WATCH OUT FOR WASPS! On the trail to Rachel lake, we encountered multiple wasp/hornet nests. We knew from a previous trip report to watch out for a nest on the trail, and while we were careful and identified that nest, we ran into another nest on the way down. My friend was stung multiple times, and it was a scary experience. If you have a known allergy, I might avoid this trail this summer. Both nests were about 15-30 minutes down from Rachel, and one of them was on the right side of the trail (ascending) on the ground among the roots. I wish I had thought to mark the locations on our map; maybe another group could do this in the future.

We also ran into a person who had twisted their ankle on the descent from Rachel Lake. All in all, a good reminder to keep my emergency medical kit stocked.

Mosquitoes and biting flies were a strong annoyance, but not nearly as bad as the previous reports described. We were relatively comfortable sitting by Rachel Lake in our bathing suits, and for us, the worst bugs were actually higher up on the Alta Mountain trail and in the forest in the evening. Bug spray helped a bit but didn't completely stop them.

Otherwise, the trail was beautiful and as expected. Lovely meadows and waterfalls on the first half of the trail to Rachel, then a steep and rocky/rooty ascent to Rachel. We all swam in Rachel and it was cold but the not the worst. We then ascended up to the Alta Mountain trail and made it about 2/3 of the way up to Alta before deciding to enjoy the already incredible views and turn around. I personally found the descent challenging as the trail is very steep and there is lots of loose sand and rocks.

There were ripe blueberries throughout the hike, but the best were in a huge field on the Alta Mountain trail. Absolute bliss eating the sweet berries while looking at endless peaks all around.

Only dropping a review because the last review of Rachel Lake is discouraging as hell. I'm wondering how can someone drop such an acrimonious review for a hike and lake so beautifully stunning? That review had almost stopped me from going but I'm glad I still went. Here's a review to make sure more people access this amazing place!  

First things first - yes, it is a difficult hike. I'm in good shape, am tall, but even then the last 1.5 mile up to Rachel Lake exhausted me. However, I saw people of all ethnicities, shapes, sizes, ages make the hike up - which should tell you a lot :) As long as you have endurance and can pace yourself well, you should be able to do it. However, if you have medical issues - avoid.  

I went on 3rd August, Saturday.  Reached the trailhead around 8:15 am and found parking adjacent to the main lot in the overflow lot. The last 3-4 miles of gravel road was definitely a bit rough but nothing so grave that a sedan may not be able to handle. Please note the trailhead and parking lot are much further than where AllTrails will take you. The hike was mostly quiet, and I may have passed about 7-8 other parties in total on the way to Rachel Lake. While coming back down, I saw many more folks. I also noticed cars parked way outside the parking area, so people tend to come closer to late morning or noon. Come early to avoid!

The last 1.5 mile before Rachel Lake gets very tiring very fast, with about 1000 ft of elevation gain. Stunning turquoise water! I swam at the lake and had a great time. The water was chilly but felt good after that last stretch. I was also lucky to encounter some amazingly friendly hikers in and around the lake today. Despite it being so tough, almost everyone I came across was in a jovial mood, talking to each other and helping take pictures etc.

Then I headed up to the Rampart Lake which was way quieter in comparison. The view of Rachel Lake as you hike up to Rampart is gorgeous. As the sun came out and it got hotter during the afternoon, I could see bugs buzzing around but they didn't trouble me too much.

I'd say your bug spray should be enough - nothing much to worry about. Carry bug spray, change of clothes if you'd like to swim, and lots of water. AllTrails shows 8.9 until Rampart but my total distance was closer to 11 miles. Be prepared, and please download the offline maps and keep looking at it so you don't go astray. Enjoy!

I'm writing an honest trail report here because none of the ones before this mentioned how much love this trail needs from WTA. When we got back to service the friend I hiked with told her mom (who's a leader in the mountaineers and super experienced in this area) which trail we did and her response was "oh that trail is awful". We also ran into a ton of people who were also caught off guard by how bad the trail was so trying to help folks in the future. We only made it to Rachel lake because we were so drained from the climb that we didn't have it in us to continue further to Rampart Lakes. 

Bugs: We ran into a lot of people coming down from backpacking talking about the mosquitoes and they def were bad. But not deet resistant. I'm wondering how high the percentage of deet was in their bugspray bc mine was 98% and we had some of the mosquito bracelets and they'd land but not bite. And as long as there was a breeze it was totally fine. But I could see how if you were staying overnight they'd get bad. Honestly on the way down the biting flies were what got us. I got bitten many times by them. Oh and we ran into multiple people who'd been stung by bees so heads up to anyone allergic.

Obstacles: saw reports that mentioned there were none but there are quite a few downed trees to climb over and for those of us who belong to the short legs club def weren't pleasant to climb over (though they were passable). But there were quite a few. Lots of stream crossings and muddy parts of the trail as well as loose dirt spots and rock. So sturdy shoes w/good grip are recommended. And poles were super helpful.

The trail also is very overgrown on the flat parts. To the point where you wouldn't necessarily know if someone was coming in the other direction till you were right up on them. And we saw so many people with dogs off leash so heads up to anyone who's dogs don't do well w/dogs off leash.

ALL of the gain is in the last like mile and a half and WTA is wrong, it's not 1600 it's closer to 1900/2000 (my friend and my Garmin's got different readings). Which tracks because it said we were at about 2700 feet of elevation at the start of the trail and it ends at just over 4600. And once the gain kicks in (about 2.5 miles in) it's super rocky/rooty/bouldery. If you've done Colchck it's like that but less maintained. It also got hard to wayfind at points. I was glad I downloaded the AllTrails map. Lots of bootpaths of people who probably also weren't sure where to go (or maybe just didn't want to keep climbing up a dried stream bed). 

Rachel Lake was gorgeous and there were pretty sights along the trail (waterfalls, peak views, etc), but our expectations of what the trail was like were so off that I wanted to provide an honest trail report in case this wouldn't be anyone's jam. I honestly felt as wrecked afterward as I do from Colchuck lake and that's a higher elevation gain and a longer trail.

Trailhead: The road turns to dirt after the campground at Kachess Lake. The road had some wash boarding, but overall was not too bad. Not big potholes or anything and should be pretty passable for almost any vehicle. We got to the trailhead at 10 am on a Sunday and there were still a few parking spots. Not too bad. 

Trail: you start off with a pretty decent up hill portion before it flattens out. The trail is pretty overgrown in stretches with a lot of berry bushes and a very narrow track. It is only about 600 ft elevation gain over the course of the first 2.5 miles. Then the trail really kicks into gear. The remaining 1300 feet elevation gain takes place in a little more than a mile. At this point the trail is mostly going straight up the backside of the canyon wall and can really not be called a trail. Mostly up rock faces, dry creek beds, root systems, and other very rough paths. It was totally doable the whole way, but folks should know what they are getting into. I really want to come back to continue up to Rampart Ridge and Rampart Lakes and explore the area further.

Lake: The lake was beautiful. I wished we got to spend more time there. Nice breeze and sun while having lunch of the rocks. That mostly kept the bugs away. I would love to come 

Bathrooms: the bathrooms at the trailhead were great and had tp. There is a toilet at the lake but I didn't go check it out. 

Wildlife: Saw plenty of chipmunks along the trail and at the lake looking for handouts. Remember to not feed the wildlife and keep wild animals wild. Also saw some fish in the creek and lake and plenty of people fishing. 

Wildflowers: There were many forest flowers and berry bushes blooming on the trail on the way up, but didn't see any big wildflower meadows. Some bear grass at the top too. 

Went out for an annual backpacking trip with my bro in law, niece, nephews (ages 9-12) and my dog up to Rachel Lake. Got to the trailhead around 10am and the lot was full, we had to park about .5miles down the road. It was busy on the trail but everything in good condition. A bit muddy in spots with some blow downs to navigate. The bugs started fairly soon and as someone said before, they don’t care about your deet spray or your long pants. The climb up from the valley floor was challenging but fun, lots of wild flowers and a few ripe huckleberries and salmon berries. I was happy I downloaded the All Trails map in some places where it feels like your just following a riverbed up. Highly recommend hiking poles for everyone on this trek. Took us just under 3.5hrs to get to the top with lots of breaks for the kids, they kicked butt! Warning: a ground wasp nest about 3/4th the way up on the trail, no stings for our group though. There weren’t a ton of camp spots left but we found a nice one by the lake and took a refreshing dip. Warning: The toilet up there is nearly overflowing and the structure you sit on has seen better days. Folks clearly opted to answer the call of nature around the area instead of brave it. Reminder to please either deposit toilet paper in the toilet or pack it out or at least bury it. Made it hard for the kids to feel comfortable using the space. I would recommend treating your cloths with anti-bug, bring deet, a head net, anti-itch cream and something fun to do inside your tent. We had a nice steady breeze both nights but each time it died down the blood suckers were on us in droves. 

The second day we day hiked up to Alta Mountain. Challenging and steep but the views were stunning! We spotted a few marmots and the wildflowers were showing off, the price for entry was more mosquito bites. There are a few false summits, we opted to eat lunch and turn back at the first one, one kiddo was a bit nervous with the heights and the knife edge trail. The camp spots had cleared out by the time we came back down, only a handful of folks left on Sunday night. Had another fun evening of swimming, exploring around the lake and playing games at camp. The only complaint was how itchy the kids 100 bug bites were.

The mist came the next morning followed by rain. Luckily we had a tarp we strung up to eat and pack up under. Made for a some slippery sections on the way down and the thick foliage of the valley floor made us happy we had long pants, rain jackets, and dry clothes waiting in the car. The dust turned to mud and had some extra gear cleaning and dry out once we got home. Overall an awesome adventure! The first time in our 5 year tradition the kids experienced relentless bugs and wet gear but they took it in stride and now they know why you have to be prepared for anything.

Happy Trails!