The fruits of our labor was a seat next to beautiful Rachel Lake. The first 2.5 miles of the trail were level and smooth, but when the climb began, roots and rocks became formidable obstacles and often ankle chewing enemies. Wear sturdy shoes. Over time hikers have created some alternate trails that are neither clarifying nor better, so don’t be fooled into straying onto these from the main trail. The lake was beautiful and will definitely go again. 

I headed out for a quick overnight (aiming to make it to Lila lake, but knowing I had options if I wanted a shorter, easier walk in). I was pleased to find trailhead parking mid-afternoon & headed up. Trail is as described with the last 1.1 mile to Rachel Lake being steep (rocky & rooty).it was 6pm when I arrived at Rachel Lake, there were still quite a few campsites available & so the sun was dipping below the ridgeline - so I opted to set up camp at Rachel. The wind was rather blustery & cold - so a quick setup, collect water & have dinner in time to watch the sunset (gorgeous clouds & views back down the valley)...after a great nights rest...I opted for a quick hike up to Lila lake before pulling my camp set up down & walking out - so glad I did: the open vista view, the hints of foliage color change, the blueberries (yum) & the stunning Lake Lila.  Next time I won't be so slow to get going & head out...so I look forward to coming back to linger longer at Lake Lila, but also keen to keep Rachel Lake as an option for a quick get-away (it felt perfect).  for more pics & clips see: IG @janettepowell

Left Seattle at 2pm for a last minute overnighter, and had camp setup by 7pm!

The road up to Rachel Lake TH is gravel, but probably the best washboard I've seen all summer. All cars can make the drive no problem, and there's a fairly large lot at the top. Some cars did have notices on their windshield for not displaying permits (or using a Discover Pass instead).

Rachel Lake

First 3.5 miles are fairly flat and featured a lot of folks coming down with various doggos. The trail does get pretty rooty and rocky, especially in the section that follows a dried creekbed. The ascent packs about 1400ft in 1.5 miles, which might make for a tougher hike for casual dayhikers, but typical terrain for most backcountry folks. 

Rachel Lake sits on a shelf, and can be shaded at times. Camps line the shore turning left from the main junction. 

Ramparts

Climbing up to Ramparts is another half mile, with a reasonable elevation gain and some patches prone to sliding. Turning left takes you to the Ramparts, where a ton of social trails cut between the fragile meadows and many ponds. As a late arrival, we dropped our packs and scoured, but had to settle on an exposed slab by the water. 

In the daytime, Ramparts are quiet, but the wind started to pick up as the sun neared sunset. Our tent nearly flipped into the water when setting up (with our packs inside as weight!). We used some fallen logs as tiedowns, since the stone slab was impossible to stake into. The wind howled throughout the night, so bring earplugs if you're a light sleeper.

The next morning, we climbed up the western bootpath to Rampart Ridge, stopping for pikas scurrying with fern clippings in their mouths. The ascent to the peak is a short climb with views of Ramparts and Rachel to the east, Rainier and I-90 to the west.

Lillian

Dropping down we followed a drying creek with lingering flowers, and rejoined the main trail. Heading south, the descent to Lake Lillian is steep and prone to sliding, and a hiker tumbled off the trail (dragging a dog with him!). Use your poles and side steps to navigate the sandy slope.

Lillian had a social trail on the northern shore that led to a nice sunny shore. We saw a campfire ring, with partially burned plastic wrappers. :( 

Lila / Alta

Climbing back up, we followed the 'main' trail this time and returned to Ramparts, packing up our camp. Continuing northbound, we hit Alta Mountain -- and although the peak is one mile in, you reach the ridgetop halfway.

Dropping down, we hit Lila Lake for a quick swim. The trail doesn't round the lake, so retrace your steps counterclockwise for an easier return. There are some tarns to the north of Lila, but from Alta they looked a bit dried and small and we opted to skip them.

From Lila, we pushed back to our car, plowing down the steep descent and letting the jiggly legs relax on the flat stretch along Box Canyon Creek. 

Arrived at Rachel Lake TH at 10am Saturday and secured last spot in the parking lot. Plenty of overflow parking along the road however. Made it up to Rachel Lake is ~2 hours with packs. Stopped at Rachel for a quick snack and pushed onto to Lila Lake. Made it to Lila is ~3.5hours and easily found a spot. The lakes, while small, have ~8 dedicated camping spots that offer decent privacy and water access. Absolutely gorgeous lake surrounded by jagged mountains. Was quite windy every night so be sure to either stake your tent down or weigh it down with rocks. Saw someone's tent nearly fly into the lake.

Hiked Alta Mountain Sunday morning and then to Rampart Lakes. Both are very close to Lila Lake and make for great trips. Note that Alta mountain has 3 false summits before reaching the true summit. Amazing views of Rainier, Adams, Stuart, and Glacier peak from Alta mountain, highly recommend! Rampart lakes were beautiful with tons of camping spots around the lakes.

Fished Rampart Lakes and caught two small trout, but there's definitely bigger fish in there. Also fished Lila lake but had 0 luck, a few nibbles but no catches. They're in there but sparse for sure.

I see lots of reviews about the trails being rugged, but I disagree. A very normal trail for the PNW. Yes there's roots, yes there's rocks, but it is the wilderness. I'd consider this a moderate hike that's well worth it.

Remember, no fires over 5000' east of the pass and Lila lake is just over 5000. Hiked down from Lila in 2.5hrs with packs - was a quick pace.

Overall, amazing trip! Each night got windy and the mornings were beautiful. Not sure if we caught odd weather or the lake is always windy, but be prepared for wind if you come out to Rachel, Rampart, & Lila Lakes.

No regrets going on this trail. I enjoyed it for most of the way until it became longer and harder than expected…. , it had lots of water for my dog along the way, and I picked the wild blueberries/huckleberries. The berries were peaked and plentiful at the lake. Saw a trout swimming up to shore while a few of us swam. Once I got to Rachel lake it was a huge feeling of accomplishment.

Trail was hard. Was scrambling on rock, roots, and several large ‘step’ ups. Wasn’t sure if I was taking a real trail or climbing up a dried stream bed, couldn’t tell…. But I admired the backpackers because I would have struggled more with 20 pounds on my back. I wasn’t expecting this level of hike, so I was glad there were many water stops to refill up and offer my older dog some relief.
There was one very large tree obstructing the trail that my mid sized 60 pound dog struggled with on the way back to jump/climb over. He was too big to crawl under. I could straddle the tree which was as wide as riding a horse, but height wise was tough for the dog. I had to take the dog off leash going up because I had to focus on small scrambles and navigating. The bugs were around but mostly entertaining my dog or bothering him, depending how you look at it.. I was bi by a few small mosquitoes but nothing bad.




To WTA: I would rate this trail ‘hard’ similar to All Trails. I felt a little mislead by ‘intermediate’. Only as I stopped with backpackers along the way did they tell me it was rated different through their app.