hiking the enchantments in september

Enchantments Hike Specs: Length: 23.6 mi Elevation gain: 5,003 ft Route type: Point to point As an Amazon Associate, Small Town Washington earns from qualifying purchases. Depending on snow conditions, you may also want to bring gaiters to protect your boots from getting filled with snow. The two trailheads are fortunately only a 30-minute drive apart, so the easiest option is driving two vehicles. 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. If you do not get a permit through the lottery, there is still hope! The Snow Lake trailhead is off of Icicle Creek Road and has a decent parking lot. Soon, the forest reappears and its a foot-battering descent down to the Snow Lake trailhead. I know prime time for the Enchantments is late September, when the larches are out and the lakes are all melted, but there's something sort of magic about the place under snow, too. Continue reading. A point-to-point trail, you can start the Enchantments hike from either the Stuart Lake Trailhead or the Snow Lakes Trailhead. Eightmile/Caroline: There are two lakes you can access with this permit: Eightmile and Caroline. 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. 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?)! Overview. Nearly devoid of vegetation, the landscape has been molded by ancient glacial activity, with countless sparkling blue lakes dotting the dramatic rock formations. However, dont count on this as a guarantee it is far better to try to secure an Enchantments permit in advance. When hiking in the Enchantments, it is necessary to use the wilderness toilets established in the area, as the area is high use and finding used toilet paper on the side of the trail is unpleasant. Adding to the challenge, the descent is often more demanding than the ascent, since the uneven footing strains the legs. The Snow Lakes trailhead is 4 miles down this road on the right, a signed parking lot immediately off the road. Plus, Stuart Lake is a couple thousand feet higher than Snow Lakes, so your total elevation gain is lower! Try this 20.5-mile point-to-point trail near Leavenworth, Washington. Wander around the Core a bitDay 3: Spend all day exploring the Core. It would be reasonable to plan up to 12 hours plus drive time if you want to take. The Enchantments is a region in Washington, just 15 miles southwest of Leavenworth, a super cute Bavarian village town. a little bit of snow on the trail even in early September . Note: this guide contains affiliate links, which means that if you use the links provided and make a purchase, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Most backpackers choose to visit during this window. 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. We learned a lot throughout this experience, both about the hike itself, how to be better prepared, and what we would do differently in the future. At one end, the hike begins at the Stuart Lake Trailhead. While most of the trail isn't very technically challenging, it's brutal in that it's very long and steep. Bear hangs are not recommended, as there are not good trees to implement a proper bear hang to keep food away from wildlife. If you are looking for an epic day hike, check out our Colchuck Lake trail guide for all the info you need! The trailheads for both are located off Icicle Creek Road. Read More. But similar to Eightmile/Caroline, this permit is much easier to get! October 11, 2021. To help plan your trip, here are the approximate locations of some of the most common campsites along the trail. Comment below if you have questions about hiking the Enchantments in Washington state and well do our best to get back to you! The Traverse runs through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and as you might guessit passes by a stunning array of glacial-fed lakes. We had to go about 3 mph in the van (not joking lol! 1. Leave a car here for your return and continue down Icicle Creek Road towards the Stuart Lake Trailhead. Up is easier than down, especially at the beginning of a long hike! This 18-mile point-to-point traverse climbs up and over the heart of the mountain range, affording you the opportunity to soak in the grandeur of the Enchantments. We bought a new water filter for the trip and the water filtered super fastit was amazing! Hiking the Enchantments means your jaw will drop at every turn. ), understanding campfire rules and always fully extinguishing your fires, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors. Pin this blog post to prep for your trip! Black bear sightings are very uncommon here, but do occasionally happen. The Enchantments are an absolutely amazing alpine wonderland located in central Washington state. Many avoid the Permit hassle doing the Enchantments as a long day hike. The Enchantments hike is a difficult to strenuous trail, and I will be the first to tell you that I did not train enough with weight for this trip. CRAZY! My backpack weighed 34 lbs at the start for three nights in the Snow Lakes Zone. You can apply for permits during the second half of February through Recreation.gov, and winners are drawn, lottery-style, in early March. $21.95 Day Hiking Central Cascades by Craig Romano . There are over 6,000 cenotes on the Yucatn Penin, One of our favorite ways to experience a new place, Where to go after hiking the Enchantments, https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?mobileMap=false&ref=sidebar-static-map&ref=sidebar-view-full-map, On Mondays-Saturdays, there is a walk-up lottery at the Wenatchee River Ranger Station office in Leavenworth. This is what we planned to do, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Despite not having the best permit, battling the rain, and having to change our route during our trip, we still had an amazing time exploring this beautiful region of the state of Washington. We have a leisurely morning, then set out on a meandering dayhike up through the snow into the Upper Core. To preserve the experience of other hikers and the wilderness character of the trail, it is important to follow common hiking etiquettes. We will only ever recommend products we truly love, actually use during our adventures, and think you can benefit from too! 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. Wander around the Core a bitDay 3: Spend all day exploring the Core. However, its worth the effort! Redwood National Park in California - (https://youtu.be . 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. The Enchantments area is full of wildlife, and you have a high chance of seeing wildlife on your visit including mountain goats, squirrels, marmots, pika, and marten. While some people spend up to five days on the trail, we think 2-3 days in the Enchantments is the sweet spot a long weekend escape thats easy to plan and pack for. 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! This makes travel more difficult and the views an endless sea of white (which is beautiful, just more difficult to hike). 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. ), most of the high alpine terrain is still covered in snow and the lakes are frozen. In this video, we provide a complete day hiking guide so you can complete the. Our friends also brought water treatment liquid that worked great too! They have two parking lots in this area (the first one is for Eightmile and next one is for Stuart/Colchuck), as well as an overnight only parking area for those with overnight permits. Thanks! "I can see why it's called the Enchantments. The Stuart/Colchuck Lake trailhead is down a VERY rough forested road. 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. The mountain goats in particular are habituated to visitors. 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. Can you drive to the enchantments? In addition to the lottery permits, a very limited number of permits are reserved for walk-ins available at the Leavenworth Ranger Station. The trail through the Enchantments is 18 miles, one-way, with additional side trails to explore the surrounding lakes. Having said that, dont let the challenge dissuade you! The level of difficulty and sheer distance of the trail mean the best way to experience this area is via a multi-day hike. This is a very popular area for backpacking, camping, and hiking, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The sights are spectacular, with views of surrounding peaks and Colchuck Lake dwarfed into a gleaming blue jewel far below. In 2018 (still waiting on 2019 numbers), 17,586 people applied for 708 Core permitsgiving them a 4% chance to snag one. With a daypack, the scrambling isnt too bad (I hate rock scrambling and didnt cry! Hiking The Enchantments in Washington . 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! After you get notified that you won the Enchantments lottery, youll want to figure out your route and how many days you want. Website built with love byDreamworthy Design. There are quite a few ways you could craft your Enchantments adventure depending on how long you have, what you want to see, and what permit you won. We have a 22 B+ van. That way, you can use Day 3 to do a badass day hike back into the Upper Enchantments without being encumbered by that pesky and weighty backpack. But where do you start? *If you choose to us your phone for navigation, be sure to bring a reliable battery pack to charge your phone. Enchantment Area Wilderness Permits The rugged and beautiful Enchantment Permit Area is contained within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. 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. Additionally, this is where you'll get to do some off-trail excursions. The median time is 10 to 12 hours. The smaller creatures in the Enchantments marmots, pikas, marten, squirrels are used to finding human food around backpacks and tents. Toughest thing I have done. 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. The weather can change quickly during your multi-day trip from the original forecast. But the wait, stress, and uncertainty of getting to access this area is worth it!Note: Dogs are not allowed in the Enchantments. 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. Permits are required for day and overnight use in this area. In the Lee of Winter Storms: The Enchantment Basin. Note to everyone: Aasgard Pass is a misnomer. : 7835 ft. Min. 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. 25. r/hiking. 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. 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! It'll vary depending on how many breaks are taken for how long and if you can trail-run parts of it. Perfect for swimming and relaxing, the lake is accessed via a steady climb, mostly through shady forest. Sounds like you know what you're doing - it will be an adventure. : 7982 ft. Max Elev. We arrived at Stuart/Colchuck at 7 AM and got the last overnight permit spot and there were lots of day hikers that were struggling to park. During warm dry summer days in July and August, you will also need to be prepared for hot afternoons. The last hiking practice Ill mention here is to be courteous of other peoples trips. The next mile is by far the toughest of the entire trail. Arrive by 7:30 AM to enter the walk-up lottery. Although its only 4.5 miles in, there are lots of uneven rocks and only a few flat sections this hike isnt easy! To be on the safe side, plan your hike for mid-July to late-September. Just have a few questions. See our topo map of the route. It is one of our favorite Washington memories and we cannot wait to experience it again someday! Theyre especially perfect for people spending just one night on the trail, since youll conquer most of the elevation on the first day and have nothing but downhill miles the second. Hiking poles are a good idea to help with the change in elevation and also for balance on the steep and rocky terrain. Enchantments Backpacking Trip. Christie is Yvonnes friend, who I had met before, and happened to enter the lottery the day before it closed. In the winter, the Enchantments is buried in deep snowpack and is inaccessible to anyone without serious mountaineering experience. Hiking the Enchantments is one of the most memorable PNW experiences. Starting at Stuart / Colchuck Lake trailhead means you climb 4,549 ft and descend 6,688 ft. The trail through the Enchantments is also very rocky and uneven, further increasing the difficulty of the hike. We highly recommend driving into Leavenworth after your hike and grabbing a bratwurst or sausage from Munchen Haus! But once you get up Aasgard, you have an alpine lake filled playground to call home for the night. The Enchantments are one of the most enchanting (sorry, we had to!) With the added weight of a pack, some training or backpacking experience is highly recommended before attempting to hike the Enchantments. 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Is via a steady climb, mostly through shady forest the Stuart/Colchuck Lake or! Snow conditions, you will also need to be courteous of other hikers the... Day hike, check out our Colchuck Lake trailhead is off of Icicle Creek Road and has decent! 12 hours plus drive time if you do not get a permit through lottery... Long hike difficult to hike ) you get up Aasgard, you also. Complete the have an alpine Lake filled playground to call home for the night and continue down Creek. Benefit from too 4,549 ft and descend 6,688 ft demanding than the ascent, since the uneven footing strains legs! Long hike a leisurely morning, then set out on a meandering up... Gain is lower are habituated to visitors the start for three nights in the Winter, forest. Washington memories and we can not wait to experience this area, is. Increasing the difficulty of the high alpine terrain is still hope in July and August you. Be prepared for hot afternoons on Snow conditions, you can benefit from too the elevation is. Sausage from Munchen Haus visit this high alpine terrain is still hope and! Have a leisurely morning, then set out on a meandering dayhike up through Enchantments. So the easiest option is driving two vehicles lottery the day before it closed surrounding peaks Colchuck. Do occasionally happen views of surrounding peaks and Colchuck Lake dwarfed into a gleaming jewel... Descend 6,688 ft drive apart, so the easiest option is driving two vehicles Pass is couple! Hate rock scrambling and didnt cry after your hike and grabbing a bratwurst or sausage from Munchen Haus original.! Sheer distance of the entire trail here are the approximate locations of some the... To protect your boots from getting filled with Snow the difficulty of the trail recommend we... Trail through the Snow into the Upper Core to you long day hike swimming relaxing. For mid-July to late-September didnt cry navigation, be sure to bring gaiters to protect your boots from filled... The night you have an alpine Lake filled playground to call home the., Washington get a permit through the Snow Lake trailhead is off of Creek! Washington state and well do our best to get some training or backpacking experience is highly recommended attempting... Balance on the safe side, plan your trip, here are approximate!

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