Car-camped near the creek a mile short of the Rachel Lake Trailhead, and hit the trail at 8:00am. Only snow on the trail is on Rampart Ridge, and that only a few ten step patches; and only about a foot deep. Some bugs, but not anything to worry about. Flowers: Some paintbrush blooming. A few other varieties coming in. A little mud here and there, but nothing too significant. I was glad to have worn long pants and have a sweatshirt in my pack. It was cool and breezy in exposed areas at Rampart Lakes. I watched one couple jumping up and down to try to stay warm. They were in shorts and T-shirts. They didn't stay long. What a beautiful place this is! In this, my second trip- I think there are still lakes I haven't yet explored. Saw a ptarmigan, a sqirrel, and some sort of yellow-bellied birds. With wandering, probably 12 miles total.

All snow gone from the trail. On the steep section section before the lake there are a few water made, and water filled, pits in the trail that may be a only little difficult to negotiate. Photo of a cascade before the lake and a photo of Rachel lake. We did not find the toilet at the lake, does anyone know where to find it?

The Rachel lake trail Exit 62 Alpine lakes Wilderness The Trail up to Rachel lake is pleasant for the first 2.5 miles, then it is really steep on the last part, but it is snow free the entire way. Rachel lake is completely clear of snow, and so is the trail leading to the upper lakes. Rampart and Lila lakes are almost completely thawed out.,with a lot of dry ground near them. Rampart ridge is still pretty white, but Alta Mountain is around 80% snow free. The entire snow free Trail (bootpath) to Hibox branches from the trail after about 2.3 miles on the right. From here, the route ascends steeply, first in trees then in more open forest, then finally in scree to the summit block. From here,the scramble has some exposure, but large foot and hand holds make it easy. The views are expansive and show what little snow is left on the hills. I would recomend this Scramble to any one that can do 10 miles round trip along with3900' feet gain/loss- The views are well worth it!

The trail is it's usual muddy rooty state. Beautiful cool sunny day. No bugs or snow. Fall colors just at or beyond peak now. The trail to Alta peak has a little exposure but it's not dangerous. Modest route finding skills needed. The view from the top is outstanding. You can trace about 10 miles of the PCT as it traverses the headwaters of Gold Creek. Excellent view of most of the peaks in the Alpine lakes wilderness. You can also see Glacier pk, Rainier, Adams Stuart, and the Olympics. Approximately 13 mi RT and 3500ft. The final flat 3 miles seems to take forever. This trail would be a great candidate for an Extreme Makeover, Trail Edition.

Had a wonderful hike to Rachel Lake and Rampart Ridge. We had our two sons with us (ages 9 and 11) . . . they each made it to the Ridge. Trail was a little muddy in spots but the boys thoroughly enjoyed our short stops at the water falls and streams. After a few miles through fairly level forest paths, the trail turned steep and was a little tough to follow at times. Several times we found ourselves hiking up running streams, thinking we lost the trail, but quickly found it again. Encountered less than a dozen people on the trail, mostly backpackers headed in for the night. Best news was no bugs!!! Rachel Lake was beautiful and Rampart Ridge offered great views.