If you have a Core permit
Your permit. Camp in any zone and start or finish at either trailhead.
Suggested plan. Colchuck Lake, then move through the Core a mile or two at a time, out at Snow Lakes. Four reports did this.
| 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 | Up Aasgard Pass with full packs, about 2,300 ft up, into the upper Core | 3.1 to Inspiration Lake | Inspiration Lake |
| 3 | A short move through the Core | 0.6 to Sprite Lake, 1.1 to Leprechaun Lake | Sprite or Leprechaun Lake |
| 4 | Down to Upper Snow Lake or Nada Lake | From Sprite Lake, 3.3 to the Snow Lakes or 4.4 to Nada Lake. From Leprechaun Lake, 2.8 or 3.9 | Upper Snow Lake or Nada Lake |
| 5 | Out to Snow Lakes Trailhead | 6.9 from the Snow Lakes, 5.8 from Nada Lake | Home |
For more nights, add Core days. The longer trips spent them on Little Annapurna, Prusik Pass and Gnome Tarn, and one on a rest day at Leprechaun Lake. No report ran six or seven nights.
Trip reports. Wanderpost, WTA writer Hike PNW, AARshley.
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 every night. Core and Lake Stuart day hikes, with days at camp between them.
| Day | What to do | Mapped miles, about | Sleep at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stuart Lake Trailhead to Colchuck Lake | 4.0 | Colchuck Lake |
| 2 | Day packs up Aasgard Pass to Inspiration Lake and back | 6.2 round trip | Colchuck Lake |
| 3 | Tranquil Lake, or a rest day | 3.6 round trip | Colchuck Lake |
| 4 | Walk to Lake Stuart and back | Not on the app's map | Colchuck Lake |
| 5 | Colchuck Lake to Stuart Lake Trailhead | 4.0 | Home |
Add a day for each extra night. Every night stays in the Colchuck Zone.
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. Upper Snow Lake as base camp, Nada Lake for the last night.
| Day | What to do | Mapped miles, about | Sleep at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snow Lakes Trailhead to Upper Snow Lake | 6.9 | Upper Snow Lake |
| 2 | Day packs to Lake Viviane and Leprechaun Lake | 5.7 round trip | Upper Snow Lake |
| 3 | Day packs to Sprite, Perfection and Inspiration lakes | 7.9 round trip | Upper Snow Lake |
| 4 | Down to Nada Lake | 1.1 | Nada Lake |
| 5 | Nada Lake to Snow Lakes Trailhead | 5.8 | Home |
Add a day for each extra night. Every night stays at or below Upper Snow Lake.
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. Lake Stuart as base camp. Day hikes to Colchuck Lake and Horseshoe Lake, back at Lake Stuart each night.
| 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 | Day hike to Colchuck Lake and back | Not on the app's map | Lake Stuart |
| 3 | Day hike to Horseshoe Lake and back | Not on the app's map | Lake Stuart |
| 4 | A day at Lake Stuart | None | Lake Stuart |
| 5 | Lake Stuart to Stuart Lake Trailhead | 4.5, per the Forest Service | Home |
One party day hiked from Lake Stuart over Aasgard Pass to just past Isolation Lake. They reported about 13 miles and 12 hours and walked back in the dark.
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. One night at Eightmile Lake, then three at Lake Caroline.
| Day | What to do | Mapped miles, about | Sleep at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eightmile Trailhead to Eightmile Lake | 3.6 | Eightmile Lake |
| 2 | Move to Lake Caroline | 3.3 | Lake Caroline |
| 3 | Day hike to Windy Pass and back | 5.0 round trip | Lake Caroline |
| 4 | Day hike to Little Caroline Lake and back | 1.6 round trip | Lake Caroline |
| 5 | Lake Caroline to Eightmile Trailhead | 4.8 | Home |
Side trips
Among the five longer trips, two named Little Annapurna, three Prusik Pass and three Gnome Tarn. Hike At Your Pace describes side trips. WTA writer tiffanyc describes moving camp in the lower Core. They are off the mapped traverse line, so they have no mapped miles here.
Recreation.gov's Aasgard Pass caution covers climbing and descending. Read the agency caution.
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.
For the 2026 season, the Forest Service states a maximum stay of 14 consecutive days. Its rule excludes leaving and re-entering at a later date. Recreation.gov says entry must be on the permit's stated date. These facts were checked September 28, 2026. Forest Service permit rules, Recreation.gov conditions.
For the 2026 season, Recreation.gov permits groups of up to eight people. It says days may be added eight days or more before entry. These rules were checked September 28, 2026. Read the reservation conditions.
The agency also limits unattended camp supplies to 48 hours and requires attractive items to be hung in camp. Read those rules.
The free self-issued day-use permit, your overnight permit and your parking pass are three separate things.
See the plan picker and the map. Zone edges are mapped estimates. Compare one night, two nights and three nights. See packing and the app. Road closures and the drive in are on the roads page.