Washington’s most competitive backcountry permit doesn’t apply to the lake everyone’s trying to see

The Enchantments overnight lottery is one of the hardest wilderness permits to win in the country. Every spring, thousands of people apply for a shot at camping under Aasgard Pass and walk away empty-handed.

Here’s what almost nobody mentions: that lottery only decides who gets to sleep there. If you’re hiking in and out in the same day, you don’t need to win anything at all.

The permit everyone’s scared of isn’t the one you need

Overnight camping anywhere inside the Enchantment Permit Area — including the Colchuck Lake Zone — requires a permit from May 15 through October 31. Most of those go out through a pre-season lottery held February 15 through March 1, and whatever’s left over gets released first-come, first-served on recreation.gov.

Day hiking runs on a completely separate system. You fill out a free, self-issued wilderness permit at the trailhead the morning you go — no application, no lottery, no months of waiting to hear back.

What you’re actually signing up for

Colchuck Lake via the Stuart Lake and Colchuck Lake Trail runs 9.1 miles round trip with about 2,352 feet of elevation gain, and AllTrails rates it hard for good reason — the final stretch is a real boulder scramble, not a stroll. Plan on 5 to 6 hours, longer if you linger at the lake, and you will want to linger.

The payoff is a glacier-fed lake the color of a swimming pool, with Dragontail and Colchuck Peaks rising straight out of the far shore. We’ve hiked in for the day more than once without ever touching the lottery, and the lake looks exactly like the overnight photos everyone’s fighting over a permit for.

Before you go

For the full mile-by-mile breakdown — where the Lake Stuart junction splits off, what the creek crossings look like, when snow usually clears — our Colchuck Lake Trail guide covers the whole route.

Parking at the Stuart Lake Trailhead requires a NW Forest Pass, and the lot is small enough that it fills before 7 a.m. most summer mornings. Get there early or be ready to park along the access road.

Dogs, campfires, drones, and bikes are all prohibited inside the Enchantment Permit Area — day hikers included, no exceptions for a few hours.

Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out to Leavenworth, lock in a hotel before the good rooms are gone, or skip both and book a camper van instead.

Rules and fees change — always confirm current requirements before you go.

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