Little Annapurna in the Enchantments

This photo was taken near the summit of Little Annapurna in the Enchantments in Washington. Before venturing out, you should know that reaching this point requires a long hike. It can be done as a long day trip, but overnight camping is probably best (permits are given out daily through a lottery at the ranger station or reserved in the yearly Enchantments Permit Lottery). To begin your hike, you'll need to get to the Colchuck Lake Trailhead (47.527800, -120.820994). Head south on Icicle Creek Road, on the west side of Leavenworth, Washington and then continue on Icicle Creek Road for 8.4 miles. Turn left onto NF-7601 and continue driving 3.6 miles on this road until you reach the trailhead. This road is quite bumpy, so proceed slowly in smaller vehicles. Once you've parked (and put your pass in your windshield), head toward Colchuck Lake on the trail. After 2.1 miles of hiking you'll come to a split — continue left to go up to Colchuck Lake. From the split it's another 1.5 miles to your first views of Colchuck Lake. Once at the lake, go to your right and follow the trail around the lake (to the far side of the lake) and then continue up the steep section of rocks known as Asgard Pass. This section is 2,000 feet of elevation gain in 3/4 of a mile so it isn't for the faint of heart! Once you reach the top of the pass, the trail continues toward the core of the Enchantments for about another mile before you'll take the rocky trail on your right up to Little Annapurna. The rocks where I took this photo are on your left just before the summit of Little Annapurna. From the parking lot to this viewpoint is about 7.2 miles with approximately 5,200 feet of elevation gain.