Redefined Timeline

A trip to Leavenworth, Washington is not complete without hiking in the beautiful region of northwestern America. Spectacular peaks, winding rivers, crystal clear turquoise lakes all surrounded by towering evergreen trees. October provided cool, sunny weather perfect for hiking.

The Cascade Mountains run from just north of Vancouver, Canada through Washington State and Oregon before terminating in northern California. The Enchantments is a region within the Cascades in an area known as the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. It’s home to over 700 alpine lakes. We only hiked to Colchuck Lake, so I have 699 lakes left to journey to!

The hike to Colchuck Lake was described as moderately strenuous. The trail gained 2100 feet of elevation over the almost nine mile out and back trek. It culminated in a steep final ascent to the path around the glistening reservoir. Our group did not continue up to Aasgard Pass, which climbed 2200 feet in 0.8 miles and overlooked the lake. Colchuck was only one of the hikes through The Enchantments, and multi-day backpacking trips through the area are extremely common (though getting camping passes was apparently excessively challenging).

The parking lot was easily accessible and a short drive from Leavenworth. The trailhead and parking were located off Icicle Creek Road. An all-wheel drive car was not required to get to the car park. After turning off the nicely paved Icicle Creek Road onto the slightly potholed Eight Mile Forest Service Road, the lot was at the Stuart Lake Trailhead. A Northwest Forest Pass or an America the Beautiful pass needed to be displayed in the vehicle once parked. A day pass could be purchased for $5 IF there were envelopes at the trailhead. They are apparently often gone. Do not try to leave your car without one of those options – since it was such a popular hike, it was also patrolled more regularly. Parking tickets would have made the hike less pleasing.

The journey started in balsam pine scented forests, which conveniently, was also how it ended. It was meandering and easy before the climb over the rocks began in earnest. A few bridged river crossings were on the menu for the journey.

First part of the hike was from the parking lot to an iconic wooden bridge crossing. At this point, the Colchuck Lake and Stuart Lake Trails were merged for about a mile and a half with approximately 600 feet in elevation gain.

Do not miss the sign for Cochuck Lake once it separates from the Stuart Lake Trail. That’s when the climb really begins. A greater 1100 feet of elevation was gained over the next 2.1 miles. Most of that 1100 feet was during the first 1.5 miles from the split. Once that was conquered, the path leveled out a bit. I hiked this with my yoga retreat group, and by that point, we were all on different stages of the trek. Holly and I were challenging each other, vastly ahead of everyone else, as we booked it to the water. What a reward it was after that demanding cardio! Welcome to the beautiful, shimmering Colchuck Lake.

We kept to the rocks lining the water’s edge, so there were far fewer people about. There was a sandy beach nearby, which was where most humans gathered. We snacked, swam and sun bathed for a bit before heading back to the trailhead.

Fair warning… the chipmunks are fearless little fuckers. They will come right up to you, climb on and into your bag, and steal your food. They are everywhere, too.

And with that, my time in Leavenworth, Washington came to an end. I will definitely return to the Bavarian haven in the future.

As mentioned MANY times previously, my travel spontaneity has become a very acute condition, and I was off to Jordan less than a month later!