Enchantments Thru Gear Checklist
The Enchantments traverse runs about 20 miles from the Stuart Lake trailhead over Aasgard Pass, through the Core lakes and down the long descent to the Snow Lakes trailhead. Aasgard decides most of the gear list: the Forest Service says it often holds snow well past late June and is not advised without steep-snow gear, and trip reports from June and the fall larch season show why. Fires are banned above 5,000 feet, so a gas stove is the only way to cook, and every group member carries a copy of the signed paper permit.
What shapes your gear on the Enchantments
- Aasgard Pass snow
- The Forest Service says the pass usually melts out by late June, often stays snowy much later, and keeps patches all year. Hidden rocks, creeks and waterfalls under the snow make it most dangerous then.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
- Fire and cooking
- No fires above 5,000 feet or within half a mile of any lake. Stoves that burn wood or solid fuel are banned above 5,000 feet. Gas stoves (butane, propane, white gas) are allowed.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments Overnight Permits
- Water
- The Forest Service says to boil, filter or use tablets on all water. Hikers find plenty at Colchuck Lake and the Core lakes, little on Aasgard itself, and say to use Lower Snow Lake when Upper Snow Lake's banks are hard to reach in the fall.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments and Washington Trails Association: Trip report: solo Enchantments thru-hike in larch season, October 2018
- Goats
- Mountain goats seek out human urine. The Forest Service asks hikers to pee on bare rock, not soil or plants, and never in camp, and to hang food and scented items.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments and Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Aasgard Pass and Colchuck Lake, June 2022
- Length of the day
- A solo hiker in good fall weather took 10 hours for about 20 miles. A group breaking trail through fresh snow took almost 21 hours.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: solo Enchantments thru-hike in larch season, October 2018 and Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Enchantments thru-hike in fresh snow, September 2019
What the agency requires on the Enchantments
A signed paper permit for each person, and the leader's photo ID
Permit holders print the permit on Recreation.gov, read and sign it, and carry it with a photo ID. Every group member must carry a copy, and an unsigned permit on a phone is not valid.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments Overnight Permits
A gas stove, if you plan to cook
Fires are banned above 5,000 feet and within half a mile of lakes, and wood or solid-fuel stoves are banned above 5,000 feet. Liquid or canister gas stoves are allowed.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments Overnight Permits
A parking pass on the dashboard
Cars must show a Northwest Forest Pass, an America the Beautiful pass, or the overnight parking pass that comes with the permit, including cars parked along the road.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
A trowel and a way to pack out toilet paper
Where there is no toilet, the Forest Service says to bury waste in a hole 6 to 8 inches deep, 200 feet or more from water and campsites. The Forest Service asks you to pack out toilet paper.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
Everything you brought in
All trash, gear and property must leave with you, and gear may not sit unattended for more than 48 hours.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
What hikers carry on the Enchantments
Microspikes
Trip reports from June and October carry them for the snow on Aasgard. One June party found the afternoon snow too soft for crampons and called spikes the right tool. A fall solo hiker carried them and did not need them over a light dusting.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Aasgard Pass and Colchuck Lake, June 2022, Washington Trails Association: Trip report: solo Enchantments thru-hike in larch season, October 2018 and Washington Trails Association: Trip report: three days over Aasgard Pass, July 2011
An ice axe in snow season
Hikers on snowy Aasgard say the axe gave purchase on the bigger steps going up and made a controlled slide possible on the lower third going down.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Aasgard Pass and Colchuck Lake, June 2022, Washington Trails Association: Trip report: three days over Aasgard Pass, July 2011 and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
Trekking poles with snow baskets
Used on the snowfields of the pass and the long rocky descent to Snow Lakes.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Aasgard Pass and Colchuck Lake, June 2022 and Washington Trails Association: Trip report: three days over Aasgard Pass, July 2011
Gaiters and waterproof boots in snow
A 2011 party recommended gaiters unless you like wet boots. A fall party that spent 15 hours in wet snow said waterproof boots and thick socks mattered most, after one hiker's foot went numb.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: three days over Aasgard Pass, July 2011 and Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Enchantments thru-hike in fresh snow, September 2019
Two pairs of gloves
In fall snow one hiker's insulated waterproof gloves soaked through and froze, and the spare fleece gloves were what kept working.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Enchantments thru-hike in fresh snow, September 2019
Sunglasses, lip balm and sunscreen
Sun off snow in the Core is intense, and hikers list eye and lip protection first.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Enchantments thru-hike in fresh snow, September 2019
Layers up to a down jacket and a rain shell
Weather in the basin turns fast in the shoulder seasons. A fall party carried a base layer, fleece, down jacket, insulated soft shell and a hard shell, and used them on a 20-hour day.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Enchantments thru-hike in fresh snow, September 2019 and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
A water filter and more water than you expect
A fall hiker started with 75 ounces of water, filtered another 50 and still ran short on a long snowy day.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Enchantments thru-hike in fresh snow, September 2019 and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
A shuttle booking between trailheads
The traverse ends at a different trailhead from where it starts. Solo hikers book the trailhead shuttle that runs from Snow Lakes to the Stuart Lake trailhead before dawn.
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 the Enchantments
Heavy packs over Aasgard
A 2011 group carrying packs of 50 pounds or more took 6.5 hours just to reach the base of the pass and 7 more to climb it.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: three days over Aasgard Pass, July 2011
Too little snow gear
The same 2011 group went without crampons or rope and were glad one person had a long ice axe. They saw a search for a hiker who had fallen through the snow into a hidden creek, and urged others to learn proper technique first.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: three days over Aasgard Pass, July 2011 and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments
Three pairs of socks worn at once
One hiker wore every pair together for warmth and found it left too little room in the boots. Better boots for long snow contact would have helped more.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Enchantments thru-hike in fresh snow, September 2019
Electrolytes instead of plain water
A fall group leaned on electrolyte tablets and later felt they should have drunk more plain water.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Enchantments thru-hike in fresh snow, September 2019
Assuming someone else told the group what to bring
One trip leader's advice is to make sure every member knows the gear list and the conditions, rather than expecting someone else to have explained it.
From Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Enchantments thru-hike in fresh snow, September 2019
Gear questions for the Enchantments
Do you need microspikes for the Enchantments thru-hike?
Often, yes. Aasgard Pass usually holds snow into late June and often longer, and June and October trip reports carry microspikes. In a dry late summer hikers sometimes carry them unused.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments, Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Aasgard Pass and Colchuck Lake, June 2022 and Washington Trails Association: Trip report: solo Enchantments thru-hike in larch season, October 2018
Can you have a campfire in the Enchantments?
No. Fires are banned above 5,000 feet and within half a mile of any lake. Bring a gas stove.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments Overnight Permits
Can I show my permit for the Enchantments on my phone?
No. The permit must be printed, read and signed, and every group member carries a copy. The leader also carries photo ID.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments Overnight Permits
Do I need an ice axe for the Enchantments?
When Aasgard has snow, the Forest Service does not advise the pass for hikers who are not equipped for steep snow, and hikers who carried an axe say it helped on the climb and the descent.
From Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Enchantments and Washington Trails Association: Trip report: Aasgard Pass and Colchuck Lake, June 2022
Sources
- Enchantments · Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Enchantments Overnight Permits · Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Trip report: Aasgard Pass and Colchuck Lake, June 2022 · Washington Trails Association · Trip report
- Trip report: Enchantments thru-hike in fresh snow, September 2019 · Washington Trails Association · Trip report
- Trip report: solo Enchantments thru-hike in larch season, October 2018 · Washington Trails Association · Trip report
- Trip report: three days over Aasgard Pass, July 2011 · Washington Trails Association · Trip report