The two person pit toilet at the trailhead was open and clean and well-stocked with toilet paper.
The last 3-4 miles to the trailhead was a gravel road. It was bumpy for sure in places, but I would say any car can make it to the trailhead. There were plenty of normal 2-wheel drive sedans.
The first quarter mile of the trail was a little steep and definitely got your blood pumping right out of the gate. But the next 2 miles had quite a gentle grade. The last mile and a quarter was steep again, but I would say this felt like one of the easier hikes to one of our beautiful alpine lakes. There were quite a few stream crossings along the way, but all of them had a lot of stepping stones or well placed logs so you could get through without getting wet feet. As many other trip reports have noted, there are many intersecting trails during the last mile+ to the lake where it is steeper and rocky and people have tried to find a better path or were unsure of the right way to go. I had to check my GPS map more than once to stay on the right path. As you climb in elevation, the views open up to the surrounding mountains and the Box Canyon Creek valley you just hiked up. Unfortunately this area was rather smoky; this put a damper on what otherwise would have been wonderful views. The smell of smoke was quite noticeable too. You may want to put some water on a bandana or Buff and put it over your nose and mouth to help cut down on the fumes.
We finally made it to Rachel Lake and it is large, beautiful, crystal clear, and clean at the lake shore. There are established camp sites and on my return, I passed many backpackers on their way to enjoy them. There is a small pebble beach near the camp sites and many other nooks and crannies where you can hang out at the shore and relax with a little privacy or wade or swim. I would have loved to spend the day there!
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