Enchantment Lakes
Jul 03, 2009
by
Eric Jain
—
last modified
Jul 04, 2009 08:45 PM
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Enchantment Lakes
- Region: Central Cascades -- Leavenworth Area
- Agency: Wenatchee National Forest, Wenatchee River Ranger District
- Trails: Enchantment Lakes (#1553)
- Avg Rating: 4.52
- Why You Should Go Now
- Wildflowers blooming
- Be Aware Of
- Snow on trail
Little Annapurna, reflected in Perfection Lake
Started at the Stuart Lake parking lot early in the morning, after a short night (arrived late the previous day, found all campsites on Icicle Creek full).
The trail up to Colchuck Lake was quite pleasant; the "trail" up to Aasgard Pass on the other hand was more of a scramble than a trail (steep, with a lot of loose gravel and rocks). Wouldn't have attempted it in anything but optimal conditions (i.e. clear of snow and dry). Lost sight of the cairns that mark the trail after passing below the waterfall near the top. Descending, this could be a fatal mistake.
The Upper Enchantment basin was still partly covered in snow. The snow, while soft, was not deep, though gaiters were still useful. In some places the winter "trail" lead over water, on snow that no longer looked safe. Good to have a map that shows the lake outlines and the correct trail locations (e.g. Green Trails 209S).
The trail down to the Snow Lakes was quite rough (often leading over large, angled rock surfaces), but at least there were no loose rocks here. Several small stream crossings required jumping stones and/or balancing over logs, but the only place I had to get my feet wet (under a few inches of water) was the dam crossing between Upper and Lower Snow Lake.
Encountered a few mountain goats (one with with two kids), but not a lot of people: Saw two parties camped at Colchuck Lake, one tent on Aasgard Pass. Crossed maybe a dozen parties coming up, most of them further down. This, even though (according to the Forest Service web site) advance permits for all three regions were "sold out".
Upon reaching the Snow Lakes parking lot I called the Leavenworth Shuttle service (509-548-7433) to get me back to the Stuart Lake parking lot ($40). This worked great, though in retrospect I should have left my car at the Snow Lake parking lot and let them drop me off at the Stuart Lake parking lot in the morning. This would have saved me from driving up a somewhat rough road, and I wouldn't have had to wait for the Shuttle at the Snow Lakes parking lot.
The trail up to Colchuck Lake was quite pleasant; the "trail" up to Aasgard Pass on the other hand was more of a scramble than a trail (steep, with a lot of loose gravel and rocks). Wouldn't have attempted it in anything but optimal conditions (i.e. clear of snow and dry). Lost sight of the cairns that mark the trail after passing below the waterfall near the top. Descending, this could be a fatal mistake.
The Upper Enchantment basin was still partly covered in snow. The snow, while soft, was not deep, though gaiters were still useful. In some places the winter "trail" lead over water, on snow that no longer looked safe. Good to have a map that shows the lake outlines and the correct trail locations (e.g. Green Trails 209S).
The trail down to the Snow Lakes was quite rough (often leading over large, angled rock surfaces), but at least there were no loose rocks here. Several small stream crossings required jumping stones and/or balancing over logs, but the only place I had to get my feet wet (under a few inches of water) was the dam crossing between Upper and Lower Snow Lake.
Encountered a few mountain goats (one with with two kids), but not a lot of people: Saw two parties camped at Colchuck Lake, one tent on Aasgard Pass. Crossed maybe a dozen parties coming up, most of them further down. This, even though (according to the Forest Service web site) advance permits for all three regions were "sold out".
Upon reaching the Snow Lakes parking lot I called the Leavenworth Shuttle service (509-548-7433) to get me back to the Stuart Lake parking lot ($40). This worked great, though in retrospect I should have left my car at the Snow Lake parking lot and let them drop me off at the Stuart Lake parking lot in the morning. This would have saved me from driving up a somewhat rough road, and I wouldn't have had to wait for the Shuttle at the Snow Lakes parking lot.
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Near top of Aasgard Pass, looking back down to Colchuck Lake
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Cairn marking the trail in the Upper Enchantments
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Metal rungs on trail between Upper Snow Lake and Lake Viviane
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