Explore Seattle trip 2019 - view hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.
Hiked the Enchantments starting from snow lake trailhead on 4/15/21 camped at Snow Lake and also at Lake Colechuck. Snowshoes required unless you wanna post-hole a lot. When going down Aasgard Pass crampons and ice axe REQUIRED and know how to decent/ Accent steep ice/ snow. Amazing views and great weather. Don’t forget sunscreen! Eight mile road is closed to the trailhead so add an extra 8 miles (round trip) to your hike. When parking on Icicle Creek Road park on the right side to avoid a ticket. Also if you plan on hiking up Aasgard Pass crampons and ice axe REQUIRED! Be safe and have fun!
reviewed Gorgeous but we didn’t complete the trail. Covered in snow. We had snow shoes. We ran into a guy who said it was too steep and he fell 400 feet down the snow. He gave up and thought it wasn’t possible to get to the top but still worth doing. We ran into two guys who were in normal hiking boots and they said they made it, was sketchy at points and they had big scratches
Beautiful veiws, wish I could have finished it. I agree with the reviews below. I almost always finish a hike, but this one got too steep. I and the couple behind me all turned around with our snow shoes because of how steep it was. We also were having a hard time finding the actual trail. I’m sure a more experienced snowshoer may have more luck, as this was my first time ever wearing them. I still had a wonderful time though.
Went summer of 2020. Roads in were barely drivable in my Hyundai Elantra. Large pot holes. Took an hour navigating each way. The hike has stunning views!
Road closed at Heather Lake TH. Hiked the 6 miles up from there to Pilchuck TH. Most of it is snow-covered; worst postholing was 1-2 ft. Actual Pilchuck Trail is extremely snow-covered and we turned back pretty quick.
Hike 1/23/2021 Gate was closed. Ended up being 18miles total. Was a long day, very deep snow, but so worth it. Be prepared and in good physical shape or feel free to opt out and come back in summer when the gate is open and trail is packed.
Went up on 4/2/2021. Made it up about half way before we decided it was a little too sketchy. You need snowshoes for sure. Gets really steep before the ridge line and we weren’t quite sure where the trail was so maybe we were off, but it was still beautiful and we had lunch on a big rock with spectacular views of the lake with no one around us
Pristine views
The road was boarded off up near the top, the road getting up was bad as well. Hope to come sometime soon maybe?!
We were unable to do this hike today as the road was closed at the Heather lake trailhead parking lot. The parking lot is about 5.5 miles from the Mt. Pilchuck trailhead. We hope to come back later in the year.
I got lucky enough to snag a permit for 6/30--> 7/1 in the Core Enchantment Area!! We are planning on entering @ the Stuart/Colchuck Lk TH.. would be interested in thru hiking out to Snow Lks TH if we could find someone else to enter via Snow Lks so we could carpool back to our car. Any takers?! Email me @ apwilke17@gmail.com
Sublime
One of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever done. Incredible views the whole way. Gets pretty tough towards the end but definitely worth the effort. Saw a ton of marmots and a black bear here too ( August 2020)
Such a great trip! The Enchantments is iconic to Washington State, and provides some of the best scenery in the PNW. We backpacked it in June 2020 and filmed the entire backpacking trip, and made a “Tips for backpacking the Enchantments” video as kind of a guide for anyone looking to make the trip! You can find it here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/H5n_fy5re3k Or just type in “Washington Enchantments Tips” and it’ll be the first video at the top. Hope it helps anyone looking to tackle it.
I did this hike thru this summer and I was not impressed. I was told this was supposed to be the most iconic hike in Washington...It’s not. It’s alpine lake after alpine lake and they all look very similar. This hike has the same views as Annette lake, it’s just much longer. I think this is mainly an ego hike just to say you did it. Not impressed.
Did it in september 2019. Se went early for the sunrise and it was one of the greates expiriences in my life. Definetly worth it.
Hiked February 03 2021 This is the hike from heather lake parking lot to the Mount Pilchuck trail head.
So I don’t have to get a permit in the normal season, can someone contact me with info on whether the hike to Colchuck Lake can safely be done in winter and if the parking situation can be done with only one car/one person. I have heard something about a two car thing. Insta: justin_fargason or fargason.justint@gmail.com
Beautiful trail with a lot of wildflowers and beautiful views of the mountains. Lots of switchbacks to start but well worth it. Did this hike in late July and it was perfect weather. Sahale Arm was closed when I did this, would love to do again! Highly recommend!
Hiked on 12/5/2020. Getting here: The road to get here is filled with deep potholes. If you have an AWD, you should be fine but drive slow. The road towards the end is icy so be careful. Trail: It was fully covered in snow. Hiking without spikes is doable but risky and much more tiring. This trail climbs more than 2500ft elevation in less than 2 miles. Being fully covered in snow, the climb becomes harder if you don't have the right gear. I'd recommend gloves, spikes, beanie, snacks, and plenty of water. Most people were wearing masks through-out. It took me about 1 hour 50 mins to reach the summit. The summit: Stunning 360 views of Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier on the top. I stayed up for about 40 mins before heading back.
