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Adventures of a Mathematician
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Enchantments through hike
Length: +-38km (will depend a little bit on the route you take up Aasgard)
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
Elevation gain: 1525m.
Road: Pretty good, basically no potholes.
Difficulty: This is definitely an extreme hike.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-enchantments-trail?u=m
WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes
Through hike: this was absolutely the most incredible place I've ever seen: lake after lake with glacial, blue waters, streams, and unbelievable rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You do feel you're in a different part of the world. Some of the lakes are justifiably named "Perfection", "Inspiration", "Isolation". We parked one car on the Snow trailhead at 5am (parking lot already full), and started the trail at the Colchuck trailhead at 6am (parking lot also full). We got to Colchuck at 8am, where we paused for maybe 10 minutes to get a snack. We got to the bottom of Aasgard at 9am - going around the lake involves scrambling over big boulders, and I took my time with that. Going up Aasgard was challenging, but I thought it was going to be even more so. Of course it is pretty steep, and if you have a heavy backpack it will be pretty grueling, but with a day pack it was pretty doable, and not as scary. For me, it isn't as scary as the scramble on the Summer route of Granite mountain, which felt more unsafe. The hardest parts were sections of the "trail" where it was covered in loose gravel, which made it super slippery. Whenever possible we chose to go over rocks, instead of the loose gravel. I would not feel comfortable going down this way, with how steep and slippery it was, so I definitely recommend the direction Colchuck-Snow, instead of Snow-Colchuck. Follow the cairns, as they were super helpful. We got to the top at 11am, and from there on you will be in awe of the beauty of the core. Plan ahead so you can spend some time exploring the lakes, swimming, and taking photos. There were maybe 3 little snow crossings throughout the whole core, for which you definitely don't need spikes at the moment.We saw many goats and baby goats. Bugs were bad, but there was a constant breeze that helped, and the bug spray did its job. From Leprechaun to Viviane there were a couple of exposed spots that I'd be afraid of doing with a heavy pack. From Viviane to Snow, the path is still mega rocky/with roots, but from Snow on it gets much easier. I personally really prefer doing this whole hike from Colchuck to Snow - it feels safer.The WTA recently dynamited some boulder crossings between Snow and Nada, which was awesome: they are much easier to cross than 2 months prior, when I camped at Snow Lake. As many people mentioned, the last stretch, from Snow to the trailhead, feels super long. I brought gels with caffeine to eat specifically at that stretch, which helped a lot. We finished the hike in 13:20h, with 11:40h of moving time. I already want to do it again!
P.S. If you want to camp there, you need a permit, which you apply for through the Enchantments lottery (if you want to go between May 15th and October 31st). I won a permit to camp at Snow Lakes on June 7th, which is before "primetime" for the Enchantments. It was absolutely stunning, but Aasgard was still snow/ice covered, and without ice axes and crampons we didn't feel safe enough, so we only went up to Viviane Lake. In Winter weather beware of the hidden waterfall at Aasgard; sadly a few people died while sliding down and falling through the snow. There were just a few patches of snow right before Viviane Lake, but besides that the trail was clear. The scramble up to Viviane is intense at a few spots; it feels safer going down. Viviane was still covered in snow and ice, but Snow was totally melted over and camping there was amazing (toilets melted over). We saw many mountain goats! The hike to Snow is no joke, long and intense with a heavy backpack, be prepared.
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