November 12, 2026: Recreation.gov hasn't posted the 2027 lottery dates yet. The Forest Service runs the advance lottery February 15 to March 1 every year; the times and later dates below follow 2026, and we'll update them when 2027 is posted. Sign up below and we'll email you before the lottery opens and before it closes.

Last updated: November 12, 2026

The Enchantments are a granite lake basin in Washington's Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and the overnight permit is one of the hardest to get in the country. There are three ways in: a lottery in late winter, a daily lottery you enter from Leavenworth, and the permits other people give up.

Enchantments permits, in short:

• When you need one: overnight trips from May 15 to October 31.
• Advance lottery: February 15 to March 1 on Recreation.gov. About 75% of permits go this way, and typically less than 10% of applicants win.
• Daily lottery: apply the day before your start, from your phone, within one mile of the Leavenworth Ranger Station. About a quarter of permits.
• Released permits: dates nobody claimed, and cancellations, go up first come, first served.
• Cost: a $6 application fee, then $5 per person per day if you win.
• Group size: up to 8, and you all camp together.

2027 dates

The Forest Service runs the advance lottery February 15 to March 1 each year. Here's how 2026 went; 2027's times and later dates will be posted on Recreation.gov.

The Forest Service says results come out "around March 15", and to check your Recreation.gov account rather than wait for the email. If you win, confirm and pay by the deadline: unclaimed awards go back into the pool.

The five zones

Every permit is for one zone. A Core Enchantments permit lets you camp in any zone; the others are good only in their own.

You can't camp right below Aasgard Pass in the Colchuck zone.

How to apply

• One application per person each year, with up to 2 alternate choices. You can't change an application once it's in.
• If you name an alternate group leader, they have 72 hours to accept.
• One permit per person per season.
• The $6 application fee isn't refunded. Winners pay $5 per person per day.

The daily lottery

If you didn't win in winter, the daily lottery is the next chance. The day before you want to start, apply on the Recreation.gov app between 7:00 and 10:00 a.m. PT. Your phone has to be within one mile of the Leavenworth Ranger Station when you apply.

Results arrive by email around 11:00 a.m. PT. Winners accept and pay online by 11:59 p.m. PT that day, then print the permit or download it to a phone. The lottery runs seven days a week, though the ranger station itself is closed on weekends.

Group size and the rules

• Group size: up to 8 people, stock included. The whole group starts on the permit date and camps together with the permit holder, in one site.
• Permit holder: 18 or older, with photo ID.
• Carrying the permit: print it online up to 14 days before your trip. An unsigned permit on a phone isn't valid, and everyone in the group carries a copy.
• Length of stay: 14 consecutive days at most, and you can't leave and come back in.
• Cancelling: cancel 22 or more days out for a refund; inside 21 days, or for weather, there's none.
• Dogs: none. Service animals only; therapy and emotional-support animals don't count.
• Fires: none above 5,000 feet or within half a mile of a lake. Above 5,000 feet, use a liquid or gas stove.
• Food: hang food, toiletries and anything else with a smell.
• Toilets: use the ones provided; otherwise dig a cathole 6 to 8 inches deep, 200 feet from water and camp, and pack out your toilet paper. Wag bags are encouraged in shoulder season, when the toilets are under snow.
• Goats: they look tame but are wild, and they're drawn to urine. Pee on rock, away from plants, soil and campsites, and never feed them.
• Drones: not allowed.

Outside May 15 to October 31, overnight visitors self-register at the trailhead instead.

Day hikes

You don't need the lottery to day hike. Fill out a free day-use permit at the trailhead and park with a Northwest Forest Pass. Day hikers can go through every zone, including the Core.

The through-hike

Most overnight trips cross the basin from the Stuart Lake Trailhead to the Snow Lakes Trailhead. The trailheads are miles apart, so you need a second car or a ride back to your start; the Forest Service suggests having someone shuttle you. The Enchantments Traverse trail page has the route, the climb over Aasgard Pass, and the campsites in each zone.

For the trailheads on their own, the official round-trip figures are: Colchuck Lake 4.2 miles with 2,100 feet of gain, Stuart Lake 4.5 miles, Eightmile 3.3 miles, and Snow Lakes 6.5 miles with 4,100 feet of gain.

Other permit guides

Planning more than one lottery this winter? The Havasupai reservations guide covers the tribe's February sale, and the JMT permits guide covers the Whitney Portal and Yosemite lotteries.