How to get in01 pathLottery
The Enchantments
Overnight permits for the Enchantment Permit Area are among the hardest draws in the Cascades.
Overnight · Multi-day
HikeCampStrenuousPhysical effort · Estimate
Strenuous — Long miles, elevation, or sustained hard effort.
Long alpine miles, steep granite, and overnight packing at elevation.
Editorial estimate of the typical trip — not lottery hardness, and not an Official agency grade.
Good fitBackpackers who can commit to an advance lottery season and accept a low historical award rate.
Usually notDay-hikers hunting a same-week overnight or anyone unwilling to name a backup zone.
Lottery type
Advanced Overnight Lottery
Historical success rate
6.4%
USFS Enchantment Permit Area historical lottery statistics (published via Recreation.gov) · for 2023 · We checked 2026-09-20
When to apply
Advanced overnight lottery
Official timing
Annual February application window on Recreation.gov (dates shift slightly each year — confirm live).
We checked 2026-09-22
The managing agency (and Recreation.gov when the product lives there) is authoritative for dates, fees, and whether registration is open. We summarize — always confirm on the official page before you apply.
If you miss this window, try these instead:
- Daily geofenced lottery
- Nearby day hikes without overnight permit
Sources & notes
- USFS Enchantment Permit Area historical lottery statistics (published via Recreation.gov) · for 2023 · We checked 2026-09-20
Overall award rate from USFS 2023 application data (~40,031 applications). Zone rates vary (Core much harder).
Backup options
Nearby or alternate ways in if these draws miss.
- Daily geofenced lottery
- Nearby day hikes without overnight permit
Field notes
All field notesPlaybooks for the confusing parts of applying — not live calendars.
- Desert and Sierra when you have one weekDesert day-hike lottery or Sierra overnight permit — what fits one week off
- How to order a hard-ticket yearHow to prioritize national park lotteries and permits for one trip year
- How to read a place pageHow to read a park permit page before you apply on Recreation.gov
- Which Recreation.gov product is this?Recreation.gov parking vs timed entry vs lottery — how to pick the right one
Dates, group rules, a backup, entry day — the apply checklist is under Before you go
The managing agency (and Recreation.gov when the product lives there) is authoritative for dates, fees, and whether registration is open. We summarize — always confirm on the official page before you apply. USFS publishes historical lottery statistics (PDF) via Recreation.gov permit 233273 — strong V1 source. About Official / Estimate / Not confirmed yet