Checklist
Permit and parking
- Your free self-issued day permit (fill out at any of the three trailheads) or your confirmed overnight Recreation.gov permit.
- A Northwest Forest Pass, an America the Beautiful pass, or the parking pass that comes with an overnight permit — displayed on the dash.
Water and waste
- Water treatment — filter, tablets, or the means to boil.
- A WAG bag and toilet paper in May, June, September and October. Recreation.gov's own line: hikers should "be prepared to camp on snow and pack out human waste using a WAG bag."
- Not every lake has a toilet. Where there isn't one, dig a cat hole 6–8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water and camp, and pack out the paper.
Cooking and fuel
- A liquid-gas stove — butane, propane or white gas. Wood and solid-fuel stoves are banned above 5,000 feet, which covers nearly the whole permit area.
Clothing and warmth
- Rain shell and an insulating layer — alpine weather changes fast.
- Wool or synthetic socks and broken-in footwear.
- A warm layer for camp, even on a day hike to altitude.
Navigation and Aasgard Pass
- An offline map and a GPS you trust — cell service is unreliable through most of the core.
- Trekking poles and a traction device for Aasgard Pass. The Forest Service's own caution: steep, often snow-covered, with hidden rocks and creeks.
- Headlamp and a basic first-aid kit.
Overnight only
- Tent or other shelter, and a sleeping bag and pad rated for the season.
- A way to hang your food and toiletries away from camp — there's no bear cache in this area.
Gear to consider
Categories relevant to this specific trail, not a personal pack list — see the disclosure below for why these link to a search rather than one picked product.
Disclosure
This page names categories of gear relevant to this permit zone and its own rules — not products this site has personally tested on the Enchantments Traverse. Each link goes to Amazon search results for that category, not one picked product, so you can compare and choose your own.
Some of those links are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. No affiliate link appears anywhere in the app itself.