Everything You Need For The Enchantments Traverse
On the morning of September 6, 2026, we set out with six of our friends to conquer The Enchantments Traverse (commonly know as The Enchantments). If you are unfamiliar with this hike, it is a thru-hike that is located just outside of the town of Leavenworth, Washington in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. According to AllTrails, this is a strenuous 19.1 mile hike with 4,845 feet of elevation gain and 6,511 feet of elevation loss. We started our hike at ~5:00am and didn’t finish until ~10:30pm which was much later than we had anticipated. From all of the research we had done, we figured the hike would take us anywhere from 12-15 hours. Our watches said we covered anywhere from 21miles to just over 23 miles with ~5500 feet of elevation gain and ~7000 feet of elevation loss.
No matter the actual distance, this is a hike you need to be well prepared for. We have provided a list of everything that we brought with us along with the tools and resources we utilized when preparing for and while doing this hike.
Gear
Nutrition
Being properly fueled is crucial to surviving this hike. Kelley and I both had anywhere from 3,000 - 4,000 calories of food with us and we both almost consumed all of our food. On top of this, we also brought water and water filtration devices with us. Kelley started the hike with a 3L water bladder and I had a 1.5L water bladder along with a 500mL soft flask with electrolytes. Over the course of the hike we each drank between 4-5L of a combination of water and electrolytes. Below is a full list of what we each brought
1x Orange
2x Sandwich
5x Skratch Labs Electrolytes
3x Clif Bars Mini
2x Nature Valley Bars
5x Bettergoods Fruit snacks
4x GoGo Squeez Apple Sauce
Sour Patch Kids Watermelon
Jack Links Beef Jerky
3x Date Fix Gels (if you don’t like dates, you won’t like these)
*This is just to give you an idea of what we brought with us. Pack the types of foods that you like and know that settle well on your stomach. If we did this hike again we would definitely bring more food with us and probably would trade out the Gels for more fruit snacks and apple sauce.
Clothing & Other Gear
Having the right clothing with you is really important for this hike. No matter the weather forecast, it is more than likely going to change. When we were packing for our trip, we were expecting the weather to be sunny with highs in the 70’s and lows in the 50’s. After we had arrived in Seattle, the weather changed and was showing lows in the upper 20’s and highs in the upper 30’s with a mix of clouds and sun. A couple of days before our hike the core zone actually received snow. Fortunately for us, it did not snow or rain on us but the weather was still on the cooler side. We started the morning off in the low 30’s and saw highs in the mid to upper 40’s. Due to not being prepared for these temperatures we had to stop by a local shop the day before our hike to purchase some warmer gear. We would highly recommend packing for both warm and cold temperatures especially in the late spring/early summer and late summer/early fall.
Packing list
Waterproof Hiking Boots or Trial Running shoes (We love our Altra’s)
Rain Jacket
Hat and/or Beanie
Multiple Shirts
An extra Pair of Socks
Bathing Suit (If you plan on taking a dip)
Sunglasses
Quick Dry Towel
Warm Base Layer
Pants and Shorts
Fleece or Insulated Jacket
Gloves
Other Resources
AllTrails
Make sure to download the hike the day before as there is no cell service on the trail and it will be a key resource when you get to Aasgard Pass and when hiking in the dark.
Google Maps
Both parking lots have limited to no cell service so download an offline map for navigation after the hike.
Satelite communication
Being able to contact first responders and family is vital in case of an emergency. We brought a Garmin InReach Mini 3 with us and also have our iPhone 16 & 17 Pro Max which also have SOS capabilities.
Parking Permit (day hikers only)
If you are planning to do this a multi-day trip you will need to get backpacking permits and all of the gear associated with it. The backpacking permit includes a free parking pass for 1 vehicle.
Weather Resources:
