Core Enchantment Zone

The Core is the high basin of granite, larch, and turquoise lakes that the Enchantments are famous for: Inspiration, Perfection, Leprechaun, Sprite, Isolation, and the rest, between roughly 6,800 and 7,800 feet. It is reached either by the brutal 2,000-foot climb up Aasgard Pass from Colchuck Lake or by the long grind past the Snow Lakes from the east. Either way it is a serious day to get in with an overnight pack.

It is also the hardest overnight permit in Washington. For a party of two, the median day of the season predicts about 3% odds, and a typical July or August day is under 2%. The Core is the one zone where group size changes your chances: quota is counted per person, so smaller parties do markedly better, and a solo applicant has about three and a half times the odds of a pair. If the Core is the goal, the practical strategies are a solo or two-person application, a Sunday-to-Thursday entry, a June or October date, and two alternates in Colchuck or Snow that let you day-hike the basin from below. A Core permit also lets you camp in any of the other four zones.

Campfires are banned. Goats will follow you. Toilets exist at the larger lakes; use them.

Predicted 2027 odds by date, party of 2

Each day shows the estimated chance that a Core Enchantment first choice for that entry date wins in the 2027 lottery. The median day of the season is 3%. The methodology page explains how these are estimated.

Group size:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

≥ 30%5–30%< 5%No data

May

1234567891011121314159%1619%1719%1823%1924%2016%217%227%2318%2419%2522%2622%2713%286%296%3015%3116%

June

117%217%310%45%55%611%711%813%911%107%114%124%138%147%158%167%175%183%193%205%215%225%235%243%252%263%274%283%294%304%

July

12%22%32%43%53%63%73%82%91%102%113%122%132%142%152%161%172%182%191%202%212%221%231%241%252%261%271%282%291%301%311%

August

12%21%31%41%51%61%71%82%91%101%111%121%131%141%152%161%172%182%191%201%212%222%232%242%252%261%271%282%292%302%312%

September

12%22%31%42%52%62%72%82%92%101%112%122%132%142%152%162%172%182%193%203%213%223%232%242%253%263%273%283%293%302%

October

12%23%34%44%55%65%74%83%94%109%119%1213%1312%1410%159%1610%1726%1824%1938%2032%2129%2227%2322%2455%2549%2668%2759%2853%2948%3031%3172%

Average odds by month, party of 2

The 2027 column averages the predictions above. The other columns average the simulated odds of the comparable dates in each past lottery.

Month	2027 (predicted)	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
May	15%	18%	20%	14%	15%	13%
Jun	7%	7%	8%	6%	6%	5%
Jul	2%	2%	2%	2%	2%	2%
Aug	2%	2%	1%	1%	2%	2%
Sep	2%	2%	2%	2%	2%	3%
Oct	24%	28%	19%	14%	28%	32%

Run your exact choices in the calculator

Other zones

For strategy across zones, see the FAQ and how the lottery works.