You must camp at your permit location, but you can take day trips to any of the zones. If you begin at the Stuart Lake Trailhead and go up by way of Colchuck Lake and Aasgard Pass, you’ll have 6,000 vertical feet of elevation gain and 7,800 vertical feet of elevation loss. The 2020 overnight Enchantments permit lottery is conducted online and opens on February 15, 2019 at 12:01 am PT. The trail was well marked with Cairns and became more visible as we exited the Core zone and entered Snow Zone. Snow Lakes into the Core was phenomenal. Descend towards Snow Lakes, right around the corner from Lake Viviane, The Enchantments Before long, we reached the Snow Lakes zone, and passed by the beautiful Snow Lakes: The hike was taking us lower and lower in altitude, and with the … It is a mountainous landscape full of gorgeous alpine lakes and curious wildlife. Permits are won through a lottery every spring. The three most popular zones are the Snow Zone (from Icicle Creek up to Snow Lakes), the Colchuck Zone (the area surrounding Colchuck Lake) and the Core Enchantment Zone (the Upper and Lower Enchantment Basins and surrounding peaks). Snow Zone; Core Enchantment Zone (also permits camping in any other zone) Colchuck Zone; Stuart Zone; Eightmile/Caroline Zone; Application for the lottery takes place in February and March. Snow Lake was beautiful and more scenic than we thought it would be, so while it’s not the most ideal permit to get, it still makes for a very fun trip! Or, 25 percent of the permits are given out in-person at the Leavenworth Ranger Station on the day-of. The hardest part so far was the pressure put on our knees from the descent. Share Tweet We awoke by 8 AM and started getting our gear ready to get us into the Core Zone, which is home to a … The five Enchantment permit area zones are the Eightmile/Caroline Zone, Stuart Zone, Colchuck Zone, Core Enchantment Zone, and Snow Zone. The United States Forest Service restricts access to the Enchantments permit area, which includes five zones. Snow: This is the zone we camped in during our time in the Enchantments. It isn’t uncommon for snow to fall, even in the summer. A journey on Washington State’s most iconic backpacking trail, called The Enchantments, is like stepping into paradise. The odds of winning a permit when the lottery opens in February of each year are about 50 percent. Poles were very helpful in taking some of the pressure off. Enchantments permits are required from May 15 to October 31, every year. The zone is named after Snow Lake , the final lake before you climb up into the Core zone. The area is divided into five permit areas: Snow Zone, Colchuck Zone, Core Enchantment Zone, Stuart Zone, and the Eightmile/Caroline zone. Snow Lakes (Enchantments) A strenuous 13 mile round trip hike with 4,220 feet of elevation gain into The Enchantments to visit Snow Lakes and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. This year we were able to get a better location and Jen scored a permit for the Snow zone during the fall season. Info and Fees for The Enchantments Permits and Camping. The Enchantments don’t come easy. Had lunch at Snow Lakes and … On our previous, and first trip to the Enchantments, we visited during the beginning of the summer and stayed in the Stuart zone. Getting a permit for The Enchantments and climbing Aasgard Pass are both nearly overwhelming challenges but once you are inside the Core Zone you will not want to leave. Savor the views of The Temple to the north, McClellan Peak to the south and the faint smell of mosquito repellant. 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