Enchantments Thru Permit: Route and Dates
Enchantments Thru permits are drawn by lottery in The Enchantments. The route covers 18 miles.
Twenty-four people a day are allowed into the Core Enchantment Zone. Sixteen of those places come from one February lottery, and the other eight from a daily lottery you have to be standing inside the geofence to enter.
This guide covers the Enchantments Through-Hike permit.
Under 10% (USFS, all zones)
Lottery Odds
$6 non-refundable lottery application + $5 per person per day
Permit Cost
3-4 days for the Core Zone, per the Forest Service
Duration
18 miles
Distance
4,500'
Elevation Gain
About Enchantments Thru
The Enchantments through-hike crosses the Enchantment Permit Area in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, from the Stuart/Colchuck trailhead over Aasgard Pass and out through the Snow Lakes drainage. Nobody issues a permit for the traverse itself. Recreation.gov sells this permit area by ZONE, and the permit names the zone you camp in and the date you enter: "Once a permit reservation is made, no changes may be made to the permit zone or entry date." So a traverse is covered by Colchuck, the Core, or Snow - whichever one you spend the night in. Walk it in a day and there is no lottery at all. The Forest Service asks only that "Day users need only fill out a free day-use permit, available at any of the three trailheads accessing the Enchantment Permit Area," plus a Northwest Forest Pass to park. Everyone entering overnight between May 15 and October 31 needs a zone permit; from November 1 to May 15 they are not required and visitors self-register at the trailhead. Permits come by lottery, and there are two. The advanced lottery runs February 15 to March 1, with results on March 17 and payment due by March 31 at 11:59 pm PT; anything unclaimed goes back into the advance reservation system on April 1 at around 7 am PT. The daily lottery runs seven days a week through the season, one day ahead, and you have to be inside the geofence area on a mobile device to apply. The Core Enchantment Zone is capped at 24 people per day - 16 through the advanced lottery, 8 through the daily lottery. The other zones are allocated by group: Snow Lakes five per night, Stuart Lake four, Colchuck Lake three, Eightmile/Caroline three, with one permit from each zone held back for the daily lottery. Maximum group size is eight everywhere, including stock. A Core Zone permit is the only one that lets you camp in any zone. Everyone else camps only in the zone printed on the permit, though day use across zones is fine. The Forest Service recommends the Core for experienced hikers prepared for arduous travel and all weather conditions, and says visitors typically plan at least three or four days.
The Enchantments permit is allocated by people, not by groups - the Forest Service is explicit that Core Zone entry is by people, not group. That is why it is the hardest overnight permit in Washington: a party of four does not take one of 24 slots, it takes four of them. The Forest Service's own framing is that demand for overnight permits far exceeds the number available.
The Enchantments Thru route
- Distance
- 18 miles
- Route type
- point-to-point
- Elevation gain
- 4,500 ft
- High point
- 7,800 ft
- Low point
- 1,600 ft
- Trip length
- 3-4 days for the Core Zone, per the Forest Service
- Difficulty
- expert
Entry points: Core Enchantment Zone — Stuart Lake Trailhead, Colchuck Zone — Stuart Lake Trailhead, Snow Zone — Snow Lakes Trailhead
Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Central Cascades. Nearest town: Leavenworth, WA
Points along the route
- Stuart/Colchuck Lake TrailheadMile 0, 3,399 ft
- Colchuck LakeMile 4.08, 5,500 ft
- Aasgard PassMile 5.64, 7,826 ft
- Core Enchantment ZoneMile 7, 7,208 ft
- Snow LakesMile 10.89, 5,433 ft
- Snow Lakes TrailheadMile 17.92, 1,370 ft
Enchantments Thru permit detailsandAll The Enchantments permits
The Experience
Above Colchuck Lake the trail stops being a trail and becomes a boulder field tipped on end - that is Aasgard Pass, and it is the reason people who day-hike this end up walking the last hours in the dark. Over the top, the ground opens into a chain of alpine lakes with larches and mountain goats and nowhere to hide from weather. Then you drop 6,000 feet through the Snow Lakes side to get out.
The classic through-hike goes in at the Stuart/Colchuck Lake trailhead, climbs past Colchuck Lake to Aasgard Pass, crosses the Core Enchantment Zone, and descends the Snow Lakes drainage to the Snow Lakes trailhead outside Leavenworth. Recreation.gov describes the area as rugged glaciated peaks and a series of lakes ranging from 4,400 to 7,800 feet, with lower trails forested and the upper lakes fully alpine.
As a permit, it is five zones: Core Enchantment, Snow Lake, Colchuck Lake, Stuart Lake and Eightmile/Caroline. Your permit names one zone and you camp only in that zone - unless you hold a Core permit, in which case you may camp in any of the five. Day use is allowed across zones regardless.
The Forest Service recommends the Core Zone for experienced hikers who are prepared for arduous travel and all weather, and says visitors typically plan at least three or four days for the trip. The alternative is a permit for Colchuck or Snow Lakes with a day trip up into the Core - which is a genuinely easier permit to get.
What to Expect
Point-to-point: in at Stuart/Colchuck, out at Snow Lakes, so you need a shuttle or two cars
24 people per day in the Core Enchantment Zone - 16 from the February lottery, 8 from the daily lottery
Zone-by-zone group quotas: Snow Lakes 5, Stuart Lake 4, Colchuck Lake 3, Eightmile/Caroline 3 per night
One permit from each zone is reserved for the daily lottery
Maximum group size 8, and one permit per person per zone annually
Camp only in your permit zone - unless you hold a Core permit, which allows any zone
Lakes from 4,400 to 7,800 feet; the upper basin is fully alpine
Maximum stay 14 days
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Permit Requirements
A permit is required for overnight use from May 15 through October 31, and it is issued for one zone and one entry date: "Once a permit reservation is made, no changes may be made to the permit zone or entry date"
There is no through-hike permit. Recreation.gov publishes no such product for this area, only its five zones
Day users "need only fill out a free day-use permit, available at any of the three trailheads accessing the Enchantment Permit Area", plus a Northwest Forest Pass to park
Core Zone entry is allocated by people, not groups - a party of four uses four of the 24 daily places
Group size cannot be increased on a Core permit after the lottery, and individuals cannot be added later
Maximum group size is eight, including stock; two permits cannot be combined to make a larger group
You must enter on the exact date on your permit or it is not valid, and you may not exit and re-enter on a different date
Camp only in the zone on your permit; Core permit holders may camp in any zone
All group members must start on the reserved date and camp with the permit holder
The signed permit and photo ID must be carried; permits on cell phones are not valid for the advanced lottery
Dogs and all pets are prohibited, except service dogs as defined by DOJ regulations
No campfires above 5,000 feet or within half a mile of any lake - which is most of the permit area. Wood-burning stoves are not allowed either
Maximum stay is 14 days, and one permit per person per zone annually including serving as an alternate
Camp only in previously impacted sites - do not move rocks, build walls or disturb soil
Gear & Preparation
Required Gear
- •A stove, because fires are prohibited above 5,000 feet and within half a mile of any lake
- •Water treatment - the Forest Service calls this a high-use area and says to boil, treat or filter everything
- •Traction and the skills for steep snow if you go in May, June, September or October; Aasgard Pass is where people have died glissading into creeks and holes in the snowpack
- •Your signed paper permit and photo ID
- •The free Overnight Visitor Parking Pass, displayed on your dashboard
Recommended Gear
- •WAG bags for the shoulder seasons, when the toilets are under snow. Pack them out - do not put them in the toilets
- •Trekking poles for Aasgard and the 6,000-foot descent out through Snow Lakes
- •Warm layers even in August; the upper lakes sit near 7,800 feet
- •A trowel for cat holes six to eight inches deep, at least 200 feet from water and campsites
- •A shuttle plan, or a second car at the Snow Lakes trailhead
Hazards & Safety
Aasgard Pass. The Forest Service says it is not advised for hikers not prepared and equipped for steep snow travel, and that in recent years hikers have died after glissading and falling into a creek or hole in the snowpack
Steep snow slopes with exposed and hidden creeks and waterfalls beneath them
Shoulder-season weather - May, June, September and October regularly bring snow and winter-like conditions
Habituated mountain goats. The Forest Service asks you not to approach, feed or pose with them, and not to urinate on vegetation or in campsites because the salt draws them in
Primitive, steep and rocky trail throughout; the area is high use but the trails are not built for it
Long descent out - the Snow Lakes side drops thousands of feet with a full pack
Best Time to Visit
Late July through September. The permit season runs May 15 to October 31, but Recreation.gov specifically calls May, June, September and October shoulder seasons where visitors can expect snow and winter-like conditions. Late September and early October bring the larches, which is why those dates are the most contested in the lottery. Outside the permit season, from November 1 to May 15, no permit is required and you self-register at the trailhead - but that is a snow-travel objective, not a backpacking one.
Pro Tips
April 1 at 7 am PT is the second lottery nobody talks about. Every unclaimed award from the February draw goes back into the advance reservation system that morning.
Apply for a Colchuck or Snow Lakes permit as your backup. Those are allocated by group, so a party of four competes for one slot instead of four of the Core's 24 - and a Core day trip from either is entirely normal.
Pick your minimum acceptable Core group size carefully on the application. You cannot add people afterwards, at all, and the Forest Service says so twice.
Cancellations refund up to 22 days out and nothing inside 21, so that 22-day mark is when permits come back into the system.
Your permit must be printed and signed. A permit on a phone is not valid for the advanced lottery and will not be accepted.
Sort the car shuttle before you sort the food. A through-hike ends 12 road miles from where it started.
100+ wilderness permits, extensive backcountry experience
This guide is based on personal experience obtaining wilderness permits and is regularly updated to reflect current policies and strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a Enchantments Thru permit?
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Enchantments Thru permits are distributed through a lottery system. Apply during the lottery window, and if you're not selected, check for cancellations as they become available.
When is the best time to visit Enchantments Thru?
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Late July through September. The permit season runs May 15 to October 31, but Recreation.gov specifically calls May, June, September and October shoulder seasons where visitors can expect snow and winter-like conditions. Late September and early October bring the larches, which is why those dates are the most contested in the lottery. Outside the permit season, from November 1 to May 15, no permit is required and you self-register at the trailhead - but that is a snow-travel objective, not a backpacking one.
How long is the Enchantments Thru route?
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The route is 18 miles, as a point-to-point.
How difficult is the Enchantments Thru route?
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The Forest Service's own answer: experienced hikers prepared for arduous travel and all weather conditions. Aasgard Pass with an overnight pack is the crux, and the trails throughout are primitive, steep and rocky.
Where does the Enchantments Thru route start?
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The permit covers 3 entry points: Core Enchantment Zone — Stuart Lake Trailhead, Colchuck Zone — Stuart Lake Trailhead, Snow Zone — Snow Lakes Trailhead.
What if I don't win the Enchantments Thru lottery?
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Cancellations happen regularly. Use PermitSnag to monitor availability and get alerts when spots open up. You can also check for walk-up permits or consider similar alternatives in the area.
Don't Miss Your Enchantments Thru Permit
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