TL;DR:
- *Bugs were horrendous, downright intolerable. Worst at Rampart and Lila Lakes. Prepare with permethrin, picaridin, bug nets at minimum.
- Trail is rooty, dusty, rocky, and at times, quite steep. Many social trails. As always, bring a GreenTrails map and / or use Gaia.
- Take the time to explore the area when you arrive at your chosen campsite -- there are ample private campsites with access to water scattered all around each of the three lake destinations (Rachel, Rampart, Lila).
- Plenty of opportunities along the trail all the way up to Lila to filter drinking water.
*HUGE NOTE ON BUGS: It's hatch season, and boy, is it ever. I have never seen so many thick swarms of black flies, mosquitoes, and gnats in my life. We ran out of bug repellent on the morning of our second day and were sequestered to our tent much of day 2 because the bugs were many and they were voracious.
Tips to keep the suckers at bay:
- soak your clothes and gear in permethrin in advance of your trip,
- bring a bug net,
- bring more than you think you'll need of picaridin / your preferred bug repellent,
- if you can afford it, consider bringing extra fuel + thermacell.
Road to TH:
My backpacking partner and I headed to Lila Lake on Friday, 8/5. The road to the trailhead was some of the best I've driven; it was gravel, and a bit dusty, but nary a pothole to be found and it was (relatively) smooth sailing to the Rachel Lake TH. The main parking lot was full but we didn't have any trouble finding parking in the overflow.
TH > Rachel:
Arrived at the TH around 9, got on the trail by 9:30. The trail up to Rachel Lake is rooty, rocky, filled with scree, boulders, dust, tons of obstacles, and lots of social trails. There is a bit of reprieve after the first 0.75 mile or so to 2.5 miles in, though, which is fairly flat or has a low grade, and a river with a few small waterfalls keeps you company.
After about 2.5 miles, you'll get down to business (steep grade, big rocks, scree, roots, dust, obstacles, social trails, oh my). This trail is clearly heavily (and a bit too creatively) used; it would serve the area well to remove some obstacles and clearly indicate which is the main trail so that the social trails can have the opportunity for regrowth. This was the most challenging part of our hike -- both on ascent and descent.
Once you get to the waterfall, you're not at all far from the lake. You'll hike a bit further, and once you reach the "No Campfires Beyond This Point" sign, you're only ~0.5 mile out from Rachel.
Rachel > Lila:
Past Rachel, it was relatively easy to figure out how to find the trail which lead us to the other lake destinations. Hike some switchbacks (and stop to take in the view of Rachel), and eventually you'll see a sign at a crossroads that indicates that a left will take you to Rampart Lakes, and a right takes you to Lila. We headed right.
The crowds thinned, favoring a stop at Rachel or Rampart Lakes, and the ascent to Lila was lovely. We had our choice of campsite and favored one on the Northeast side of the lake. There is a bit of a descent into the Lila Lake basin that has many social trails and at times can be a bit steep and treacherous; nothing you haven't encountered already on this hike, but bear in mind that you'll be tired, so mind your footing.
I'll note here that the company that eventually joined us both on Friday and Saturday opted to surround our camp on all sides; a bit frustrating, as my partner and I walked around the lake and found a *ton* of really nice campsites that would have given everyone a bit more privacy and solitude (and frankly, were better choices than what many folks chose near us). It's a long hike, but take the time to explore the area when you arrive; even on the "busiest" night we stayed (Saturday night, 7 or so parties of 1-2 people, incl. ours), there were several campsites we saw that were still open on the south and southwestern sides of the lake.
Further Recreation:
You have many options. If you have Gaia, a Mountaineers guidebook, and / or a GreenTrails Map, you'll find lots of unmaintained trails, tarns, and potholes to explore. You might opt to head to Alta Mtn or explore Rampart Lakes . . . or do as we did and enjoy the stunning scenery at Lila (Hibox is a stunner at sunset).
Lila > Rampart Lakes:
Sunday morning 8/7, we left Lila at 9:45. The ascent out of Lila Lake Basin was very steep; reminiscent of some of the harder parts of the ascent to Rachel. I imagine this would have been a good warm-up if we decided to head to Alta Mountain -- alas, we saved that adventure for another trip.
We arrived at the signed crossroads to Rampart Lakes at ~10:30. A very easy grade the whole way (with the occasional small ascent here and there), but your GreenTrails map / Gaia will serve you well here as there are many social trails to confuse. Plenty of tarns breadcrumbed our path until we arrived at a pair of gorgeous lakes, connected by a brook and a very pretty, small waterfall. We would have enjoyed more of the scenery except that the dang bugs were a downright menace.
Returned to the Rampart + Lila signpost / crossroads down to Rachel at 11:20 and began our descent to Rachel Lake and the trailhead. Arrived at the parking lot around ~1:35.
It was a very rewarding, lovely trip with absolutely stunning scenery . . . aaand I'll never make the mistake of underpreparing for bugs ever again.
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