The Enchantments
The Enchantments is an area comprising an upper and a lower basin, the lakes and tarns contained within them, and the peaks of the Stuart Range bounding the basins.[1] The area is located entirely within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Leavenworth, Washington in the United States.[2] The Enchantments is regarded as one of the most spectacular locations in the Cascade Range.[3]
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Hiking
There are two primary approaches to the Enchantments Basin. Both trail heads are accessed via Icicle Creek Road. The Snow Lake trailhead is off Icicle Creek Road at a large parking lot next to the creek. The trail climbs 6.5 miles (10.5 km) to Snow Lake gaining 4,100 feet (1,200 m). From Snow lake the trail ascends over sloping granite rock to the Lower Enchantments. The entire hike is 9 miles (14 km) one-way, with 6,000 feet (1,800 m) of elevation gain to an end elevation of 7,800 feet (2,400 m).[4] This hike usually takes two days each way and is described as "long, steep, and grueling."[5] The alternate route is from the Stuart Lake trail head a couple of miles up Eightmile road off Icicle Creek Road. The trail up to Colchuck Lake is 4.75 miles (7.64 km) long and gains 2,100 feet (640 m); another 1.75 miles (2.82 km) bring hikers to the south end of the lake and Aasgard Pass, which climbs 2,200 feet (670 m) in 0.8 miles (1.3 km).[6] Aasgard Pass is a steep scramble which is dangerous to descend in snow.[7] The Aasgard Pass route has also been described as "in very bad taste" because it bypasses the beauty of the lower basin to get to the upper basin first.[6] The two routes can be combined to form a loop if the hiking party has two cars, a bicycle, or otherwise arranges transportation between the trail heads.
The United States Forest Service restricts access to the Enchantments permit area, which includes five zones. The three most popular zones are the Snow Zone (from Icicle Creek up to Snow Lakes), the Colchuck Zone (the area surrounding Colchuck Lake) and the Core Enchantment Zone (the Upper and Lower Enchantment Basins and surrounding peaks). The other zones are the Stuart Zone (the area around Stuart Lake and the northern approaches to Mount Stuart) and the Eightmile/Caroline Zone (Eightmile Lake, Eightmile Mountain, Cashmere Mountain, and vicinity). In addition, the Forest Service has proposed adding the Ingalls Lake, Headlight Basin, and Mount Stuart areas to the permit area in accordance with a 1993 NEPA decision. The earliest the change could be implemented is 2010.[8]
The 1981 Alpine Lakes Wilderness Plan established a quota of 60 people at one time as the carrying capacity of the Core Enchantment Zone. For overnight camping between June 15 and October 15 hikers in any of the five currently established zones must have permits. 75 percent of the permits for each hiking season are awarded in advance by lottery. The first round of the (very competitive) lottery includes all applications received between February 15, 2015 and March 3, 2015 (11:59 PT) for the 2015 season. All applications received during this period will be randomly drawn on or around March 6th.[9] The other 25 percent of permits are issued each morning (except Sunday) at 7:45 a.m. at the Leavenworth ranger station for trips beginning the same day. If not enough permits are available for the day's applicants, the permits are awarded by lottery.[8]
The Forest Service has banned dogs in the area, which has allowed the population of mountain goats and ptarmigan to recover.[2][5]
References
- ^ "Enchantment Permit Areas Zone Map". US Forest Service. 2009. Archived from the original (JPG) on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ^ a b Johnston, Greg (October 21, 2004). "A heavenly reward awaits in the Enchantment Lakes Basin". nwsource.com. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
- ^ Romano, Craig (2013). "Hike 56". Day Hiking Central Cascades. Mountaineers Books.
- ^ "Enchantment Lakes". Washington Trails Association.
- ^ a b Spring, Ira; Manning, Harvey (1998). 100 ClassicHikes in Washington's Alpine Lakes (1st ed.). The Mountaineers. ISBN 0-89886-707-X.
- ^ a b
Spring, Ira (2002). 100 Classic Hikes in Washington (3rd ed.). The Mountaineers. ISBN 0-89886-586-7.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Nelson, Jim; Potterfield, Peter (2003). Selected Climbs in the Cascades. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Mountaineers Books. p. 114.
- ^ a b "Enchantment Area Wilderness Permits". US Forest Service. 2009. Archived from the original on 2007-03-29. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ^ "Enchantment Permit Area, WA". Recreation.gov. Retrieved 2015-09-25.
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- Enchantment Lakes - Washington (Map). 1 : 24,000. 7,5 Minute Series (Topographic). United States Geological Survey. 1998. ISBN 0-607-58160-3.
- The Enchantments, WA – No 209S (Map). 1 : 44,500. Special Series. Green Trails, Inc. 2004.
External links
- Alpine Lakes Wilderness Permits for Enchantment Lakes from the US Forest Service, Wenatchee River Ranger District.
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Enchantment Basin
- Enchantment Lakes from the Washington Trails Association.
47°28′52″N 120°48′14″W / 47.48111°N 120.80389°W
