Enchantments Through-Hike: Permit Logistics for Peak Larch Season

The Enchantments through-hike is 18 miles point-to-point, and the numbers don't lie about what you're signing up for: roughly 4,500 feet of gain packed mostly into the first half if you go up Aasgard Pass from Colchuck Lake, then a long, more gradual descent down through Snow Lakes to the Stuart Lake trailhead. It's one route, but it feels like three different hikes stitched together — a steep lake approach, a brutal boulder-scramble pass, and then miles of alpine lake-hopping before you drop back into forest. This permit runs on Recreation.gov's lottery system (permit #233273), not a first-come rolling release, so if you're reading this hoping to snag dates for early October, your best shot was the spring lottery window. Cancellations and re-releases do happen, so it's worth checking back, but don't count on it as a plan. Cost is $5 per person per night and the daily quota across the zone system caps at 150 people, which sounds like a lot until you realize that's spread across a narrow trail corridor and a handful of designated camp zones during the single most popular week of the year. Early October is larch season — the alpine larches turn a bright gold that draws hikers from all over, which is exactly why this window is worth planning around and exactly why it's the hardest time to get a permit. If you land dates in this stretch, expect the trail and camps to be busy the entire way, even with the quota system working as intended. Conditions-wise, this is shoulder season at high elevation, which means you get both worlds. Lower trail sections stay dry and dusty most days, but up around Aasgard Pass and through the core lakes basin you can hit ice, frozen puddles, or leftover snow patches, especially in morning shade. The pass itself is a scramble over loose rock and boulders with no switchbacks — it's slow going even in good conditions, and wet or icy rock turns it into a different kind of workout. Plan to climb it later in the morning once the sun has hit it if you can. Water is not a concern in terms of availability — you're walking past lake after lake — but there's no water report data specific to flow or turbidity for this window, so treat everything you collect, no exceptions. Nights at elevation drop near or below freezing this time of year, so pack like it, even if the trailhead was pushing 60 degrees F when you started. Common mistakes people make on this route: underestimating how long Aasgard Pass actually takes, showing up without traction devices when the pass is glazed over, and not realizing that zone permits restrict you to camping only in your assigned area — you can't just wing it if your preferred camp is full. Also budget real daylight for this hike. With an 18-mile traverse and a slow, technical middle section, plenty of parties end up finishing legs in the dark if they start too late or misjudge the pass. — Compiled by the PermitSnag team from agency info, ranger updates, and public trip logs.