Enchantment permits: Gov run amok? Consistent w/ wilderness ethos?

General discussions on hiking in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest
chrisca
Posts: 107
Joined: January 22nd, 2010, 10:48 am

Re: Enchantment permits: Gov run amok? Consistent w/ wilderness ethos?

Post by chrisca » July 17th, 2018, 1:19 pm

I've been there three times, twice before the permit system got complicated. My last visit was in 2016. Trust me, it's worth it. There is so much pressure on the area that a strict system is needed to keep it from getting trashed. They had over 19,000 applications that year.

You will see lots of day hikers. But they didn't intrude too much on the experience, and there are lots of places to get off the main trail for solitude. A ranger did show up the third night and check out permits. Aasgard Pass is a tough day due to rocky trail and elevation gain. But the way from Snow Lakes to the north end of the trail is also a very long day so be prepared for that. Many people try to camp somewhere in the Snow Lakes zone along the way out if there's time in the schedule. It's relatively easy to get a permit for Snow Lakes so consider that option.

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Bosterson
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Joined: May 18th, 2009, 3:17 pm
Location: Portland

Re: Enchantment permits: Gov run amok? Consistent w/ wilderness ethos?

Post by Bosterson » July 17th, 2018, 1:35 pm

chrisca wrote:
July 17th, 2018, 1:19 pm
It's relatively easy to get a permit for Snow Lakes so consider that option.
Maybe if you can snag a cancellation, or do they also set aside walk-ins for the other zones like they do for the Core? Otherwise, I would not categorize any of the Enchantment permits as "easy" to get. I went to the Core in 2009, prior to the online system, and it was a popular area but getting a permit still seemed doable. From what I hear now, people go years entering the lottery and not winning. Last time I checked Reservation.gov, all the permits for all the zones are all booked for the entire permit season, which they extended through the end of October. As people can afford to throw away $10 on a permit they may not use, the online system has made it so all of the reservable permits get gobbled up immediately. I think I would prefer a system where almost none of the permits are reservable and you actually have to do the legwork and show up to get one. I will probably never go back to the Enchantments (overnight) as I don't want to deal with the hassle of the current online permit system.
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