Road: Perfect gravel forest service road. Any careful car should manage well.
Trail: Great condition with no unusual obstacles. Maybe 4-5 gentle creek crossings.
Foliage: Lush growth and many wildflowers.
Bugs: Bugs are a constant. Bug spray doesn't seem to do the trick. At the lake there's enough wind to neutralize any airborne repellants. My clothes were treated with permethrin and I had a bug for my head, which worked well.
Lake: Beautiful and possible to do some swimming.

The big surprise is that the dirt road has been graveled and graded in the last two weeks since I hiked up to the Lila Lake overlook. It is in the best shape that I can remember. Wow!

I arrived early and hit the trail just before 7:00 am. My car was the third in the lot. I only encountered another hiker descending from an overnight trip at Lila Lake when I was a half mile from Rachel Lake. The solitude of the morning was accompanied by a chill temperature, a welcome respite for those of us who tend to hike hot. I always like the early starts, especially on a day hike. I’d rather return in the heat of the day than hike up in it.

Okay, here is the truth: The Rachel Lake Trail is a path of many personalities. Mile one gets right to it, gaining elevation rapidly before the many small creek crossings after which it levels out and transitions into a pleasant forest and meadow walk in mile two. The trail mellows considerably after the waterslide at the end of mile one. Wildflowers were abundant on this stretch, the shoulder-height plants brushing up against me as they leaned out to take over the trail. If they were wet, I would have been soaked in short order. It’s a friendly section, the last you will see before your arrival at Rachel, Lila, or Rampart Lakes. At mile 2.5 you’ll notice a more gnarly character emerging as the steep roots and rocks become more dominant features.

At mile 2.75 you’ll encounter a charming waterfall, the cascading waters descending from Box Creek Canyon. Stop and take a break. Enjoy the transcendent moment. It is pure magic. Then buckle up and tackle the most difficult section of the hike. It may be easy with an ultralight daypack, but if you are carrying any significant weight you will pay. Look at it as a character-building experience. I simply call it “training.” That helps justify it. That’s probably better than calling this section “The Punisher.”

As you ascend, you must look up from time to time as some trail sections are indistinct and you can sometimes get off route. If you suspect that something is wrong, always default to the path further from the cascading waters, and cliff rocks of Box Canyon Creek. Going up? Stay right. Going down, stay left. The problem with getting off trail is that you’ll burn up precious time in an already slow-going situation. This is where you’ll work on your patience skills.

Once arriving at Rachel Lake, you’ll be exuberant! Well done! It’s a big deal as this hike is way harder than the stats suggest. If you continue to Lila Lake, Alta Mountain, or Rampart Lakes the ascent to trail split is a bit of work but not as arduous as that last section up to Rachel Lake.

WTA suggests that while these longer hikes can be done as day trips they are best enjoyed as overnight trips. Having done them all as day trips, I concur. The folks at WTA are right.

On this trip, I ventured to Rampart Lakes and what I thought would be a route-finding slam dunk turned into a journey of perplexing situations. What seems flat on a small map is not flat. The trail undulates up and down and splits and meanders in various directions, and since the lakes exist cupped in rocky bowls there is no one overview that would help you make sense of where you might be unless you were higher up on an adjacent ridge. I took a map and compass as well as my Garmin GPSMAP. The Green Trails 207s map was useless as the lakes are minuscule in print (about one inch long) and shown without the interlacing trail network that accompanies the lakes. I ended up wandering by some adjacent tarns on my way to the larger of the Rampart Lakes. My Garmin helped me find my place and navigate to the lakes. If you want a good map without a Garmin GPS device you might use GAIA GPS for a closeup shot. I wouldn’t have cared if I had no timetable, except this was a day hike with a turnaround time and my mission was to set up and take photos to make a few spherical panoramic images. I barely had enough time to do so.

The shallowness and transparency of the lakes present as more intimate reflecting pools than the giant Rachel Lake. They beg you to stay and explore. I would love to return with overnight gear to capture the sunset, night sky, and sunrise.

My overall hiking distance was 10.46 miles with an elevation gain of 2,800 feet. Another fine day in the mountains.

Links to the panoramas I took are below. For the most immersive viewing, be sure to click the full-screen icon as you roll over the menu bar in the upper right of the photo.

South Rampart Lake, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA: https://www.360cities.net/image/south-rampart-lake-alpine-lakes-wilderness-wa

Rampart Lakes Vista, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA: https://www.360cities.net/image/rampart-lakes-vista-alpine-lakes-wilderness-wa-usa

Rampart Lakes Trail, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA: https://www.360cities.net/image/rampart-lakes-trail-alpine-lakes-wilderness-wa

It's always a trade-off to drive a little further but get a more beautiful hike. If you are coming from Seattle, this one definitely pays off for a few more minutes in the car. 

Easy parking and not too many people on the trail on a sunny 70-degree Wednesday. I originally planned to go to Alta Mountain, but I didn't get there early enough. I ran out of time and made Rachel Lake my destination. Nothing to complain about at all. It's gorgeous. It just gives me a reason to go back! In the description of Alta Mountain, it mentions that the road gets a little rough. That is not the case anymore, and I even saw someone in a truck smoothing it out even more.

The trail description here is accurate. It's pretty gentle in the first half. The second half gets steeper, and you'll be looking for the trail a little bit. There are many false ones. While taking a break, the bugs found me. A few spritzes of lemon eucalyptus, and they left me alone the rest of the day.

There are several camping sites. When I left at 3:30, I didn't see anyone setting up camp yet. 

Except for the mosquitos, it was great. Mosquitos weren't too bad when there was a breeze, of course. 

Also, the water temperature was amazing. I didn't bring my full swim gear, otherwise I would have done an hour+ swim around the lake a few times. (I'm a year-round cold water swimmer that doesn't wear a wetsuit, so my preferences are probably different from most). Water temp was around 60-62F. 

Headed out after dinner for an overnight (lots of daylight these days!)
Friday night was very uncrowded at the lake, and so peaceful.
in the morning headed up to Rampart Ridge. so many different wildflowers! both on the hike to the lake and to the ridge.
Would have loved to summit Alta, but turned back about a mile shy due to time constraints.
Absolutely beautiful.
Definitely recommend going on a Friday if you can! it was a constant stream of people on the trail on Saturday, but appreciate that folks were courteous and showed good trail etiquette.
bugs were there but not bad at all
there is an outhouse at the lake (pictured)