Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington, USA

August 2019

Often referred to as the most beautiful place to backpack in the Pacific Northwest, The Enchantments in the Central Cascades’ Alpine Lakes Wilderness is a collection of breathtaking, blue-green glacier-carved lakes that dot the high alpine landscape for miles.  Reaching this otherworldly scenery requires advanced hiking skills, scrambling over boulders, and lots of endurance.  At 18 miles, this through-hike can be done in 1 day but it is not recommended.  Between May 15-Oct 31, permits are required for any overnight camping in any of the 5 Enchantment areas and can be obtained from the Leavenworth Ranger Station via lottery starting in February, or in-person.  More information can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/okawen/passes-permits/recreation/?cid=fsbdev3_053607

To complete this as a through-hike, if you have the luxury to you can use 2 vehicles, leaving one at your endpoint TH and driving the other to your starting point.  Alternatively, there are private shuttle services that run out of the city of Leavenworth. We used the Leavenworth Shuttle service, which met us at the Snow Lakes parking lot at 6am and drove us up to the Stuart Lakes TH about 35 minutes later, at the cost of $40 for 2 people and sparing us almost two thousand feet of elevation gain.  The Enchantments can be approached two ways: via the long, gradual 5000′ ascent of the Snow Lake Trail, or the shorter, steeper ascent out of the Stuart Lake trailhead.   We chose the latter, mainly because, while the ascent is much steeper (1900′ in less than 1 mile up Asgard Pass), the overall elevation gain would be nearly 2000′ less than starting at Snow Lake TH.

It is important to note that this wilderness area is entirely run by the Forest Service. The trail is not maintained like the trails you would find at a national, state, or even county park. Thus, it is quite easy to lose the trail once you are out of the forest. Please download a GPS map prior to this hike and pay attention to the cairns in the higher elevations (although at times there are cairns all over the place due to hikers creating their own routes). We consulted our GPS map throughout the 2 days we spent on the trail to make sure we were headed in the right direction.

Our hike began as a gradual ascent through lush forest in the crisp, early morning sunshine. At the first trail junction, we veered left and up the Colchuck Lake Trail as the scenery began to open up around us.  Colchuck Lake is beautiful, and an excellent place to camp if you are unable to get permits for the Core. 

After precariously crossing a large boulder field at the southern foot of the lake, we started our sharp and very steep ascent of Asgaard pass.  This is where we donned our knee braces,, changed into shorts, and packed away our hiking poles.  It was helpful to have our hands free, as several sections of the ascent require scrambling.  It is very easy to lose the trail here, because cairns are scattered everywhere.  Pick a line and follow it up, staying to the left of the outlet creek as it tumbles down the mountain side. While ascending, be sure to stop and take photos, admire the view, and keep an eye out for mountain goats along the way. Towards the top of the climb we crossed the outlet creek at the base of a few small waterfalls.  Once the 1900′ climb is over, you will be rewarded with breathtaking views of Colchuck Lake, Dragon’s Tail, and the surrounding peaks.

With the uphill scramble behind us, we took our time exploring the barren landscape of the upper Enchantment Lakes basin. The scenery was reminiscent of California’s High Sierras, with numerous glacier fed lakes and streams flanked by tall granite peaks. Tranquil and Isolation Lakes dominate the upper basin, connected by many small streams and waterfalls. We found a snow field to “ice our sore knees” in, as well as a chilly stream to soad our tired feet.

The rest of the day was spent meandering mostly downhill, roughly following Snow Creek past countless clear, blue-green lakes and deciduous Larch trees. It is in this basin that we wished we had days to explore, in order to fully take in the beauty of this place.

Lake Viviane was the last of the Enchantment Lakes that was visible from the trail. With Prusik Peak looming above, it is a sight to behold. Once we crossed Snow Creek, right above the waterfall, we began our rocky descent down to Snow Lake where we had an overnight camping permit.

After spending a restful night at Snow Lake, we followed the trail for 8 miles at a consistent decline through a few boulder fields, lush mountain meadows, and thick forest all the way to the trailhead.