Strangely quiet hike today for such a sunny, warm fall day. First time I’d been to Rachel Lake was last year in October. I went to Rampart Lakes as well and found the whole area from Rachel to Rampart beautiful. I had a goal to do Lila Lake and Alta Mountain this year. I love doing this hike in the fall because it’s less wet than in the spring/early summer but still has running water, the stinging and biting insects have basically disappeared, and there’s colorful fall foliage around all the lakes. This might be my favorite area to go hiking in the fall.

It all started on the gravel forest road to the trailhead, lined with vine maples of yellow, orange, and reds. The road was quite easy making me wonder if it had been smoothed recently. There were very few cars in the parking area just before 11am and I was able to park right in front of the vault toilets (out of tp, no trash cans). Be prepared for quite a few water crossings and trail hunting on the way to Rachel Lake. And there was a blowdown tree that required some crawling under.

I think this year I caught the sunlight just right on Rachel (about 12:30pm) because I was shocked to see how vibrant blue it was compared to last year. And extra beautiful with the fall colors lining its banks. My buddy and I started our trek up above Rachel and made the right turn to Lila Lake. This trail was so different from what I remembered the trail to Rampart Lakes being like, which was easy to follow and roomy. These trails were narrow and overgrown. Definitely gave me the impression that they receive less foot traffic. I think the birds would agree as flocks of them would suddenly fly out of nearby bushes and trees as I pass, scaring me as much as I apparently scared them. The meadows before Lila were filled with vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds. And still held some ripe to overripe huckleberries. Because Alta was my main end goal for this hike, I decided not to go down all the way to Lila’s banks. Instead, I enjoyed a closer view of the lake from its trail (I found out later that you can see Lila Lake from the trail to Alta), and then returned to the main trail in hopes of finding the way to Alta.

We did find a way, but I’m not sure it was the proper way. The start may have been more of a boot trail which I didn’t realize until my descent when I may have passed the actual start on the left coming in. These trails could really use some official signage.

No kidding about this may not be the hike for you if you have a fear of heights. I had to concentrate on just looking ahead at where my feet were going and not over the edge at times, especially on the knife-edge ridge section. And doing this with a dog is even worse and made me nervous although he didn’t seem to care of course. At the last false summit I thought we were stopping there and turned around when I noticed a trail off the side which ultimately got us to the actual summit. Honestly, I’m not sure I preferred the view at the summit over the views I saw from the lower portion of the ridge. Before having to deal with any of the knife-edge portions of the ridge, you can turn around and see Lila Lake, Rachel Lake, and Rampart Lakes with views of Mt Rainier and Mt Adams on a clear day.

From the turn after Rachel Lake to Lila and on Alta Mountain, I saw and heard no one. The entire descent was done with no other hiker contact, no incoming campers, no one. In the parking lot at 6pm my car was alone. So if you like solitude, this one may be for you, especially on a weekday. My hike recording says I only did 11.5 miles but over 3900ft in elevation gain. It was a challenging day hike indeed, but filled with so much to enjoy.

What a great hike that I heartily recommend!

Some tips:

- I did the Rachel Lake hike in June and I couldn’t believe the difference in water levels from over a few months. Super easy in the Fall without the snowmelt.

- This hike has lots of water sources until you get to Rachel Lake. After that your only sources are lakes.

- Camping at Lila Lakes is amazing. Lots of great spots with beautiful views. You do lose some elevation from the ridge to get down to the lake

- I can’t recommend the Alta Mountain trail. Lots of ridge walking with amazing views. There are a few narrow spots but take your time as the journey is worth it!

Found a pair of sandals and a "Don't Tread on Me" hat on the trail, and left them at the trailhead.  Someone else also left a hiking pole.  See pic...

I have avoided this hike for a while because of how busy I always assumed it was. Figured I would try the shoulder season, hoping for less crowds. Maybe I did, but if this was less crowded than peak season, this place must be a zoo during the summer.

I arrived at the trailhead a little before noon and had to park on the road. I was only one of 3 other cars on the road, and before I even made it to the trail, at least 2 cars left the parking lot opening up spaces, so had I just been 5 minutes later I would have most likely found a spot. And as I made way up to Rachel Lake, we passed multiple groups heading down, so finding a spot in the lot is still fairly likely, just a little bit of timing luck needed.

Hike to Rachel is exactly as described, long slog through the valley until you hit a wall of a mountain, then it’s a steep climb over some rough terrain. But the payoff is great, Rachel is a beautiful lake.

We spent about 30 minutes at the lake enjoying lunch, sharing the first viewpoint with a few other groups.

We then made our way up to Rampart Lakes, while not as long of a climb as the one to Rachel, this was also a steep climb on some sketch footing.

It was about 3:30 when we made it to Rampart and there were a lot of campers there already. I think I counted 7 or 8 while looking for a spot for myself. A number of the established spots were wet/flooded from recent rains, so it made it a bit more challenging to find a good spot, but did score one. With a decent lakeside spot to sit and relax nearby.

The weather was great all day on the way up, blue skies and mid-60’s. But around 5pm the wind really picked up. We bundled up and powered through, but as the winds never died down, we hit the tent as soon as the sun went down. The wind was whipping pretty good all night, which as a light sleeper made sleep a challenge. It rained for a few minutes a couple of times throughout the night, but just a bit of sprinkling, by morning only the rain fly on the tent was still damp.

I will say, I did get up to go to the bathroom around 1:30am, and at that time the sky was clear, and stargazing was amazing. If the wind wasn't so bad, I would have stayed out and enjoyed that night sky for a bit.

Sunday morning, still cold, and the wind was still going crazy. So much so that we couldn’t bother trying to have breakfast or even a cup of coffee. We packed up camp as fast as possible and made our way back down pretty early. Once we got over to the other side of the ridge it was much more comfortable. We contemplated taking a coffee break back at Rachel, but in the end decided to just forge ahead and get the hike out over with, enjoying coffee once we got back home.

This hike is popular enough, and there are enough reviews I won’t drain on about how beautiful the area is, just know everything you hear is accurate. Like many things, there is a reason this is such a popular hike.

The views are stunning but the trail is a little rough. Very rocky and the large amount of rocks and roots makes it feel like you're climbing stairs for the last mile and a half up to the lake. The trail has some low bridges a little over half a mile in, some parts have started to give way, already broken, or rotted. After about a mile in the trail there is a downed tree across the trail about 1.5-2ft in diameter elevated off the ground by about 2-2.5ft. There is another downed tree same size maybe a half mile after laying on the ground (I didn't check my watch). Additionally the trail is very poorly marked. Lots of side paths or desire paths are that lead nowhere. Myself and the other hikers I chatted with bonded over how often we lost the trail. Also there are no trail junction signs. There is no sign at the junction at Rachel Lake proper and no sign at the major T junction past Rachel lake that leads to Alta Mountain/Lila Lake trail or Rampart Lakes. Trail could use a little love but the views are stunning though, especially from Alta Mountain.