1-2 days
The Enchantments Traverse is a traverse of the Enchantment Lakes alpine plateau, mostly above treeline (but with no significant objective hazards) located in the Stuart Range just outside of Leavenworth, Washington. The high alpine lakes setting and fragile ecosystem couples with an easy and popular approach and plentiful water and wildlife along the route makes this one of the best alpine day trips or overnighters in Washington.
startpoint Stuart Lake Trailhead
endpoint Snow Lakes Trailhead
The Enchantments Traverse is another great very long single-day effort, or overnight effort with light camping gear. It traverses the high alpine lakes plateau between Colchuck Lake at the northern end and Snow Lakes at the southern end, often over snow-covered terrain, and sometimes over very steep and icy or trecherous slopes. The traverse is easily 20 miles of travel from trailhead to trailhead, not including a bike shuttle if that's what you are doing - some travel is on fine trails, some in pure cross-country mode - so do not underestimate your ability to pull it off in a day. Whether you do this traverse with a car shuttle or not will contribute to your choice of direction: if you do cannot shuttle a car, then you will want to leave a bike at the Stuart Lake trailhead, start at Snow Lakes, and hike South to North. If you can affoard to shuttle an extra car, the best direction of travel is North to South, starting at Stuart Lake trailhead, getting up and over Asgaard Pass (marked "Colchuck Pass" on the map) early, and enjoying the very long meander down past the alpine lakes, Snow Lakes, Nada Lake, and finally Snow Creek.
If you choose to do the traverse as a two-day trip, you will need camping permits from Leavenworth ranger station. The best spots to camp are Colchuck Lake, the outlet of Lake Vivienne, or Nada Lake. Do not camp on the plateau: it is exposed to weather and a very fragile area once the snow melts.
There is not bad time of year to do this traverse, however during the Spring when the trails initially melt out, before Mountaineers Creek road opens and the trailhead to Stuart Lake is open, the going can be very slow, difficult with postholing, and muddy, snowy, and wet, with an additional 3.5 miles of road slogging thrown in. The best times of year are June, as the alpine plateau melts out, and October, when the Larches turn. November and early December can also be geat if there is not much snow accumulation below 4000 feet.
While the majority of the traverse is hiking on established trails, the major and not insignificant obstacle in both directions is Asgaard Pass. This high alpine pass on the flanks of Dragontail is at 7000 feet elevation, and can have terrible winds and very steep, icy slopes. For this reason its wise to carry crampons if the pass still has snow. Sturdy boots, gaiters, and overnight gear are required for those parties not fast enough to pull off the trip in a long day. Water is pleantiful along the way, but bring water treatment as the area is very popular with backcountry users.