By Mariah Cannon
Washington state’s gem of a mountain area is known as the Enchantments and if you don’t already have it on your list or know about them; it is one of the most sought after wilderness areas in probably the whole PNW. Getting a permit to overnight backpack in the Enchantments is nearly a once in a lifetime happening. At the beginning of each year, permits applications are opened up and are based on a lottery system and announced at the beginning of March. At any given time, only 60 overnight permits are granted. This is one of those permits that, if you get it, you go whenever your dates are for regardless of work & life haha!
I have personally tried for 5 years and this year I was still unsuccessful, however a friend I met through Hiker Babes, Michelle, won permits for a few people and invited me to go and of course my answer was YES! So I spent the last 4 months patiently waiting for August 11th to come around… And now it’s here and gone and I am so fulfilled with joy, but also sad that it went by so quick and I wish I could be out there again.
You can day hike the Enchantments so long as you’re out of the area before nightfall! Rangers are in the area checking permits for backpackers, so make sure you’re all set to avoid fines and to recreate responsibly!
Where Exactly are the Enchantments?
Located in Washington, 140 miles East of Seattle lies the most gorgeous PNW mountain landscapes. The nearest town to the hiking area is Leavenworth, WA – A popular Bavarian styled town that draws in millions of visitors each year. Most of the hiking trails in the Enchantments are quite literally 15-30 minutes outside of the town. The Alpine Lakes Wilderness is the wilderness that the Enchantments fall in and it’s just shy of 400,000 acres with over 700 lakes and ponds and is home to once again, some of the most rugged mountain terrain in Washington.
This is a popular area during Christmas time between the snow the area gets and the decorations throughout the town; it’s a Holiday lovers dream!
Colchuck Lake Zone
The Colchuck Lake Zone, the most popular for day hiking, is about 87 acres total and has a massive lake basin. Starting at the Stuart/Colchuck Lake trailhead, it’s 4.3ish miles up to Colchuck with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain, most of it being in the last mile. The trail itself feels pretty easy going up, however there are lots of roots, rocks, and large steps up that take the energy out of you pretty quick. After 2 miles, you come to an intersection where you can continue onto Stuart Lake or take a left and cross a foot bridge over Mountaineer Creek up to Colchuck. Along the way up there’s tons of viewpoints of the nearby Stuart Lake Zone area and the surrounding valley. There are about 10-12 campsites once you arrive to the lake, some are on the right side of the trail away from the water and some are right on the water.
We were lucky enough to score, in our opinion, the best campsite in the whole area; right on the water, with a few nice sitting and jumping rocks, making swimming and relaxing so enjoyable. I highly recommend getting into Colchuck as early as possible to snag a good campsite, we arrived on a Sunday morning to find a lot of people continuing on their trek/leaving the area, which was ideal.
You’ll know once you’ve arrived at your highpoint to Colchuck, because you’ll begin to see Dragontail Peak come into view, a massive mountain peak sitting at 8,842 feet that makes you feel like an ant. It is absolutely epic.
The lake stays a cold 40-50 degrees in the Summer months and is refreshing after hiking all day! A small lake nearby is Little Colchuck which is a bit murkier, but still fun to swim in and get pictures by.
Now you may be wondering, what’s the toilet situation in this area? Well, since it is a very popular area and we want to keep it as clean and protected as possible – the U.S. Forest Service implemented a pit toilet system to help keep human waste and non biodegradable products out of the forest. It’s literally a wooden box with a lid over a large whole dug into the ground. I guarantee it’s the best toilet view you’ll ever have in your life! You’ll see signs throughout the whole Enchantment’s area that say “Toilet” and it’ll typically be a small trail that leads to a somewhat private area to do your business. Hope your comfortable with pooping in the open!
Stuart Lake Zone
On our second day in the area, we made the trek back down the Colchuck Lake trail to the intersection I mentioned earlier to make our way to Stuart Lake and then after that making a scramble up to Horseshoe Lake.
The Stuart Lake trail is a rather gradual incline through some forested areas as well as some breathtaking meadows. The first thing that’s noticeable on this trail is the vegetation; there is so much more greenery, flowers, and bugs than on the other side of the valley. We came across lots of Pink Paintbrush, Purple daisies, some yellow flowers, and tons of Fireweed. I’d never seen so much in one area in my entire life (I almost cried). Up to Stuart Lake is relatively easy and the lake itself isn’t super pretty and clear, but the mountain views behind it are insane.
Once you begin making the way to Horseshoe Lake, the trail is unmaintained past Stuart. There will be some route finding involved along with loads of downed trees to climb both over and under. This is where all of the Fireweed starts, in fact in some areas it’s over growing onto the trail, making it near impossible to not bump into them. You will come across a large meadow on your left that totally looks like a bear should be grazing in, keep an eye out for sure!
After the meadow, you’ll start gaining your elevation – it is straight up and very unmaintained, but not unmanageable. As you climb about 1,200 feet in a mile, you’ll gain sweeping views of the valley below and the opposite side of the mountains seen from Colchuck. Once you get up almost to Horseshoe, you’ll have some big boulders to navigate and a few false summits, but a rewarding and breathtaking small Alpine Lake! I unfortunatley was gassed and made it about a 1/4 mile from Horseshoe before I had to stop, however Emily and Michelle kept going and gave me the rundown on it!
It was incredibly hard for me to not make it, but my body was shutting down after an anemic episode (probably should remember my supplements next time…). I bawled like a baby after they went on up out of sight, but eventually came to terms with the fact that I wouldn’t have made it back down if I continued and enjoyed the views I did get to see. Definitely the prettiest place I’ve cried lol… A good reminder that it is okay to not make it all the way on hikes, we’re human – it happens, know your body and come back and conquer it in the future!
What an epic trip. 23.2 miles and 5,500 feet of elevation gain over 2 1/2 days. Lots of lake jumps, picture taking, and relaxation happened!
Things to Look Out For
Mountain goats! During July-September it’s kid season for them, so keep an eye out for babies and remember to keep your distance and avoid putting yourself between the momma and baby. The goats love the salt in urine, so if you pee close to your campsite, you could expect some visitors!
Deer frequent the more wooded areas throughout the Enchantments, keep an eye out for them and you might capture some magical shots!
Picas, Marmots, and very hungry chipmunks frequent the areas as well. You’ll most likely catch some Picas in the boulder areas. Rangers recommend hanging your food to keep the critters out!
Very rarely should you see a Black Bear while hiking the Enchantments, but they are in the area. The will mostly be found in the forested areas/areas with lots of shade, grazing options, and water. Black bears typically don’t want anything to do with people, but keep your eyes open and I always like to carry Bear Spray with me while I’m in the backcountry as it can be used in several different situations as a self defense mechanism.
Other Day Hikes to Check Out Nearby
- Eightmile Lake Trail, Moderate
- Lake Caroline & Windy Pass Trail, Difficult
- Prusik Pass Trail, Moderate
- Snow Lakes Trail, Difficult
- OR the Whole Enchantments Traverse, Difficult
Enjoy this Blog? Save it for your future trip to Washington!
Let’s Get Adventuring!
Mariah
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