Trekking The Enchantments - Snow Lakes

This video is from a recent trek by members of the Anything Outdoors with Steve team to the Enchantments in the Cascade Mountain range of Washington State. Steve, Jeem, John, Lou, and Gao hiked to Snow Lakes and setup basecamp, to explore the area.

Snow Lakes (Enchantments, Washington State) - It is a strenuous 13 mile round trip hike with 4,220 feet of elevation gain into The Enchantments to visit Snow Lakes and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Savor the views of The Temple to the north, McClellan Peak to the south.

The Snow Lakes Trail (No. 1553) starts at 1,300 ft and crosses Icicle Creek via a bridge and immediately starts switchbacking up the canyon. At 2.0 miles (2,800 ft) the climbers hangout, Snow Creek Wall, is on the right. At 4,100 ft the trail crosses Snow Creek and continues up the west side. At 5.5 miles (5,000 ft) is Nada Lake, half way around the lake some good camp sites can be found. Continue on the trail for another mile and 400 feet of elevation gain to the dam between upper and lower Snow Lakes. It shouldn't be too difficult find, just stay on the trail and follow the hum of mosquito's. At 5,400 ft cross the dam to the south side. Camp sites can be found near the dam on the left and a mile or so further near the west end of the lake.

Camping in the Enchantments, including the entire area from the top of the switchbacks above the Snow Lakes trailhead all the way to the Stuart Lake trailhead, is by permit only from May 15th-October 31st. Permits are awarded by the Forest Service through a lottery that opens in February. A limited number of permits are available same day at the ranger station in Leavenworth.

Dogs and campfires are strictly prohibited in the Enchantments. Dogs were disallowed in order to enable the recovery of ptarmigan populations they once disturbed. Fires are restricted not only to prevent forest fires, but to avoid scavenging of dead wood. Decomposition of the wood provides scarce organic material to soils in alpine areas like the Enchantments. The restriction includes camp stoves (such as the BioLite) that burn small twigs.

The Enchantments is a region within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area of Washington state's Cascade Mountain Range. At an elevation of 4,500 feet (1,372 m), it is home to over 700 alpine lakes and ponds surrounded by the vast peaks of Cashmere Crags, which rate among the best rock-climbing sites in the western United States. The highest peak, Dragontail Peak, stretches 8,840 feet (2,694 m) high. The Enchantments is located 15 miles southwest of the popular Bavarian-themed town Leavenworth, Washington in the United States and is regarded as one of the most spectacular regions in the Cascade Range.

The population increase in western Washington, specifically in the city of Seattle, marked the region a prime outdoor destination for wilderness lovers. By 2019, 100,000 visitors made their way to The Enchantments annually. The influx in foot traffic and lack of maintenance from forest services and visitors had caused permanent damage to the delicate ecosystems in the region.[6] As a result, the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Society (ALPS) proposed a permit system restricting access to a maximum of 60 people at any given time.[6] In 2019, the system was approved and implemented by the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (OWNF). Since the implementation of the permit system, the area has been less disturbed by human activity and is expected to see significant positive impact in the near future.

Music:
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