Why Colchuck Lake is the Best Day Hike from Leavenworth WA

If you’re planning a trip to Washington, there’s a high likelihood you’ll want to hit up Leavenworth. Located between Skykomish and Wenatchee, Leavenworth is the perfect home base for hiking.

The town itself is beautiful, but we’ll get to that later. What I really want to focus on is where to get your fill of hiking. Specifically, why Colchuck Lake is the BEST day hike from Leavenworth.

There are SO MANY hikes near Leavenworth that it can be hard to chose just one. The number of results that popped up on my Alltrails app was overwhelming.

I ended up spending way too much time scrolling through photos trying to narrow down the options. Obviously scenery is not the only reason I hike, but I’m not going do an 8 mile hike to see a swamp. For me, part of the fun is seeing the incredible views.

I eventually landed on Colchuck Lake after spending hours down the Alltrails black hole. The trail is relatively well known in Washington which is why I feel comfortable sharing this information. Regardless, always practice Leave No Trace (LNT) principles when spending time in nature.

Colchuck Lake Trail: Quick Stats

Is hiking Colchuck Lake right for you? Here is some information to help you make that deicison.

Total Distance: 9 miles
Elevation Gain: 2283 ft.
Route Type: Out & Back
Difficulty Rating: Hard
No Dogs Allowed
Best To Hike: April – October

How to Get There

The official trailhead is Stuart Lake Trailhead. I recommend putting it into your google maps.

The drive is approximately 35 minutes from downtown Leavenworth. I recommend driving slowly on the gravel road and using a car with high clearance if possible since it gets pretty rough in a few spots.

You can do this drive in a normal car and I saw many sedans parked in the lot. Just be aware that it’ll be a bumpy ride.

Parking

Timing is essential when hiking to Colchuck Lake. The parking lot fills up quickly, especially on weekends so you’ll need to get to the trailhead early. Although getting up early can be a drag, I highly recommend arriving no later than 7 am.

Pro Tip: You do need a day use pass. You can either pay at the parking lot with cash ($5 per car) or buy a pass online.

There’s an awesome campsite right near the trailhead that I would definitely stay at given the chance. I totally wish that we had started out even earlier so we could enjoy the lake for longer.

Additionally, when we arrived at 7:30 am the parking lot was almost entirely full. This is actually impressive since the lot was much larger than we anticipated.

Most of the day use spots fill up super early. Some of the spots may appear available but they are reserved for overnight campers.

If you don’t arrive to park in the lot then you’ll be stuck parking on the road. This is not ideal as it adds a significant amount of walking to an already difficult hike.

What Day of the Week Should I Go?

I was anticipating that the trail wouldn’t be that busy on a Thursday, but I was so wrong. The trail is popular, especially for day hikers. This might have been compounded due to COVID-19, but I would still expect it to be busy.

If you are desperate to see this trail with slightly more peace and quiet, I would recommend going in the middle of the week or going during off season. The middle of the week will definitely give you a slight reprieve, but I wouldn’t bank on it being empty. Even for sunrise I can imagine that there are early risers and overnighters at the lake.

The fact that the hike is popular should not deter you. I would go back in a heartbeat.

The Hike: Trip Report

Just a quick search on google will show you how insanely gorgeous this hike is. Colchuck Lake is technically part of the Enchantments.

The Enchantments hiking route is a highly sought after backpacking trail in Washington. It’s so beautiful and popular that it requires a permit to overnight camp in.

Generally speaking, this is a hard day hike. If you are a conditioned hiker or you are typically a pretty active person it’s not as strenuous as some reviews may lead you to believe.

In total, the 4.5 miles to the lake took us about 2 hours and 45 minutes and on the way back we cut off almost an hour.

The hardest part is the last mile or so. At first the elevation gain is slow and gradual, but eventually you will start doing some switchbacks with larger step ups that really work the glutes. After doing this for 15 minutes or so you will feel like it will never end, but trust me it’s closer than it looks.

If you are an average hiker or would consider yourself in average “shape” then this hike is still 100% doable. Give yourself extra time to get up to Colchuck Lake and allow yourself time to step off the trail for a break. This day hike is hard, but it’s not impossible.

I will note that we did see a handful of people really struggling on the last bit. Keep in mind that difficulty ratings are there for a reason.

If you are dead set on doing a day hike rated as hard make sure to do other hikes before to build your stamina and strength. Elevation gain also plays a major role so ensure you are stopping to take in water and allow yourself to acclimate to the thinner air.

What To Bring

Below is a list of my day hike essentials in no specific order. Note that you may want to bring other items, but the more you put in your pack the heavier it will be!

I always weigh cost benefit before throwing something into my pack. Typically extra items are weather dependent (i.e., a swimsuit) otherwise the items I rely on stay the same.

For Colchuck Lake, this is what was in my pack.

Navigation (download trail map for offline access on your phone or have a physical map of the trail)
Full Water Bottle (I use a hydroflask but any reusable water bottle will do)
Water Bladder (two hikers with one pack means more water!!)
Water treatment (just in case)
Electrolytes (we carried Nuun)
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Hat (additional sun protection)
Swimsuit
Quick Drying Towel
Long Sleeve Layers (choose ones that will wick sweat and don’t weigh a lot)
Chapstick
SNACKS (pack extra just in case) – this could include things like protein bars, nut mix, beef jerky, fresh fruit, etc.
Camera (if you take photos)

REI has a great blog post on the 10 Essentials if you are looking at what you absolutely MUST bring on a hike. Personally, I modify this based on different factors.

Do what’s best for you, but also be smart based on the trail conditions and time of year.

What to Wear

Of course this is dependent on the season. We visited in late August so my list is based on hotter weather.

That being said, layers are always important heading into the mountain. Check the weather before you head out and know the potential for things like rain or snow so you can plan appropriately.

Fortunately, we had a clear day with barely any clouds to worry about.

Hiking Socks (preferably wool)
Hiking boots –these are the ones I use
Leggings or shorts
Sweat wicking shirt
Quality sports bra
Long sleeve layer

Other Things to Know

Before you hit the trail, there are a few other things to know. As much as we all love our furry best friends, dogs are not allowed on the trail. I understand the urge to bring them along, but there are reasons that dogs are not allowed on certain trails so please be respectful of that.

We saw many people who disregarded the many signs and brought their pooch along anyway. Please don’t be that person.

Drones are also not allowed in national forests. If you have a drone please be respectful of this.

A great app to use to check what areas allow drone flight is Airmap. As a general rule of thumb, drones are not allowed in any national or state parks unless otherwise specified.

Always do your research beforehand because getting caught flying in an area that’s prohibited could mean a fine and/or jail time.

Lastly, make sure to practice “leave no trace” principles. Renee Roaming has a great post about leave no trace and there are some other great resources online.

To summarize, leave nature as you found it. Pack in what you pack out, stay on trail, and don’t feed the animals.

Colchuck Lake has a ton of bold animals due to hikers feeding them (queue chipmunks). This can lead to animals becoming aggressive and expecting to be fed. You can prevent this by doing your part and observing at a distance.

Post Hike Snacks

The second best part of hiking is getting to EAT afterwards. Eating is typically all I can think about when hiking out.

You’re in luck because the town of Leavenworth has some great spots to hit up. If you haven’t been to Leavenworth at this point then you’re in for a fun surprise.

Leavenworth is a Bavarian town and looks like it should be in the German countryside. Take some time to enjoy the food and kick up your feet. I highly recommend some beer if you’re into that sort of thing.

Conclusion: Why Colchuck Lake is the Best Day Hike from Leavenworth WA

Colchuck Lake is well worth the sweat and glute burn. The breathtaking views make it the best day hike near Leavenworth. If you plan to take this hike on, remember these key things:

Get to Stuart Lake Trailhead early
Make sure you bring cash or have a recreation pass
Take your time on the steep sections
Pack the 10 Essentials
Practice Leave No Trace

Happy hiking and enjoy the trail!