The Enchantments are a slice of hiking paradise. Located in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of Washington state, this is a wonderland of alpine lakes, jagged mountains, and waterfalls.
If you’ve done any research on the Enchantments, you already know it’s one of the best day hikes in the United States. What you might not know yet is how much goes into pulling it off. This is a remote, point-to-point wilderness hike with no cell service, and no bailout options. The hikers who have a bad day out here are almost always the ones who showed up underprepared.
Tim, Kara, and I thru-hiked the Enchantments on one of the hottest days of the summer. Temperatures hit 101°F in Leavenworth by mid-afternoon. We made it through in 10.5 hours, but only because we’d sorted everything out in advance: the car shuttle, the passes, the nutrition strategy, the early start. That summer we hiked for five straight weeks across Colorado and Washington, and the Enchantments was the standout. It’s worth every bit of effort to get it right.
This is the planning side of that effort. Here you’ll find everything you need before you leave for the trailhead — how to handle transportation, what permits you need, when to go, how to prepare physically, what to pack, and where to stay in Leavenworth the night before.
If you haven’t already read our Enchantments Day Hike Trail Guide, start there. It covers the trail mile by mile, with timing, photos, and a sample day timeline, and it’ll give you a much clearer picture of what you’re actually preparing for.
Overview of the Enchantments Thru Hike
STATS | 19.25 miles, 5,500 feet elevation gain, and 7,000 feet elevation loss. It typically takes 10 to 12 hours to complete.
ROUTE | Stuart/Colchuk Lake to Snow Lakes Trailhead
AASGARD PASS | A brutal 1.5-mile climb gaining 2,000 feet that leads into the “Core Enchantments”
PERMITS | National Forest Recreation Pass and a free day-use permit
TRANSPORTATION | Since it’s a point-to-point hike, you’ll need to shuttle between trailheads or park a second car at the finish.
WHEN | July through October
STAY | Leavenworth
Enchantments Thru Hike Stats, Elevation Profile & Map
These statistics are for the thru-hike from Stuart/Colchuck Lake Trailhead to the Snow Lakes Trailhead.
Distance: 19.25 miles (31 km)
Difficulty: Extremely strenuous
Total Elevation Gain: 5,500 feet (1,675 meters)
Total Elevation Loss: 7,000 feet (2,133 meters)
Starting Elevation (Stuart Lake TH): 3,225 feet (980 meters)
Ending Elevation (Snow Lakes TH): 1,400 feet (425 meters)
Highest Elevation (Aasgard Pass): 7,841 feet (2,390 meters)
Length of time: 8 to 15 hours
About the length of time. 8 to 15 hours is a huge range, but we asked a number of people about their experience, and did a lot of research online, and that’s how we came up with these numbers. Those at the lower range are for those people who trail run at least a small portion of the trail (usually the last 5 miles to the Snow Lakes trailhead). Those at the longer end tend to linger at the lakes. The median length of time is 10 to 12 hours.
We did this in 10 hours and 30 minutes and we are fast hikers. We stopped several times at the lakes, for snacks and lunch and photos. Honestly, we thought that we would do this faster. However, this is a hard trail to hike at a fast pace. The lakes and the views are incredibly beautiful, and it is the main reason why you are on this trail, so take your time through the core Enchantments. But in general, the trail is rocky, steep, with lots of obstacles, so it can be difficult to keep up a fast pace on most of the trail.
Enchantments hike elevation profile starting at Stuart/Colchuck Lake and ending at Snow Lakes
Map of the hiking trail. The red line is the hiking trail. The yellow line is NF-7601, the gravel road to the Stuart and Colchuck Lakes Trailhead. The blue line is Icicle Creek Road.
What is the Enchantments Trail?
The Enchantments are located in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in Washington.
There are two points of entry into the Enchantments: the Stuart/Colchuck Lake Trailhead and the Snow Lakes Trailhead.
As a thru-hike, most people start at the Stuart/Colchuck Lake Trailhead, for several reasons. The Stuart/Colchuck Trailhead sits at about 3,225 feet elevation and the Snow Lakes Trailhead sits at about 1,400 feet elevation (there is almost 2,000 feet less elevation gain during the hike if you start at Stuart Lake Trailhead). Also, the hike up and over the Aasgard Pass comes much earlier in the hike, when your legs are still fresh and temperatures are still cool.
The Aasgard Pass is the highest point of the hike. From Stuart Lake Trailhead, you start this climb at about mile 5 of the hike. It’s a 1.5 mile climb with roughly 2,000 feet of elevation gain. It is exhausting but what is waiting for you on the other side is the amazing core Enchantments region. From the Snow Lakes Trailhead, you will steadily hike up almost 7,000 feet to reach the Aasgard Pass and then it is a very steep trail down the other side, which can be very hard on your legs.
The core Enchantments is the region of lakes, mountain peaks, and meadows, from Colchuck Lake to the Snow Lake. This section of the hike is jaw-dropping and one of the prettiest areas that we have ever seen on a hike.
Map of the Enchantment area of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness (source: fs.usda.gov). This is an overview of the permit zones but it shows the hiking trail, the location of the Core Enchantments, as well as Colchuck Lake and the Snow Lakes.
How Hard is the Enchantments Thru Hike?
The short answer: this is one of the hardest day hikes in the United States. We’ve hiked trails on six continents and the Enchantments ranks among the most demanding single days we’ve spent on a trail. If you want a comparison, it’s in the same conversation as the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim and Half Dome — two other hikes we’ve done and written about. The Enchantments has more elevation gain and loss than either of them.
What makes it so hard isn’t any single thing, it’s the combination of several factors. The Aasgard Pass climb is brutal: 2,000 feet of gain over 1.25 miles on loose dirt, scree, and boulder scrambles. Your legs will be burning and your lungs will be working hard. Then, just when you’ve recovered from the climb and spent time in the Core Enchantments, you face a relentless 7,000-foot descent over the back half of the hike. Long descents are underestimated by most hikers — they’re hard on your knees, they slow you down more than you expect, and they’re genuinely painful at mile 17 when your legs are already spent.
Then there’s the distance. At nearly 20 miles, this is a long day by any measure. The terrain is rocky and uneven for most of the route, which means you can rarely get into a comfortable rhythm and clock miles efficiently. Even fit, fast hikers find it difficult to move quickly here.
A few things that added to the difficulty on our hike: we did this on a day where temperatures reached 101°F in Leavenworth. The final five miles to the Snow Lakes trailhead are fully exposed with almost no shade, and on a hot day that stretch feels like hiking through a furnace. We were fit, well-prepared, and had spent five weeks hiking before this, and it still pushed us.
That said, hard doesn’t mean impossible. Thousands of hikers complete the Enchantments thru hike every summer. With the right fitness level, solid preparation, and an early start, this is absolutely achievable. It just needs to be respected.
The most challenging day hike we have done in the USA (so far) is the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim. The Enchantments thru-hike is only slightly easier than hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim as a day hike. For the Enchantments hike, there is more elevation gain and loss, but it is a bit shorter in distance. The thing that makes the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike more difficult is that all of the elevation gain comes at the end of the hike. And temperatures can soar during the summer months.
At the start of the climb up and over the Aasgard Pass.
How Fit Do You Need to Be?
If you plan to thru-hike the Enchantments in one day, you need to be extremely fit, fast, and well-prepared.
If you are doing this as a backpacking trip, you also need to be fit, since you will be hiking with more weight on your back, if you plan to camp along the way.
Before doing this hike, we spent five straight weeks hiking in Colorado and Washington. If you can’t rack up a lot of miles on hiking trail, I recommend going on long distance runs or walks, with distances at least 10 miles, preferably in hilly terrain.
This hike is HARD and you need to make sure you can hike 20 miles through tough terrain.
You also need to have hiking experience. There are no technical sections but it helps to have experience doing big climbs and big descents. This is not a good hike for beginners since it covers such a long distance with so much elevation change.
If you plan to do this hike, you need to be in great physical shape. You should be able to walk at least 10 miles while wearing a backpack with little difficulty. You need to be prepared for lots of elevation change and you also need to be prepared to hike in many different weather conditions, even during the summer months.
What Permits Do You Need?
You can thru-hike the Enchantments (as a day hike) without a wilderness permit.
For any day hikes into the Enchantments, you will need a National Forest Recreation Pass. The day pass, which is essentially a parking pass, costs $5 per vehicle. If you drop a car at each trailhead you will need two of these passes. You can purchase the pass at the trailhead, online in advance, or in sporting goods stores in the Alpine Lakes region. We purchased our passes from Der Sportsman in Leavenworth the day before our hike (the online option wasn’t available at the time). Display your pass in your vehicle (do not take it with you on the hike). Der Sportsman is also a great place to visit the day before your hike if you need any gear, such as a water filter.
If you have an America the Beautiful Pass, you can use this instead of purchasing a National Forest Recreation Pass. On the National Forest Recreation website, the America the Beautiful Pass is called the Interagency Annual Pass. Learn how to display your America the Beautiful Pass here.
Before hiking the trail, you will also have to fill out a Day Use Permit at the trailhead (bring a pen!). One half of the permit gets deposited in the box at your starting point. When you finish your hike, deposit the other half of your permit at the other trailhead. The day use permit is free.
We saw rangers checking hikers for day use permits and overnight permits while we were on the trail.
If you plan to camp overnight in the Enchantments, you must have an Enchantment Area Wilderness Permit. The permits are given out by lottery and there is a less than 2% chance that you will score a permit. This is why so many people thru-hike the Enchantments. To learn more about the permit process, click here.
Isolation Lake
Parking & Transportation
Since the day hike is done point-to-point, with two different endpoints, you will need to arrange some sort of transportation to get you back to your starting point.
As a day hike, it is best to start at the Stuart Lake/Colchuk Lake Trailhead and end at the Snow Lakes Trailhead.
There are several ways to do this.
Drive two cars. If you are lucky enough to live in Washington, and you are hiking with at least one other person, you can drop a car at each trailhead. Drop a car off at the Snow Lakes Trailhead, drive the second car to the Stuart/Colchuk Trailhead, and do the hike. You’ll finish at Snow Lakes. Then, pick up your car at Stuart/Colchuk and drive to Leavenworth or wherever you plan to stay that night. Note: you will need two National Forest Recreation Passes (for a total of $10).
PRO TRAVEL TIP: It takes approximately 30 minutes to drive from one trailhead to the other one.
Rent a second car. This is what we did (we did this hike in July 2020 during COVID-19 and the shuttles were not running on the day of our hike). The closest place to rent a car is in Wenatchee. We rented a car from Enterprise (located at 1153 S Wenatchee Avenue) and had a great experience. We picked up the rental car the day before our hike and returned it after the hike. So, in order to do this, you will need to have spare time before and after your hike to pick up and drop off the rental car. Note: you will need two National Forest Recreation Passes (for a total of $10).
PRO TRAVEL TIP: The road to the Stuart/Colchuck Lake Trailhead is compacted dirt and loose gravel road. Cars were driving on this road without any issues. We recommend a vehicle with tires suitable for an unpaved road, such as you would find with a typical SUV. And make sure you know how to change a flat tire, just in case.
Use the Leavenworth shuttle. If you don’t want the hassle or expense of picking up a rental car, this is a great option. However, the shuttle was not running the day of our hike, leaving us to rent a car. Drop your car at the end of the hike and take the shuttle to the starting point (Colchuk/Stuart Lake). For full details, click here.
Loop Connector Shuttle. This is another shuttle service that will drop you off at the start of your hike, so you only need to leave a car at your exit point. Click here for more information.
Hitch a Ride. After finishing your hike, hitch a ride back to your car. It’s a bit risky, but it works, according to the locals we talked to.
Inspiration Lake
When is the Best Time to Hike the Enchantments?
The best time to hike the Enchantments is from July through October.
In the mid to late summer, the snow has melted. This makes hiking easier and you will be able to see the alpine lakes. However, expect hot temperatures, and on some days temperatures at the lower elevations can climb above 100°F (we know because we hiked the trail on one of these 100° days). For thru-hikers, the longer summer days give you more daylight to complete the hike.
In September, the temperatures begin to cool, although you also have shorter days. In October, the larches turn yellow, adding to beauty of this area, making this a great time to hike the Enchantments.
Before July (depending on weather conditions), the core Enchantments can still be snow covered, making hiking difficult and dangerous in spots. Plus, the lakes will also be snow covered, so this area will look much different from the photos in our post.
We hiked the Enchantments on July 31. The high temperature reached 101 degrees in Leavenworth so it was a very hot day. Temperatures were very pleasant in the Enchantments, but the final hike down from the Snow Lakes to the Snow Lakes parking lot was extremely hot.
Please practice the seven principles of Leave No Trace: plan ahead, stay on the trail, pack out what you bring to the hiking trail, leave areas as you found them, minimize campfire impacts, be considerate of other hikers, and do not approach or feed wildlife.
How to Stay Hydrated
During the summer months, you will most likely drink a minimum of 3 liters of water during the hike. That’s a lot of weight to carry up the Aasgard Pass.
To minimize how much weight you carry, consider bringing a water filter and filtering water directly from the creeks along the trail, of which there are many.
We each have a camelback that we filled with 1.5 liters of water. Once over the Aasgard Pass, we topped off our water, using a water filter, from one of the creeks that we passed.
We used the MSR Trailshot filter, which worked fine for us. It takes some time to hand pump the water from the creek into your water container. The Sawyer One Gallon Gravity Filter and the Katadyn BeFree filters also get good reviews and we’ve used it with great success on other long distance day hikes.
We are also triathletes, and we drink carbohydrate–electrolyte drinks to keep us fueled while exercising in hot conditions. Our go-to brands are Skratch and Precision Fuel.
Nutrition on the Trail
In addition to drinking lots of water, you will also need to take in a lot of calories over the course of the day. It’s better to eat small, frequent snacks than a big meal every few hours. While exercising, it is hard for your body to process a full stomach of food.
Since we hiked during hot conditions, we packed a lot of foods that are high in salt, to prevent us from getting hyponatremia. Hyponatremia is just a fancy word for being low on sodium (salt).
If you take in large amounts of water without replacing your electrolytes, you can suffer from hyponatremia. Plus, in the heat of the day, you will also be losing a lot of your salt in your sweat.
You can replace your electrolytes by frequently eating salty foods as you hike. Once an hour we would take a quick break to eat some salty food…pretzels, beef jerky, and salty potato chips. For lunch we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We also ate several energy bars along the hike (Rx Bars and Kind bars are our favorites).
What Should You Pack for the Enchantments Thru Hike?
- Food: energy bars, beef jerky, pretzels, chips, trail mix, raisins
- Water in a 3 liter Camelback reservoir
- Water Filter
- First Aid Kit
- Petzl Headlamp
- Cell phones (we only had service on the last mile of the hike, just before arriving at the Snow Lakes trailhead)
- Garmin InReach GPS – It lets you send your location and two-way messages from anywhere on the trail, and if things go seriously wrong, you can trigger an SOS to emergency responders. We carry this whenever we go hiking.
- Hiking Poles
- Bug repellent (Very important!! The mosquitos are vicious around the alpine lakes and on the climb up to the Aasgard Pass)
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Hat/Visor
- Lightweight Jacket in the summer; extra layers in spring and fall
- Camera
- Pen (to fill out the permit)
- America the Beautiful Pass, National Forest Recreation Pass or $5 cash to purchase one at the trailhead
Upper Snow Lake
Where to Stay
We stayed in the lovely Bavarian town of Leavenworth. This town sits just outside of the Enchantments and from here it is less than a 10-minute drive to the Snow Lakes Trailhead.
It has a wide range of hotels and restaurants as well as small shops. This is a great place to relax, before and after your hike. Plus, you can visit Der Sportsman, the sporting goods store, for any gear that you might need before your hike.
As for where to eat, Visconti’s serves good Italian food, perfect for carb loading the night before a big hike. Andreas Keller is a Bavarian restaurant that serves sausages, schnitzel and has a wide selection of German beer. Mozart’s Steakhouse also serves very good food and we are a big fan of their cocktails.
In Leavenworth, we stayed at the Bavarian Lodge and it was amazing. It is centrally located so you can walk to the shops and restaurants. Rooms are large, quiet, and comfortable and some offer views over the town. We will stay here again on a future visit to Leavenworth.
Colchuck Lake
Tips for the Enchantments Thru Hike
Hydrate the day before. It’s very important that you start this hike fully hydrated.
Start at sunrise or earlier. This will give you the maximum amount of daylight and let you hike a nice chunk of the trail before it heats up (very important in the summer). Also, parking at both trailheads is extremely limited. We got the last parking space at the Snow Lakes Trailhead at 5 am.
Eat frequently. We ate a snack roughly every hour while hiking. This steady supply of calories kept us fueled up for the duration of the hike.
Don’t forget insect repellent. For us, the mosquitoes were the worst on the climb up the Aasgard Pass and around the alpine lakes. Even with repellent, I ended the hike with lots of bites (mostly on my arms and shoulders…they will bite you through your clothing).
If you dropped a car at your exit point, stock it with snacks and water (either in a cooler or in an insulated water bottle). This is great to have just in case you run out of water towards the end of the hike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Enchantments worth it?
Absolutely. We’ve hiked on six continents and the Enchantments is one of the most spectacular places we’ve ever been on foot. The combination of turquoise alpine lakes, jagged peaks, and sheer wilderness scale is unlike anything else in the United States. Yes, it’s a brutal day. Yes, you will be exhausted. And yes, you will be talking about this hike for years. It is absolutely worth it.
How long does it take to hike the Enchantments in one day?
Most hikers complete the thru hike in 10 to 12 hours, which we’d consider the median range. Strong, fast hikers can finish in 8 to 10 hours. If you plan to spend time at the lakes — and you should, because that’s the whole point — budget toward the longer end. We completed it in 10.5 hours including stops, and we’re fast hikers.
Is a permit required to day hike the Enchantments?
You do not need a wilderness permit to day hike the Enchantments. What you do need is a National Forest Recreation Pass ($5 per vehicle, displayed in your car) and a Day Use Permit, which is free and filled out at the trailhead. Overnight camping is a completely different story — those permits are awarded by lottery and the odds of winning one are less than 2%. It’s the main reason most people visit the Enchantments as a day hike.
Can beginners hike the Enchantments?
We’d strongly advise against it. The Enchantments thru hike is nearly 20 miles with over 5,500 feet of elevation gain and a punishing descent. It’s one of the hardest day hikes in the United States. If your longest hike to date is under 10 miles or you don’t have experience with significant elevation gain, this isn’t the right hike for you. Build up to it. If you’re set on visiting the Enchantments but aren’t ready for the thru hike, consider hiking to Colchuck Lake as a standalone out-and-back — it’s a beautiful destination in its own right and a much more manageable day.
Is the Aasgard Pass dangerous?
It’s not technically dangerous if you stay on the marked route and follow the cairns, but it demands your full attention. The trail is steep, loose, and slippery in spots, and there are consequences for a bad fall.
Are dogs allowed on the Enchantments trail?
Dogs are allowed on the trail but must be kept on a leash at all times within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. That said, think carefully before bringing a dog on the full thru hike. The distance, elevation, rocky terrain, and heat make this a genuinely tough day for dogs.
Plan More of Your Washington Trip
The Enchantments are an unforgettable start or finish to a bigger adventure in Washington state. If you’re building a trip around this hike, we have everything you need.
Our Washington Road Trip Itinerary covers three weeks across Olympic, Rainier, and North Cascades national parks, which is exactly the trip we did the summer we hiked the Enchantments. For more hiking inspiration, our Washington Travel Guide covers the best trails and things to do across the state, with detailed guides on Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades National Parks.
If the Enchantments have you hungry for similarly epic day hikes, we’ve done a few others that are just as memorable. The Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim, Half Dome in Yosemite, and the Routeburn Track in New Zealand are the ones we’d put closest to it in terms of difficulty, scale, and pure wow factor.
If you have any questions about hiking the Enchantments, or if you would like to share your experience, let us know in the comment section below.
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