I. Will. Never. Hike. This. Trail. Again.
And that's too bad, because I hiked it years ago and loved it. I will say that once you get up to Rampart Lakes it's ALMOST worth all the stuff you put up with to get there, including:
- Crowds. Oh, and lots of people. With dogs, usually unleashed. Plus, all the OTHER people. Seriously, crowds like Disney Land. The worst I've ever seen. I picked the trail because it was so far from Mt. Si; thought I'd be safe from the masses. NOPE.
- The trail is rough in places, probably because about 300 other people were on the trail. At the worst parts you lose the trail and follow other lost feet through brush, up slippery rocks, and into mud.
- If you don't get there early the parking starts to gets tougher.
All complaining about the massive number of people aside, I really don't get WHY so many people were there. The trail is not that impressive. Yes, Rachel Lake viewed from above is pretty. Yes, Rampart Lakes are nice to sit at for a bit and enjoy the relative silence after leaving most of the crowds below at Rachel. But they're not THAT amazing, and definitely not worth the crowds and trail conditions.
You can do better.
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