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jeannette
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jeannette
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PostSat Jul 30, 2022 11:02 am 
Any suggestions on backpacking trips West of Leavenworth, in the Enchantments area that are scenic however don't have as many crowds?

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Randito
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PostSat Jul 30, 2022 11:11 am 
Goat Rocks is nice. Less crowded than stuff off of I-90 or US-2. The Clear Fork approach was recently logged out by a WTA crew after a long gap in maintenance. If you can arrange a shuttle , several traverse variations are possible, particularly if you are game for any off trail travel. There are lots of goats, but they are less inclined to stalk you waiting for you to take a leak than Enchantments goats.

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zimmertr
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PostSat Jul 30, 2022 11:58 am 
Not all necessarily near Leavenworth... But: Gothic Basin Tuck/Robin/Granite Potholes Ramparts/Chikamin Venus/Circle Ice Lakes Rock/Panorama/Purvis Bathtub Lakes Coney Lake Lyman Lakes Escondita/Vista/Summit Chief Florence/Edna/Ladies Larch/Cup Chain/Doelle Hinman Tarns Tank/La Bohn Lots more. The trick is to hop on Google Earth and pan around the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and north and look for lakes in large granite basins.

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jaysway, Secret Agent Man, olderthanIusedtobe
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zimmertr
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PostSat Jul 30, 2022 12:04 pm 
Also maybe consider a trip out of state to the High Sierras or Wind River Range. Desolation, Ansel Adams, etc Wilderness are large expanses of granite basins similar to the Enchantments.

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jaysway, Malachai Constant, olderthanIusedtobe
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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostSat Jul 30, 2022 12:26 pm 
zimmertr wrote:
Also maybe consider a trip out of state to the High Sierras or Wind River Range. Desolation, Ansel Adams, etc Wilderness are large expanses of granite basins similar to the Enchantments.
I'd add some more to this out of state list. Many options in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness straddling the Montana-Wyoming border. Sawtooths in Idaho. Also Bighorn Crags in ID, the northeast corner of the huge Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Trinity Alps in NorCal is like a miniaturized version of the High Sierra.

jaysway
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kiliki
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PostSat Jul 30, 2022 12:43 pm 
^^^Plus the Wallowas in NE OR. Eagle Cap Wilderness is a knockout, and it's pretty easy backpacking. https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8022269&highlight=wallowa https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8022269&highlight=wallowa But there are countless destinations with amazing scenery here, too, including near Leavenworth. Do you have guidebooks? 100 Classic Hikes in WA, Backpacking WA...

jaysway, olderthanIusedtobe
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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostSat Jul 30, 2022 12:46 pm 
Doh! How did I forget the Wallowas? Thanks kiliki.

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Cyclopath
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PostSat Jul 30, 2022 12:52 pm 
As long as we're talking about leaving the state to hike near Leavenworth, Sputnik Planitia looks interesting on maps.

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jeannette
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PostSat Jul 30, 2022 8:14 pm 
Thanks for all the helpful information. I have taken a look at a number of these places. Quite a few look very nice.

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schifferj
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PostSat Jul 30, 2022 8:36 pm 
May be further than you want to travel but the Eagle Cap has it hands down over the Enchantments and the mosquitoes are just as bad. Enchantments on steroids? Bear tooth Absaroka. Little closer are the Selkirks in the Idaho Panhandle.

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BigBrunyon
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PostSat Jul 30, 2022 11:29 pm 
Very few, if any!! The thing you need to understand is that the ENCHANTMENTS are the Main Objective and everything else is the overflow hikes. That's how it is. All other hikes are just overflow hikes!!! I don't waste my time with said overflow hikes. I ENSURE that I will remain relevant on the big Core Zone Approach by investing in the gym!!!! True hero is made in the offseason!! In the gym!!!

Foist, jaysway, mosey, tgrump  dixon, awilsondc
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Schroder
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PostSun Jul 31, 2022 11:20 am 
jeannette wrote:
backpacking trips West of Leavenworth
You have the entire Alpine Lakes Wilderness just west of Leavenworth. I suggest you go to WTA hike finder map and check out the area.

dixon
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jaysway
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PostMon Aug 01, 2022 11:53 am 
I'm noticing that the responses here are answering two separate questions: - What are great places that feel similar to the Enchantments? - What are great other places to backpack that may or may not feel similar to the Enchantments? If you're interested in the first, look no further than zimmertr's excellent response as well as olderthanIusedtobe and kiliki's great followups about places that feel similar that are further away. My two cents are if you want a place that feels pretty similar and you are willing to travel, the Beartooths, Sierras, and Winds are like the Enchantments on steroids. The Wallowas are great too but the granite lakes section is smaller than the ranges above but perfectly suitable for a multiday trip and just as beautiful. If you're just looking for other great backpacking trips in the area there are so many possibilities, one great place to start is to just read through the trip reports forum here and find ones that inspire you. Goat Rocks is an excellent area that looks quite different geologically than the Enchantments (it's an eroded volcano so it looks more similar to the area around Rainier), although I doubt it's much less crowded than places off of I-90 or US-2 these days, at least on weekends. Everything from Packwood Lake to the Snowgrass Flats/Goat Lake/Cispus Basin and PCT area is mobbed on weekends. My unscientific take as someone living in Portland is that you'll find a lot more people from Portland/Vancouver in the Goat Rocks than people from Seattle. There are a lot of hikers around here whose "hiking range" extends from the Three Sisters to the south to Goat Rocks/Rainier to the north. Trails on the east side of Goat Rocks like the stuff around Gilbert are less popular than the stuff to the west, although like everywhere the word is getting out.

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SpookyKite89
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PostTue Aug 02, 2022 8:39 am 
jaysway wrote:
Everything from Packwood Lake to the Snowgrass Flats/Goat Lake/Cispus Basin and PCT area is mobbed on weekends.
This. It is a zoo up there. I had to step off the trial numerous times to let groups of 10+ people pass as I was heading out. No idea where they were planning on camping either because every spot I ran by was taken.

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hbb
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PostTue Aug 02, 2022 2:23 pm 
jaysway wrote:
My unscientific take as someone living in Portland is that you'll find a lot more people from Portland/Vancouver in the Goat Rocks than people from Seattle.
I always see a ton of Oregon plates on the vehicles at the Berry Patch TH.

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