The Enchantments Multi-Day Trekking

About Enchantment

Enchantment is the beautiful backpacking destination in the Washington state. It wanders through soft tundra meadows, glacial-cirque lakes, and the granite rock formations in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. It will make you feel like you are living in a completely different part of the world.

There exists 18+ miles one-way traverse hiking route either from east to west or from west to east. The former is to start from Snow Lake entrance and end in Lake Stuart Trail Head (TH), which is longer, more gradual, and less scenic. The second one is to choose Colchuck Lake entrance starts at Stuart TH, which is shorter and steeper (at least at Assgard pass), but Colchuck Lake is beautiful.

Preparation

I was planning to do day traverse hike with my friend last year. But the big snowing in the end of last October put the hiking conditions in jeopardy, and we couldn't get the condition update on WTA. Eventually we gave up the try and hoped to get the multiple camp permit early this year.

Luckily I won the lottery of the two nights permit on mid Sepetemble. This is not the perfect one, at least we couldn't get much Falls color. However, this is the first experience for me, and I definitely wanted to jump in.

I started the planning for the trip with other seven the Seattle Mountaineers friends. We decided to start from Stuart TH and ended on Snow Lake entrance, two nights camping on the way.

Day 1

We arrived at the Snow Lake TH (GPS: 47.5441, -120.7097), left one car there, and then used another car to shuttle all the people to Lake Stuart TH (GPS: 47.527924,-120.82082). We were ready to start the trip by 9:30 am.

Colchuck Lake with Aasgard Pass on the right 

The trail from Stuart Lake TH to the Colchuck Lake is pretty gradual. After about two hours of forest hiking, we reached Colchuck Lake, a spectacular rock wall- and forest-rimmed lake about four miles in. It's little windy, the lake is still very beautiful even with little wind. The jagged spires of 8,800 feet Dragontail peak rising almost 3,000+ straight up out of the water. The Aasgard Pass looming as high as 7,800 feet on the left ahead . It's the only notch on this side of the Enchantment Peaks.

We wind around the lake for an half hour, and had 40 minutes break for lunch. We were able to start the scramble of Aasgard Pass around 2:00pm.

From the bottom of Aasgard Pass, the route winds its way up and to the left. We kept watching the cairns that marks the route, in some places it's still difficult to spot them. We run across a few hikers down from top, and could follow the traffic by keeping to the left of the rock formation about halfway up, skirting the brush that on our left. Once we reached the rock formation, the route hugs the left wall and climbs over big rocks ever further up. Overall, we could climb all the way up without much difficulties to the right of the pass below Dragontail Peak, even though some folks took the right arrived under the waterfall, and turned left back the route.

Colchuck Lake viewed from top of Aasgard Pass

We arrived at the top of Aasgard pass at 4:25pm, 2 hours 25 minutes in 0.8 mile 2200' elevation. Wow! I passed the strength test with my 45 lb backpack load. Near the top, while you look down towards the Colchuck Lake, you will see the shadow of the peaks receding across the water, glowing there a brilliant turquoise.

The views are the immediate rewards. We enjoys the views and off course mountain goats. The kid and its mom wander in the vast, rocky plateau. Granite stacks and spires that rise high above us on all sides.

The sun is almost down the hills, So we quickly filtered the water from the Tranquil Lake just down the hill, and continue walking to the next lake hundred of yards away for the camping - the Isolation Lake.

Milky Way in the Enchantment

The Isolation Lake is pretty quite, and two lakes separated by small island. We set up the tent along the beach area. It took us about an hour or two for the setup and meal preparation. In times, we caught the beautiful sunset.

The sleep is quite sound. The sound of the water down into the lake from the near by stream is quite amazing, which reminds you this is the wilderness. The moon is quite bright in the sky. So I decided to get up early next morning to try to catch the milky way, even though my lens is not wide/fast enough for night photographing.

Night reflection in Isolation Lake

I got up at 3 o'clock in the morning. I tried both Milky way and the reflections in the lake. The lake is quiet, and sky is bright enough for you to see the clear reflections of the near mountains. It turned out the pictures are pretty good.

Day 2

I got up about 6:00 am and quickly prepare the gears to shoot the sunrise. About 6:30am, the sky is kind purple before I can see the sun behind the mountains in the east. I climbed to the top of the hill, and I could see our tent down the west on the beach. Looking up to the east, the purple color slowly changed to red. The orange red strip added the dynamic color of the sky. The small lakes down the hill in the west side shined and pointed to the valley of Enchantments. Wow!


Turned around, the sun hit the mountains above the Transquil Lakes. A dynamic contrast between the red color on the mountains and the shade, is reflected in the lakes. This is amazing morning, we are fascinating with the colors in the Enchantments.

Sunrise in Enchantments

Dragontail at sunrise from Tranquil Lake

As planned, we will climb Little Annapurna, the Dragontail peak, and then come back to continue to the next destination. 

We left the campsite at 8:30, followed the cairns through the notch. Then descended across a bit of slab granite and down to the lakes below. In the basin,, we could enjoy the views of some well known peaks - Prusik Peak, The Temple, McClellan Peak, and Little Annapurna. After about half an mile, we scrambled up Little Annapurna. This is very gradual scramble without much effect. We took the relax steps, climbed over some granite area, and could see the Isolation Lake down the hill on the left, and Enchantments Lake far away on the right. We top the peak at 10:30.

After half an hour break, we continued to climb the Dragontail peak. On the way up the peak, we passed a section of snow and ice, and came across one steep and loose trail up the first top hill along the peak. we had 15 minutes break before heading to the peak. We arrived at one peak close to the Dragontail peak, and decided the call of the day, so that we have enough time to descent and continue to the next campsite before sunset.

Enchantment Basin view from unknown peak near the Dragontail peak.

We completed the scrambles and back to the campsite at 2:30 afternoon, and left for the next destination around 4 o'clock. The trail is pretty clear with lots of cairns, first passed Crystal Lake on the right side of the tail, then toward Inspiration Lake.

After reaching the lake basin, we have little difficulties in keeping left on the trail around the small knoll.

Fortunately, we could catch up with the rest team, continued heading to Perfection Lake. We keep right in the trail junction, with left going up Prusik Pass. We found a nice campsite just few hundred feet after Sprite Lake. It was just sunset time, and is good to setup the tent and prepare the meal.

Perfection Lake is the best place in the Enchantments to shoot the Milky Way - isolated world free of air pollution. By 9:00pm, the sky is already full of tons of stars, and we can feel the star treks in naked eyes! I wished I could use my full frame Camera with 24mm f/1.4 Lens.

Day 3

We got up before 6 o'clock and prepared the gear to shoot the famous sunrises in Perfection Lake.

Sunrise in Perfection Lake

After shooting the Sunrise, we left the campsite and directly headed to Prusik Pass. This is just over 1 mile trail, and the pass is very gradual to climb. This is the place called the home of mountain goats!

Enchantments in sunrise

The mountain goats in Prusik Pass

The mountain goat in Prusik Pass

We continued the traverse trip and heading to Snow Lakes, our destination. The rest trip is pretty bored, except we stopped an hour for the lunch in the Snow Lakes. We arrived in the trail head of Snow Lake about 6:30 pm. We completed our first time traverse Enchantments trip in three day two nights traverse trip.