If you have a Core permit
Your permit. Camp in any zone and start or finish at either trailhead.
Suggested plan. Camp at Colchuck Lake and come back the same way. A Core permit lets you camp in any zone, and one night is short for the Core.
| Day | What to do | Mapped miles, about | Sleep at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stuart Lake Trailhead to Colchuck Lake, about 2,200 ft up | 4.0 | Colchuck Lake |
| 2 | Colchuck Lake to Stuart Lake Trailhead | 4.0 | Home |
Another way. Cross the traverse with one night at Inspiration Lake, about 7.1 mapped miles in and 10.8 out. No report in this set did exactly that. All three one-night crossings in the reports finished in the evening or later. Recreation.gov says “Visitors typically plan at least three or four days for this trip.”
If you have a Colchuck permit
Your permit. Every night at Colchuck Lake or elsewhere in the Colchuck Zone. Day hikes into the Core are allowed. You cannot camp right below Aasgard Pass.
Suggested plan. Camp at Colchuck Lake. Spend the afternoon at the lake.
| Day | What to do | Mapped miles, about | Sleep at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stuart Lake Trailhead to Colchuck Lake, about 2,200 ft up | 4.0 | Colchuck Lake |
| 2 | Colchuck Lake to Stuart Lake Trailhead | 4.0 | Home |
Another way. Day packs up Aasgard Pass and back the same afternoon, about 3.1 mapped miles round trip and 2,300 ft up. Skye Stoury's party did this, and their account tells first-timers to give it a full day. The two-night plan has that day.
Trip reports. Skye Stoury's one-night account.
If you have a Snow permit
Your permit. Every night at or below Upper Snow Lake. Day hikes into the Core are allowed.
Suggested plan. Camp at Upper Snow Lake. Walk out the next day.
| Day | What to do | Mapped miles, about | Sleep at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snow Lakes Trailhead to Upper Snow Lake | 6.9 | Upper Snow Lake |
| 2 | Upper Snow Lake to Snow Lakes Trailhead | 6.9 | Home |
Another way. Camp at Nada Lake, about 5.8 mapped miles in. Adding Lake Viviane from Upper Snow Lake makes the second day about 12.2 mapped miles. The Snow trips that day hiked into the Core stayed two or three nights.
Trip reports. WTA writer kreidykid, Moderately Adventurous.
If you have a Stuart permit
Your permit. Every night in the Stuart Zone, around Lake Stuart. Day hikes into other zones are allowed.
Suggested plan. Camp at Lake Stuart. Walk out the next day.
| Day | What to do | Mapped miles, about | Sleep at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stuart Lake Trailhead to Lake Stuart | 4.5, per the Forest Service | Lake Stuart |
| 2 | Lake Stuart to Stuart Lake Trailhead | 4.5, per the Forest Service | Home |
For a day hike to Horseshoe Lake or Colchuck Lake, the two-night plan leaves a full day for it. The Stuart reports in this set used two nights. Lake Stuart is not on the app's mapped line, so those side trips have no mapped miles.
If you have an Eightmile/Caroline permit
Your permit. Every night in the Eightmile/Caroline Zone. It is a separate trail system from the traverse.
Suggested plan. Camp at Lake Caroline. Walk up to Windy Pass the first afternoon.
| Day | What to do | Mapped miles, about | Sleep at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eightmile Trailhead to Lake Caroline. Afternoon: up to Windy Pass and back | 4.8, then 5.0 round trip | Lake Caroline |
| 2 | Lake Caroline to Eightmile Trailhead | 4.8 | Home |
Another way. Camp at Eightmile Lake, 3.6 miles in, for a shorter first day.
Trip reports. Savvy Exploring, zilcsak.com.
Before you go
These plans are built from 30 overnight trip reports dated 2013 to 2026, read September 28, 2026, and the app's mapped line. Mapped miles read a little short of what a GPS watch shows. The Forest Service says “Camp only at previously impacted sites.” Read the permit rules.
The agencies do not name a traverse direction. Recreation.gov's Aasgard Pass caution covers climbing and descending. “Use extreme caution when climbing or descending steep snow slopes, exposed and hidden creeks and waterfalls are present.” Read the full caution.
The free self-issued day-use permit, your overnight permit and your parking pass are three separate things. Entry must be on your permit's stated date. Read the permit rules.
See the plan picker and the map. Zone edges are mapped estimates, not campsite rulings. Compare two nights, three nights or four to seven nights. See packing and the app. Road closures and the drive in are on the roads page.