Core Zone Gear Checklist
A Core Zone permit is the only Enchantments permit that lets you sleep in any of the five zones, so people who held one packed for a multi-night loop above treeline, not a single base camp. The reports we read describe long exposed grinds in and out, mosquitoes that peak in July, snowfields that linger into summer, and goats that treat camp as a salt lick. The gear that comes up most is a head net, a day pack for peak side trips, extra water for the hot descent, and a plan for wet feet at one lake crossing.
What shapes your gear on Enchantments Core Zone
- Two ways into the Core
- One guide describes the Aasgard Pass route from the Stuart and Colchuck trailhead as 6 miles and 4,400 feet of gain, with 2,300 feet of that in a single mile. The Snow Lake route is 10 miles with 6,000 feet of gain, and the same guide took 7 hours to hike out in September.
From The Outbound
- What the permit covers
- A Core permit allows camping in any of the 5 permit zones. Group size cannot be raised on a Core permit unless quota is open, and the Forest Service calls that unlikely. All group members must camp together in one site.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments Overnight Permits
- Odds and season
- Overnight permits are required May 15 through October 31. About 75% are drawn in an advanced lottery from February 15 through March 1, and typically fewer than 10% of applicants win. Canceled permits return to Recreation.gov immediately, with no schedule.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments Overnight Permits
- A five-day Core permit trip
- One party with a Core permit logged about 38 miles, 14,000 feet up and 16,000 feet down in 5 days. They camped at Colchuck Lake, west of Perfection Lake, at Isolation Lake and in the meadow below Little Annapurna.
- Snow in the upper basin
- In mid-July 2024 the upper Core still held snow, and many camping areas were snow covered or wet. A party that month found crossings soft and mushy and some melt areas that looked 6 feet deep.
- Sprite Lake sites
- A July 2024 party found a free spot at Sprite Lake easily. They say many sites sit above the toilet, farther from the water, and those have no trees.
- Phone signal
- A guide says you can get a usable signal for a call or text by standing on the large boulder beside Lake Viviane.
From The Outbound
What the agency requires on Enchantments Core Zone
A printed, signed permit and photo ID
The group leader prints the permit from Recreation.gov within 14 days of the start date, signs it and carries it with a photo ID. Every group member carries a copy, and an unsigned permit on a phone is not valid.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments Overnight Permits
A liquid or gas stove, no wood or solid fuel
Fires are banned anywhere above 5,000 feet or within half a mile of a lake. Wood and solid-fuel stoves are banned above 5,000 feet, while butane, propane and white gas stoves are allowed.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments Overnight Permits
A way to hang food
Anything with a smell, including food and toiletries, gets hung while you are in camp. Keep food and trash where bears, mice and other animals cannot get to it, and never leave scraps for wildlife.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
Water treatment
Treat all water by boiling, purification tablets or a filter.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
Toilet kit and a plan for urine
Use the toilets where they exist. Elsewhere dig a hole 6 to 8 inches deep and keep it 200 feet or more from water and campsites. Pack out the paper. Urinate on bare rock or in rock gaps, not on plants or soil, because urine draws goats and can make them aggressive.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
No dog
Dogs and all pets are banned in the permit area. Only service animals as the Department of Justice defines them are allowed.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
What hikers carry on Enchantments Core Zone
Head net and strong repellent
A July 2024 party said the mosquitoes turned absolutely insane in the lower Core and advised face nets and 100% DEET. A July 2020 party found them terrible near Perfection Lake, wore a jacket against the bites, and noted they eased near Isolation Lake and vanished in the wind higher toward Prusik Peak.
From Washington Trails Association: Snow Lakes, Colchuck Lake, The Enchantments (trip report, July 13, 2024) and Washington Trails Association: The Enchantments, Aasgard Pass, Little Annapurna, Dragontail Peak (trip report, July 18, 2020)
A second pair of socks or camp shoes for the Leprechaun Lake crossing
A 2024 party could not cross the water at Leprechaun Lake with dry feet. All of them got wet and changed socks at Lake Viviane before the descent.
A day pack for peak side trips
The 2020 party dropped their overnight packs below Little Annapurna and climbed to Dragontail Peak with day packs. They counted about 4 hours up and 3 coming down. A 2018 group that scrambled with full packs said the scrambling got much more interesting that way.
From Washington Trails Association: The Enchantments, Aasgard Pass, Little Annapurna, Dragontail Peak (trip report, July 18, 2020) and Explore with Alec
Trekking poles for the snow crossings
The 2020 party handled the lone snow crossing near the top of Little Annapurna with trekking poles and no traction devices. The 2024 party advised probing before each step on the mushy snow near fast water.
From Washington Trails Association: The Enchantments, Aasgard Pass, Little Annapurna, Dragontail Peak (trip report, July 18, 2020) and Washington Trails Association: Snow Lakes, Colchuck Lake, The Enchantments (trip report, July 13, 2024)
Four or more liters of water for the Snow Lake descent
A July 2024 hiker left Nada Lake with 4 liters and ran dry a handful of switchbacks before the trailhead. The route is exposed most of the day and the author wrote that you should take far more water than you think you need.
A tent or hammock plan that matches the lake
A hammock sleeper in the 2024 party picked Sprite Lake because it had trees. The sites farther up above the toilet have none. Another party in 2020 found great sites at Isolation Lake and other spots you can build yourself if you wander around.
From Washington Trails Association: Snow Lakes, Colchuck Lake, The Enchantments (trip report, July 13, 2024) and Washington Trails Association: The Enchantments, Aasgard Pass, Little Annapurna, Dragontail Peak (trip report, July 18, 2020)
A swim kit
Parties in 2018 and 2020 swam at Lake Viviane, Inspiration Lake, Isolation Lake and Snow Lake. The 2020 party said Snow Lake was warm enough to float in.
From Explore with Alec and Washington Trails Association: The Enchantments, Aasgard Pass, Little Annapurna, Dragontail Peak (trip report, July 18, 2020)
A paper map of the lakes and peaks
A guide for the Snow Lake route points to a Green Trails map for the lake and peak network. Cairns mark much of the way across the granite above Lake Viviane, and the 2020 party said there is little trail on the Dragontail ridge.
From The Outbound and Washington Trails Association: The Enchantments, Aasgard Pass, Little Annapurna, Dragontail Peak (trip report, July 18, 2020)
A buddy or a plan at the toilet
The 2020 party met one goat near the Little Annapurna meadow that came running whenever someone needed to relieve themselves. They suggest bringing a lookout.
8 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Enchantments Core Zone
Flip-flops as camp shoes on rooty ground
The 2018 author caught a flip-flop on a stump or root and cut open the bottom of a foot, then walked the scrambling route to the Core with the wound wrapped.
From Explore with Alec
Planning to leave the Core in midsummer heat
The 2024 hiker has done the exit in a storm with frozen boots and in 95 degree heat with no breeze and could not say which was worse. The air felt like a blow dryer in the face.
Lower camps when you want Little Annapurna
The 2024 party skipped Little Annapurna because nobody wanted to cross the snow again to reach the trail. Their advice is to base yourself high in the Core and stay there until the peak is done.
A flat, dry spot for a tent
The 2024 party found most upper Core camping areas snow covered or wet in mid-July. Plan for a delayed melt and have a backup site in mind.
Gear questions for Enchantments Core Zone
What does an Enchantments Core Zone permit let you do that other zone permits do not?
It allows camping in any of the 5 permit zones. A permit for another zone lets you camp only in the zone on the permit, though you can day hike anywhere. Group size on a Core permit cannot be raised unless quota is open, which the Forest Service calls unlikely.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments Overnight Permits
Do you need a bear canister in the Enchantments Core Zone?
The Forest Service page we read asks campers to hang food and toiletries and keep them out of reach of bears, mice and other animals. It names no canister rule here, so bring rope and a food bag and check the page again before you go.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
Can you use a wood stove in the Enchantments Core Zone?
No. Wood and solid-fuel stoves are banned above 5,000 feet, and fires are banned above that elevation and within half a mile of a lake. Butane, propane and white gas stoves are allowed.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments Overnight Permits
Are mosquitoes bad in the Enchantments Core Zone?
Parties in July 2020 and July 2024 both called them terrible, with relief from wind and altitude. Pack a head net and strong repellent for July trips.
From Washington Trails Association: Snow Lakes, Colchuck Lake, The Enchantments (trip report, July 13, 2024) and Washington Trails Association: The Enchantments, Aasgard Pass, Little Annapurna, Dragontail Peak (trip report, July 18, 2020)
Can you take a dog into the Enchantments Core Zone?
No. Dogs and all pets are banned in the permit area, except service animals as the Department of Justice defines them.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
Sources
- Enchantments · Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Enchantments Overnight Permits · Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Snow Lakes, Colchuck Lake, The Enchantments (trip report, July 13, 2024) · Washington Trails Association, MafHoney · Trip report
- The Enchantments, Aasgard Pass, Little Annapurna, Dragontail Peak (trip report, July 18, 2020) · Washington Trails Association, J. Porter · Trip report
- Backpacking the Enchantments: Day 2 into the Core · Explore with Alec, Alec Sills-Trausch · Blog
- The Enchantments: Leprechaun Lake via Snow Lake Trailhead · The Outbound, Rose Freeman · Blog