The Enchantments

  AWD MED YES

Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Scenery: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mileage: 22 mi

Region: Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Elev. Gain: 4,836 ft

When to Go: Jul—Oct

Avg. Time: 12-15 hr

Parking: Large unpaved lot

Type: Point to point

Pass: NW Forest, America the Beautiful or $5

AllTrails: Route

Trailhead Coordinates:

47.528164, -120.819777

 

Know Before You Go:

  • Purchase your pass/day-use fee ahead of time.

  • We recommend starting this hike on the Colchuck Lake side and ending at Snow Lakes to avoiding having to descend Aasgard Pass, the steepest section.

  • Bring two cars so you can leave one at your finish point or hitch a ride back to your start point to retrieve your vehicle. There are sometimes shuttle buses available to the trailheads.

  • DO NOT confuse Snow Lakes near Leavenworth with the Snow Lake trail off Highway 90.

  • Start as early as possible, no later than 5:30am if you don’t want to finish in the dark.

  • Take your time through the core section, the most beautiful and scenic portion, and pick up the pace once you begin the descent past Snow Lakes.

  • Make sure to bring lots of snacks and water.

  • This trail is an amazing place for larch peeping in the fall season - peak foliage can be hard to time so watch blogs and AllTrails reviews for up-to-date conditions.

  • Larch season often overlaps with early snowfalls so be sure to check the weather before heading out.

  • If you would like to take more time and turn this into a multi-day trip you will need to win a highly coveted backcountry permit from recreation.gov