Trip Report
The Enchantments - Day Through Hike
Day hike through the Enchantments core, from the Stuart Lake trailhead to the Snow Lake trailhead.
Walter Christiansen
- Fri, Sep 5, 2025
- The Enchantments
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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Road and trail conditions were very good.
The gravel road to the Stuart Lake trail was bumpy, but suitable for all cars (just go slow in the bumpiest spots). The road to the Snow Lake trailhead is paved and in great condition.
The trail to Colchuck Lake was clear and easy to follow, with a couple of steep steps on the traverse to the far end of the lake. Aasgard Pass can be intimidating, especially for first timers such as myself, but a slow and steady pass worked best for this part of the hike. Probably the biggest hazard going up Aasgard Pass was the slippery tread of loose gravel on granite boulders. The trail through the core and back to the Snow Lake trailhead was good, although sometimes slightly steep and rocky that necessitated going slowly in these places.
With all of the social trails meandering through the core, hikers are encouraged to have a GPS tracker with a map.
Oh, how wonderful to receive an invitation to join a group of hikers for their “annual” thru hike of the Enchantments. And yet, the date selected turned out to be one with very poor air quality due to ongoing wildfires and wind patterns (the day before our hike, Leavenworth recorded 100°F and an AQI above 150). Only slightly deterred, we agreed to continue with the hike, but to frequently assess conditions along the way and pivot if necessary.
Our boots hit the Stuart Lake trailhead at 4:10 a.m. with moderate smoke and a light dusting of ash being illuminated by our headlamps. Following a slow and steady pace and taking plenty of breaks, our group reached Colchuck Lake in 2 hours, the base of Aasgard Pass at the far end of the lake in another hour, and crested the top of Aasgard Pass in 2.5 hours. The thought of hiking Aasgard Pass was a little intimidating to this first timer, but the climb wasn’t too bad. For me, the keys were a steady pace, wear gloves and use your hands when you can, don’t use poles (to keep your hands free), follow the cairns, and stay to the left when in doubt (e.g., go left of the grove of trees, left of the main creek, etc.).
While the smoke was moderate in the Colchuck basin, the air quality improved significantly at the higher elevations and was not too bad in the upper portions of the Enchantments core. However, during our descent we started to encounter smoke at Lake Viviane and the smoke continued to the Snow Lakes trailhead. While the smoke was never judged to be bad enough to discontinue the hike, we all agreed that we could feel some irritation in our lungs and eyes.
Perfection Lake:
Some of the wildlife along the trail:
Final GPS numbers: 20.1 miles, 5300 feet elevation gain, 7100 feet elevation loss, and 14.0 hours on the trail with 10.4 hours moving time.