Do you need a permit to hike the Enchantments through-hike in a single day?

No overnight permit is needed if you complete the through-hike in a day. The lottery only governs camping. Day use is free of quota, which is exactly why the one-day traverse has become the default plan for the thousands of people the lottery turns away.

Respect what you are signing up for, though. The traverse runs about 19 miles point-to-point with 4,500 feet of gain, and most fit hikers need 12 to 15 hours. The crux is Aasgard Pass: roughly 2,000 feet of gain in under a mile of loose rock, hands-and-feet in places, with no maintained trail. After the lakes, the exit is a long 6-plus-mile descent on rocky switchbacks that punishes tired knees.

Logistics: the two trailheads are about 4 miles apart by road, so set a shuttle, stash a bike, or use two cars. Start from the Stuart/Colchuck side to take Aasgard uphill. Parking there fills by 5am on summer weekends, and a Northwest Forest Pass is required. A pre-dawn start (many go at 4am) buys you the Core at golden hour and a daylight finish.

Weekdays see 30 to 40 percent fewer hikers than weekends, which matters on a route this narrow and this popular.