Spent 5 days in the Enchantments with a core permit (7/18-7/22).
7/18: Arrived at Snow Lake Trailhead just before 6am to catch the Loop Connector shuttle to the Stuart Lake Trailhead. Snow Lake parking lot was full and roadside parking seemed to be filling up quickly. The drive up to the Stuart Lake Trailhead was a slow and long caravan of vehicles, matching expectations from other trip reports. As we approached the trailhead, someone was frantically trying to hitch a ride into town – a flat tire (and presumably parking too close to the side of the road) had left their vehicle falling off the road (so watch out for that). Lots of dayhikers were at the trailhead, but we sailed past them since we already had our permit. The faster hikers/runners trickled past us up until the turnoff to Colchuck Lake, though we continued to Stuart Lake. Definitely less traffic on the upper section of Stuart Lake Trail, but a handful of dayhikers missed the turnoff to Colchuck and needed directions. Lots of mosquitoes up there, but a light wind kept them at bay once on the lake. We ran into a park ranger, who asked to see our permit, so make sure you keep it handy. Once returning to Colchuck Lake Trail, the dayhiker traffic picked up considerably. If you’re one of those dayhikers, please come prepared – this isn’t a super easy hike, and there were way too many people with only a water bottle and flip flops. We took a handful of pictures once we made it to Colchuck, but continued around the western side of the lake to get away from the day hiking crowd. There are definitely good campsites to be had, though many were taken by the time we got there. We were able to find a great little spot on the southern end of the lake, though. As we were setting up camp, a mountain goat came walking through, so just know that yes, they do come down there. We also had a great view of the Neowise Comet that night (~11 pm), which was cool to see.
7/19: Had a relaxed morning since it wasn’t a high mileage day. Broke camp around 8:30 and headed up Aasgard. Quite a bit of traffic on the trail by that time, but it wasn’t terrible. I’d probably start a bit earlier next time. Keep trail etiquette in mind up here – if you knock a rock down the hill, yell out and let the people below you know. Also know your limits, as this trail isn’t for everyone. We saw at least one very distraught person make it half way up only to turn around in defeat. We took our time, with a long picnic at the top of the pass, and traffic seemed to be dying down at that point. I’m guessing all the through hikers had to keep moving quickly. We casually strolled through the upper Enchantments until setting up camp to the west of Perfection Lake. Yes, the mosquitoes are terrible here. Deet will help to some extent, but you’re probably going to want a jacket to ward off the biting, and maybe a mosquito net for your head. Lots of mountains goats and their kids wandering around, but don’t worry, you’ll get use to them (if you haven’t already).
7/20: Original plan was to summit Cannon Mountain, but we opted for another relaxed day and more time in the upper Enchantments. Made a dayhike over to Prusik Pass. The mosquitoes were still bad at the pass, so we continued higher (towards Prusik Peak). It was windier up there, but the mosquitoes disappeared. Definitely a worthwhile side trip. Headed back down for a quick swim in Inspiration Lake before loading up all our gear and heading back up to Isolation Lake for the night. There are some great campsites to be had (or built) if you wander around a bit. We took another swim in Isolation before pouring a few cocktails and enjoying a relaxing evening. Mosquitoes were much more manageable up here than at Perfection.
7/21: Summited Little Annapurna and Dragontail Peak. We had packed up camp beforehand, and left our overnight packs at the base of Little Annapurna (in favor of daypacks). The trek up to Little Annapurna isn’t terribly difficult. There’s only one snow crossing towards the top, easily traversed with a pair of trekking poles (we didn’t use any traction devices). We continued to West Annapurna from there, though the Eastern face still has quite a bit of snow on it. We followed the edge of the snow, scrambling up rocks until we got to the top. There were a couple of semi-challenging scrambles, but we were able to avoid all the snow. We continued to the Snow Creek Glacier crossing, which was wide and flat. The snow was firm but not icy, which made for easy traversal. The scramble immediately following that was steeper, but reasonable. From the bottom, it’s hard to tell if you’ll get blocked by the snow way up on top of the ridgeline, but keep going. You shouldn’t have to worry about any snow up there, and you’ll be greeted by a nice flat meadow. There isn’t much of a trail, but make your way along the west side of the ridgeline until you get to Dragontail Peak. After some pictures and lunch, we headed back the way we came. There are a few short sections of snow near Little Annapurna that we were able to glissade down, which was fun. Trip up was about 4 hours of (casual) hiking, and maybe 3 coming back. We then setup camp in the meadow below Little Annapurna. More swimming and cocktails. Mosquitoes were present but manageable. Note that there was one goat in this area that was more aggressive than we had previously seen. It would come running like a dinner bell was rung anytime we needed to relieve ourselves. Not a bad idea to take a buddy to act as a lookout.
7/22: Final day, so we had to get all the way down to the Snow Lakes Trailhead. No surprises on the way down to Perfection Lake. The hike between Perfection and Viviane is gorgeous though. Lots of waterfalls, meadows and wildflowers. I can see why hiking this section of trail in the opposite direction would be desirable. Despite a long day ahead of us, we made the trip up to Temple Lake as well. Gorgeous little lake and dead quite up there, really relaxing. The trek down to Snow Lakes can be a bit steep, but not too difficult, and there’s no snow to worry about. We had a picnic at Snow Lake and did some more swimming. It’s warm enough to actually float around for a bit and enjoy. Foot traffic picked up around the lake as people were looking to setup camp. Snow Lake dam wasn’t much more than a trickle, and we were able to cross in waterproof low-top boots without getting wet. The rest of the trail out is a bit of a grind. It seems to drag on forever, as you drop all of the elevation you’ve gained. Even once you can see the parking lot, you’ve still got a couple thousand feet of elevation to drop before you get there. It’s a bit brutal, but just keep pushing!
Trip Stats: ~38 miles, +14k feet, -16k feet.
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