Hiking The Enchantments: Complete Guide, Details & Pictures.
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We woke up at 2:30 a.m. ready for our day hike through The Enchantments, a famous and difficult hiking trail. We left our motel room at 3 a.m. which was located right in downtown Leavenworth, Washington. We dropped off one car at Snow Lake on our way to the Stuart Lake/Colchuck trailhead. To save time, we had filled out the day permit beforehand.
We started our day hike through The Enchantments at exactly 4:00 a.m. At some point on our way to Colchuck Lake, Mr. Right asked me to turn off my headlamp and look up. And oh, the skyline was spectacular. The Milky Way was in its full glory. We stargazed and soaked up the wonders of the night sky and enjoyed this special moment of solitude in the darkness. We hiked for two hours and ten minutes in total darkness to Colchuck Lake and it was a thrill.
We arrived Colchuck Lake just before sunrise, enjoyed a quick snack and continued on our day hike through The Enchantments. Because we had an early head start, the sun was not yet shining on Aasgard Pass at the time we were ascending. The temperature was hovering around freezing. The route from Colchuck Lake to the Enchantments is fairly easy to follow, just be on the lookout for the cairns (markers). But, as you might have heard from other reviews, climbing Aasgard Pass is no easy task. You’ll be scrabbling over large boulders with your hands and feet.
After two hours of going through Aasgard pass, we made it to The Enchantments. The weather was spectacular, blue skies with tiny white clouds floating here and there. The leaves were turning yellow and the weather was beautiful. In fact, we spotted one mountain goat on his/her own and later in the day of our hike we spotted a mama goat and a kid.
On Sunday, the day before our hike to The Enchantments, it had rained in Leavenworth which explained why half way half way through the aasgard pass, we came through patches of snow. Oh yes, aasgard pass was very challenging. For me, I was more scared of how high we were more than being tired. Bring an extra layer of clothes even if you don’t think you will need it, it was cold.
Though the grounded was snow covered throughout The Enchantments trail, the weather turned out in our favor. It was a beautiful sunny day.
We had brought a water filter, but didn’t need to fill it up on water. And for a more adventurous trip, we decided to car camp after our long day hike through The Enchantments. We drove back home to Seattle the following morning. I hope this “day hike through The Enchantments” guide helps you plan your hiking adventure. Have fun and happy hiking #travelwithirine
Pro Tip: Fill out the day permit a head of time to avoid wasting time the day of the hike.
Pro Tip: If you haven’t hiked The Enchantments before, it’s probably best to first do a day hike to Colchuck before your day hike through The Enchantments, so you are familiar with the trail and won’t get lost on the big day.
Post Hike Indulgence: A few drinks at the South in Leavenworth
Parking Pass: You will need a Northwest Forest pass for the car you will leave at the Stuart/Colchuck Trailhead and a day pass for the car that you will leave at Snow Lake that morning (or vice versa). Both of these can be purchased at the Ranger Station in Leavenworth. I bought mine at a Big 5 Sporting Goods store, and you can also buy both parking passes at REI in Seattle, Washington.
STATS
14 hours car to car
3:40 a.m. at Stuart Lake TH
4:00 a.m. Start Time from TH
6:10 a.m. Colchuck Lake view point (1h10m)
7:11 a.m. Boulder field/Aasgard Pass
10:15 a.m. Upper Enchantments
5:40 p.m. Back at the Snow Lake TH
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