Went on Wednesday August 28, 2024. Started hiking at 0845 and was back by 1345 including 40 break at top. Parking lot 50% full at start and 85-90% full by the time I was back. Lots of overnight crews going into the holiday weekend. No cell service once you hit the gravel forest service road anywhere onward. Download maps beforehand.

Don’t be a rookie like me when filling out the day pass. There are pens hidden in the drop box.

Trail is mostly protected from the sun so it keeps the temperature down. I wore a mid weight hoodie the first 2.5-3 miles without issue. Your feet will get wet in this trail. Numerous light/shallow streams throughout and the top section water runs down sections of the trail.

First section (before crossing the creek) is quite easy. Little to no elevation gain. A few trees fallen over the trail, not impassable just keeps it fun.

The trip report is correct about the second section once you cross the creek you follow at the start. The trail changes dramatically and aggressively. It is steep, rocky, wet, and hard to read. I had to back track down numerous falls trails. Look for branch Xs over many false trails and some orange marking tape at some particularly confusing turns. Some sections of the trail don’t look like trail and are just open boulder or big rock. As long as you stay focused and look for the trail work and boot prints you’ll make it without issue.

Oof, it got STEEP toward the end. The beginning was easy going and had some nice wooden walkways installed. Eventually, it was a climb and was pretty winded when I arrived to the Rachel Lake. It was cold and windy when I sat down for snacks at Rachel Lake and eventually wore all the layers I brought. I ended up turning around (was hoping to eventually go to Lila) because I only brought snacks and no real food along. Probably worth a sandwich or something if you want to head up to Lila. Water was plentiful though!

Beware of many false trails, especially when it starts to get steep.

P.S. It does get very slippery the day after some rain. Even a week later, still got some good ole bruises after I ate 💩. lol Ran outta food but still found something to eat 🥲

Side note for myself: this one (like Hidden Lake) is probably more well suited to a day hike (longer or shorter) as I did not really enjoy the terrain for a future backpacking trip.

Rachel+Rampart Lakes are spectacular. Perfect for an overnight trip. We hiked in on Friday AM around 9:30 and left Saturday before lunch. Only a few others were around on the way up as it was not yet the weekend. No issues parking. On Saturday we passed many more campers coming in as we left, and we noted that the campsites at Rachel Lake were more crowded and the parking lot was full by 1pm.

The hike to Rachel Lake is easy going until it gets steep near the end. We stopped at the lake for lunch and enjoyed the crystal clear water. There were plenty of sites available but we planed to camp up at Rampart Lakes. Due to the bugs at Rampart, it might have been more pleasant to camp at Rachel. It seemed less buggy at Rachel, but it may have been due to the time of day that we passed through.

We hiked onwards up to Rampart and enjoyed views of Rachel Lake and ripe blueberries along the way. This trail is very steep but well worth it. As you near Rampart, the trail(s) are a little confusing but they all seem to wind up at the lakes one way or another if you continue west. There were plenty of campsites available -- maybe 2-3 other parties were there when we arrived around noon. Be sure to explore all the smaller lakes up at the top. They are crystal clear with shades of turquoise in the shallow parts. The "rampart" between two adjacent lakes is a granite walkway with a lake ~10 feet below it on one side and ~2 feet on the other. From here there are beautiful views of Alta and especially Hibox Mountains. One tip is that the privy is difficult to find -- we watched many struggle to find it (ourselves included). There is a sign for it at the bottom of a hill. Head up to the top of that hill. Hang right and you will see another sign for the toilet. Up a little further and you will find it at the top. The trail can be a little rough at times approaching Rachel, but there is nothing scrambly or too unclear. There was a wasp nest in the ground roughly 3 miles into the hike which our dog found, much to her dismay. The mosquitos were definitely an annoyance at Rampart so bring bug spray and and bug nets! 

Rocks! Berries! Roots! Lakes! This trip had it all. We went Thursday and stayed 2 nights at Rachel lake with a day in between to explore the ridge and lakes above. The trail to Rachel lake poses some hazards after the first 3 miles of forest rambling. It takes a steep route up 1300 feet in the last mile. The route is rocky and rooty with some big step-ups. The trail bifurcates in a few spots, but most trails lead back to the main route. Hikers have done a fairly good job of putting a pile of sticks or rocks across false trails. We took it slow and with full packs it took about an hour to get up the steep section. You have a stream nearby for most of the trip and a lovely trickling waterfall at the midpoint of the climb which makes a nice break spot. Well worth the climb when Rachel comes into view!
There is a sign for a toilet at the lake entrance. Straight ahead is a nice day use area. Go left for campsites and lots of great lake views. The lake feels like a 2-for-1 since it narrows to the left and then opens up into another cool section with rocky beach lake access. Campsites are plentiful through the woods with several lakefront spots.
Bugs were not too bad during the day, although we did have a few bees and biting flies hanging around. At dusk and in the morning we had more annoying gnats and mosquitoes. Recommend a bug net.
Day 2 we took the trail up the ridge to the right of Rachel lake. It’s steep with some slidy rocks but not as bad as the climb up to Rachel. It’s only 600ft gain in a little less than a mile. There are great views of Rachel from above as you ascend. There’s a signed junction for rampart to the left and Lila to the right. We started by going left to rampart and had a grand time exploring the multiple lakes in that vicinity. I was glad to have my Gaia gps map since the trail in has a few options. It was also nice to see how many lakes there were and where the trails go. If you plan to camp there you really can’t go wrong as there is a huge section between the biggest two lakes with extensive campsites… almost all lakefront. Great spot to explore, swim, camp, hang out. I think I could live there forever and be happy.
Plentiful blueberries along rampart ridge and lila, where we headed next. The trail goes along the ridge opening up more views over Rachel and the valley beyond. Lila lake access trail is a little steeper than rampart and in the heat of the afternoon on the exposed ridge we were losing steam. Lila lake is absolutely lovely, and worth the 1.1 mile from the junction to get there. From above you get an idea of the trails and campsites available at this stunning spot. The access trail is quite steep but lined with so many berries we got a morale boost.
More swimming and frolicking ensued. Headed back to Rachel lake for the night. The day hike from Rachel to rampart and Lila took us a full day 9-5 but we also took our time at each place to soak in the alpine lake goodness.
Another night at Rachel. Campsites started filling up that evening with a group arriving around 9:30pm trying to find a spot in the dark. I don’t recommend hiking to Rachel in the dark, but to each their own!
Heading down Saturday morning we saw LOTS of day hikers and backpackers eager to enjoy the day. I wouldn’t recommend camping at Rachel on Saturday night unless you start pretty early. If it fills up I guess you can push on to rampart but that’s quite a long day!
Will definitely be returning here (on a weekday haha) as it feels like a value pack of alpine lakes within a really accessible distance. Happy trails!

The first 2 miles are easy and gorgeous. After about 2 1/4 miles the trail starts to get serious. Elevation gain, rocks, and roots kick into high gear and I was wondering what I had gotten myself into! Once I got to Rachel Lake, it was all worth it. Beautiful and tranquil. Many fish jumping and nobody was there on this mid week afternoon.

One thing to note is that the trail gets a little bit difficult to follow towards the top to due to years of people going off trail. I did my best to stay on the main trail, but got fooled by switchback cuts that were more worn in than the actual trail itself in places. Many have branches across them, so just keep your eyes open for that.

Even if you’re not into a difficult hike, the first part of this trail is worth the trip as well. Berries are out and the bugs were not bad. Waterfalls and creek crossing are abundant as well.