturday, September 10, 2022
Colchuck Lake to Inspiration Lake: ~3.5 miles, +2600 ft
I’m not a big breakfast eating gal but I pushed that preference aside as I scarfed down half of a Mountain House Breakfast Skillet to power me through Aasgard Pass. I seriously felt unwell eating that much so early in the morning but it would prove to be useful with how physically taxing the day would be! After washing it all down with a cup of steamed Den’s Golden Hōjicha tea, I was ready to go.
We hugged the trail around the shore, maneuvered through a large boulder field, passed a short sandy path underneath conifer trees, and abruptly started the climb up the talus and scree sprinkled pass.
Knowing we had all day to complete this stretch, we took it slooow and I followed Sherpa Diane’s steps up the pass. The trail was braided and we followed the cairns up, making sure to stay to the left of the waterfall and grove of trees:
I yearned for my gloves snugly packed away in my pack and out of reach. It would have helped with all of the scrambling and grasping at rocks for stability.
This was the most populated part of the trail with only so many routes up and limited space for people to spread out. Their presence added to the stress of the ascent. Most everyone was courteous by letting us pass and giving enough clearance behind to scramble. Others would aggressively cut us off or trail so close behind for us to feel pressured to move faster. We tried to purposely find paths with less people to avoid this. We ran into Ranger Scott and chatted for a few minutes while we all took a break! It was a nice halfway checkpoint to confirm we were on the right path.
During one of our breaks, I got up from leaning on a rock and felt a wetness run down my pant leg. At first, I thought I was bleeding somewhere but a quick scan of my body told me I was OK. I asked Susie to take out my bladder and I found a small pin-sized hole near the bottom. I must have leaned on a pointy rock and punctured it. I called up towards Crystal to request her Leukotape and patched it back up. It did well enough to stop most of the leaking and we continued on. Luckily, we were almost through and I had an extra 32oz soft platy bag filled with electrolyte water that I could sub-in as my water bottle if my bladder gave out.
We couldn’t have asked for better conditions to climb Aasgard Pass. We hiked in cool weather under the shadow of Dragontail peak and surrounding mountains with a constant cool breeze. The sun was on full display once we made it to the summit. I had to ask several times to confirm that we were in fact at the top and not at the fake summit everyone was fooled by on the blogs I read. After making 100% sure we were at the top, I breathed a sigh of relief and felt accomplished!
We celebrated by eating lunch, watching the people below making their own hard earned ascent, and some crazy people climbing Dragontail peak to the west.
There was a plume of smoke resembling a nuclear blast mushroom cloud in the distance that quietly grew as we ate lunch. We would learn later that was the Bolt Creek Fire that started during our trip, trapping two hikers who, with smarts and level-headedness, made their own way out of the fire after discovering they would not be able to be rescued. A video documenting their escape can be found here.
Once we dropped into Core Enchantments, it was so beautiful I quickly forgot the pain of having to climb Aasgard Pass to get here. A wonderland of sparkling alpine lakes, jagged mountains, and meadowscapes galore; no words or pictures do it justice. All we could do was drop our jaws further towards the ground as we continued to walk along the awe-inducing landscape and say “wow” repeatedly.
There was a short, slanted snow pass that looked like a great opportunity to take a break from walking. I sat down on my booty, willing Susie to push me so I could slide to the end. After the long silence from behind me, I used my hands to propel me forward and rode the snow chute down in a short exhilarating ride.
As we continued along the last mile, mile and a half trudge to get to camp at Inspiration Lake, we started to feel fatigued as the afternoon sun beat down on us.
Once at the campsite, we set up in record time and made our way to the lake to laze around. The water was cold but was a much needed ice bath for our aching muscles. We were the only ones camping in this area with two other women set up at Perfection Lake close by. Such a contrast to the density of Aasgard Pass and a welcome feeling!
The toilet was a short jaunt up a hill with a great view. It was better established with a much deeper hole. With Ang’s advice, I used a trekking pole for balance while I did my business and it was super helpful since the height of the vault strained my muscles to squat.
A cute goat family WITH A BABY circled around the area licking up salt from urine deposited on the granite. We read about how aggressive they could be but we coexisted together for the short time our lives overlapped.
For dinner, Susie and I shared the tried-and-true freeze dried spaghetti and like always it hit the spot. For liquids, we had a dried fruit infused chamomile tea and closed it out with a velvety rocky road chocolate pudding. A proper feast and ending to an epic day!
Day 3: Sunday, September 11, 2022
Inspiration Lake to Snow Lakes Trailhead: ~12 miles, -7000ft
It was windy overnight and for some reason we all thought the sound of the lake water lapping against the shore was the family of goats trotting around- even though we heard them walking around the day before making absolutely zero noise, lol.
I woke up before sunrise and saw Angela outside her tent with her camera gear. I walked by Susie’s tent and shook it to make sure she woke up to join us for the viewing. We brought our chairs and sat back in a nice nook facing the valley.
For breakfast, I had black sesame Yishi oatmeal with freeze dried strawberries and pepita seeds and Den’s sencha green tea. Halfway through eating, it started to sprinkle a bit and I feared that rain would make slippery the granite rocks we had to traverse. I also chose not to bring a rain jacket because there was no rain in the forecast and felt a pang of regret. Luckily, it stopped before we left and did not return for the rest of the trip!
We meandered through the rest of the Enchantments, passing by alpine meadows and lakes Perfection, Sprite, Leprechaun, and Vivian.
When we started descending out of Lower Enchantments, it became very steep and required more hand and butt scooting than I expected. It did not feel like a normal hike at all and more like light parkour lol. We had to skirt around cliff edges and navigate granite slabs that at times felt slippery even dry.
The further we progressed towards the trailhead, the hotter and smokier it became. We planned to stay at Nada but during our last run in with Ranger Scott, he warned us of a rat problem at the campgrounds. We all voted unanimously to finish the hike early.
The last 5 miles felt a more like what I was used to; a somewhat level hiking trail where only walking was required. Susie and I were ready for it to be over and something switched on in us. We went into a fugue-like state, amped up our pace, and feathered down the mountain in skittering determination.
In the last two miles, we were basically lightly jogging back to the trailhead in a slurry of switchbacks and passing up day hikers (to our surprise and delight). The last mile, we could see the trailhead and cars parked in the lot. We slowed down when we finished the last of the switchbacks, arriving at the fish hatchery at the bottom of the descent. Past the hatchery, a final bridge crossing and slight uphill climb brought us back to where we began. We sat and waited to congratulate the rest of the group as they finished.
Jess stitched together our active moving time and said we finished just shy of 13 hours with our packs. An accomplishment worth the 80 chicken nuggets and 7 large fries we ordered at McDonald’s, Coldstone Ice Cream, and 2nd dinner at Yodelin post-hike.
We stayed at the Bavarian that night, moved up our flights for a slight cost, and ate the cost of our second hotel that we could not cancel for the next day. We were all pretty happy with our choice, since the AQI the next day from the Bolt Creek Fire was a whopping 421!!!
Overall, this was a magical hike worth the struggle and I’m so happy I can finally check this off the bucket list!
Trek on! — ❤ Em
