Enchantments Thru itinerary
Every mile marker on the Enchantments Thru route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one, and which permit each stretch needs. To set alerts for your dates, go to the Enchantments Through-Hike permit page.
Which permit covers this route
The Enchantments Thru. One reservation is a route gated by a permit issued elsewhere, issued by lottery.
- Stops mapped
- 8
- Across the markers
- 17.9 mi
- Published route length
- 18 mi
- Published ascent
- 4,500 ft
How long it takes: 3-4 days for the Core Zone, per the Forest Service. That is the figure the permit publishes. This page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.
The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.
Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.
Adding up only the climbs between markers gives 4,427 ft, which is a floor rather than the total: anything that rises and falls between two markers is invisible to it.
The Enchantments Thru route, stop by stop
Mile 0.0
3,399 ft
Stuart/Colchuck Lake Trailhead
The standard start. An Overnight Visitor Parking Pass comes free with the permit and must be displayed on the dashboard.
4.1 miles · 2,101 ft up to Colchuck Lake
Mile 4.1
5,500 ft
Colchuck Lake
Colchuck Lake Zone: three groups a day, one of them held for the daily lottery. The last flat ground before Aasgard.
1.6 miles · 2,326 ft up to Aasgard Pass
Mile 5.6
7,826 ft
Aasgard Pass
The steep climb from Colchuck into the Core. The Forest Service warns it is not advised for hikers not prepared and equipped for steep snow travel.
0.2 miles · 43 ft down to Tranquil Lake
Mile 5.8
7,783 ft
Tranquil Lake
First lake in the Upper Enchantments, set in austere granite moonscape
1.3 miles · 574 ft down to Inspiration Lake
Mile 7.1
7,209 ft
Inspiration Lake
Heart of the Core Enchantments with classic Teton-like views
1.5 miles · 405 ft down to Lake Viviane
Mile 8.6
6,804 ft
Lake Viviane
Final major lake before the long descent, surrounded by golden larches in fall
2.3 miles · 1,371 ft down to Snow Lakes
Mile 10.9
5,433 ft
Snow Lakes
Snow Lakes Zone: five groups a day. The long descent out toward Leavenworth.
7.0 miles · 4,063 ft down to Snow Lakes Trailhead
Mile 17.9
1,370 ft
Snow Lakes Trailhead
The usual exit, and the reason this is a point-to-point that needs a car shuttle.
Getting a Enchantments Thru for the dates you want
Planning the route is the easy half. Enchantments Thru dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations. They return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag checks Enchantments Thru around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.