A 6 Day Adventure Backpacking in the Enchantments

Backpacking in the Enchantments - A 6 Day Adventure

10/16/2017

The Enchantments is a spectacular place for backpacking in Washington State.

Picture a series of pristine alpine lakes nestled between mountain peaks and jagged ridges. There’s a small slice of wilderness in the central Cascades of Washington known as the Enchantments, and hiking-in is the only way to access this area of astounding natural beauty. My husband Rick recently spent 6-days backpacking through the area with 3 other hiking buddies on an adventure that began and ended at the Snow Lake trailhead near Leavenworth. Although I’m not a backpacker, I’m really excited to share some of his pictures and stories from this special place.
*Updated January, 2024

Why Did You Choose the Enchantments?

All the hiking forums praise the Enchantments! My cousin has been backpacking sections of the Pacific Crest Trail over the last 14 years, and I was fortunate to be able to join him on two previous occasions, both epic! After last year’s 80 mile PCT adventure through the Goat Rocks Wilderness, plus the bonus of hiking to the summit of Mount St. Helens, we decided to look for something a little different. Hiking in the Enchantments met all our criteria with its challenging terrain, spectacular scenery, and proximity to Seattle. Due to the increasing number of visitors, the Forest Service adopted a lottery permit system (for overnight use between May 15th and October 31st); we were fortunate to get one for the Core Enchantments, which enabled us to set up camp in any of the 5 permit areas. Be sure to check well in advance to see when the advanced permit lottery opens (the 2024 lottery opens in mid-February).

6 Days in the Enchantments - View of Perfection Lake Flowing into Sprite Lake.

Give Readers an Overview of Your 6 Day Adventure

Our adventure began early Monday, with our departure from the Snow Lake trailhead (elevation approximately 1400 feet), around 9 a.m. We hiked about 6 miles to our first overnight camping spot at Nada Lake. Nada, like all the lakes in this wilderness area, was clear and cold! Day 2 was a pretty strenuous hike up to Leprechaun Lake, where we established base camp for the remaining 5 nights. As a group, we had decided that Leprechaun Lake was a good central spot enabling us to maximize our day hikes. After the steep elevation gains from days 1 & 2, the day hikes from base camp were easier, and ranged from 4-6 miles. Day 3, we hiked to Prusik Peak, where our clear day was overtaken by the smoke pouring into our valley from western forest fires. Day 4, after much route discussion, we summited Little Annapurna (approx. 8400 feet) for an amazing view of Mount Rainier and smoke plumes from several forest fires. Day 5 took most of the group to Dragontail Peak and the precipitous view down Aasgard Pass (approx. 7800 feet) onto Colchuck Lake. The last day was reserved for our long hike out (see below for why this day was so challenging).

6 Days in the Enchantments -View of Colchuk Lake from the top of Aasgard Pass.

Talk About the Most Challenging Day of Your Trip

Easy! Our last day we hiked out 12 1/2 miles with over a mile of elevation loss on a varied-terrain trail. Even though we had been hiking every day for the last five, hiking 12 miles downhill was pretty grueling on our legs and especially my 55 year old knees! Our choice to hike that far in one day was based on our earlier decision to spend as much time as we could in the more picturesque, higher lake region. I don’t regret having the opportunity to look down into Aasgard Pass, where the view of Colchuck Lake, and far-off Glacier Peak surrounded by nameless mountains was something I’ll always remember, and the long hike definitely made our last day’s pay-off of beers and a burger even better!

Were There Any Unexpected Animal Encounters?

When you are out in the wilderness, you can always count on something unexpected sneaking into camp. Our first encounter happened after only about three hours of hiking. While sitting on the side of the trail enjoying our first snack, we heard a branch snap, but the 2nd ”SNAP!” really caught our interest. That’s when we noticed two hikers down the trail looking back and forth between us and “something” in the valley; cameras at the ready, we investigated. Down the trail and into the valley, the tall bushes were thrashing back & forth, and a minute later out popped the head of a 300-pound black bear foraging for huckleberries. He looked at us, we stared back at him. After as many pictures as we could get (none of mine perfectly clear as I knew not to get too close), he foraged and popped out again, only to disappear into thicker bushes. At one point we realized the bear was now… on OUR SIDE of the creek, and ambling towards us! We made quick work of getting up the trail, loaded up and on our way out of there!

Wildlife encounter on a 6 day backpacking adventure in the Enchantments.

As with many animal encounters, another unexpected one happened on a star-speckled night when I stepped outside my tent to enjoy the 2 a.m. Milky Way over the mountain. As I was focused elsewhere, I nearly startled out of my unlaced boots by a twig snap right behind me. Three feet away was mama-goat and kid looking for their daily salt-lick! There were plenty of mountain goat sightings AND encounters during the daylight hours, but those weren’t quite so unexpected!

6 Days in the Enchantments - so many mountain goat encounters!

Share Some of Your Favorite Places in the Enchantments

There were so many beautiful sights and places, it’s hard to pick favorites but here’s a few. The hike up the valley was dry, hot, and sun exposed. Catching glimpses of the rushing stream below only heightened our drive to push on. I was expecting the upper lakes, our destination, to be the epitome of wilderness sights. Yet only 2-hours from the trailhead, and soon after our bear, we rounded onto an early picturesque surprise - a cedar forest grove campsite right next to a crystal stream. Placed just for us (not really), a fallen tree gave us THE respite and view - cool shade, a lively cool stream, and the whole place carpeted with cedar needles. I could have stayed right there (but that’s the East Coaster in me talking)! It’s was also our first goat encounter - two kids along with a mother and a billy goat.

Another favorite place was right in camp, overlooking Leprechaun Lake with Little Annapurna in the distance. After hard hiking, dinner and clean-up, we’d enjoy evening time together relaxing on a small ledge, our backs warmed by the granite, enjoying the sunset, cashews and cocktails!

In addition to the views west atop Little Annapurna, as well as straight down 3000 feet into the valley, and the view up Dragontail Peak and into Aasgard Pass, my favorite sunrise morning moments were atop the elevated-dome view looking down into Leprechaun and Vivian Lakes.

Beautiful sunrise view from our campsite in the Enchantments. Read more about a 6 day backpacking adventure.

Read: 5 Tested Tips for An Awesome Wilderness Backpacking Adventure

Any Advice to Share with Novice Backpackers?

Just go! And when you do go, pay attention to what you REALLY need. The bane of any backpacker is carrying too much pack weight. One of the best ways to drop pounds is have a light pack, one that's 2 pounds or less. Gather smaller gear into stuff sacks for organization. Don’t always default to pre-packaged meals, there’s lots of Pinterest boards for meals and recipes, including the familyTravelsUSA Camping & Hiking board.

And if you have wide feet and have a hard time finding hiking shoes that fit well, check out these suggestions for wide toe box shoes for your next adventure.

What’s Next on your List for Backpacking in the United States?

I’ve been wanting to go backpacking in Zion National Park ever since I visited with my family almost 10 years ago. Also on my list, Glacier National Park in Montana and the Olympics in Washington.