We backpacked up to the Rampart Lakes for an overnight stay. There was plenty of room at the trailhead parking lot about 9:15 on Thursday morning. The first couple miles of the trail are in good shape and easy hiking. Once the trail starts the climb to Rachel Lake though, it becomes rough and moderately steep with lots of big rocks, roots, and large step-ups. The trail is a bit hard to follow in several places because of side trails that bypass some parts of the main trail. Many other hikers we talked to said they had problems with this too. Fortunately, the bypasses work their way back to the actual trail. There’s not much in the way of views until you get a good way up the climb to Rachel Lake and then you get good views of Hibox Mountain to the north.
After a snack break at Rachel Lake, we continued up. The trail up to Rampart Ridge is steep but has fewer big rocks and roots to clamber over than the climb up to Rachel Lake and it goes pretty quickly. Once you get to the Rampart Lakes/Lila Lake junction (signed), it’s about a mile of fairly level hiking to get to the lakes. There were lots of blueberries along the way. It took us about four and a half hours to get to the lakes carrying overnight gear. There are quite a few nice camp sites to be found nestled in various places among the lakes.
After setting up camp, we followed the trail back to the Rampart Lakes/Lila Lake junction and followed the trail about a third of a mile to the unsigned junction of the trail to Lila Lake and the one that goes up Alta Mountain. We went up. The views from Alta were fantastic and definitely worth the climb. Highly recommended.
We spent the next morning exploring the lakes. This is worth spending time on because you keep finding gorgeous new lakes and ponds around bends and tucked away behind little hills. Wildfire smoke had rolled in during the night so we cut our stay short and headed back out early.
There were no mosquitos or other biting bugs to deal with at all.
There is one well hidden privy on the very top of the hill on the east side of two of the bigger lakes. It’s not signed. There are two misleading “Toilet” signs over a hundred yards away from it part way up the north side of the hill that I guess are left over from a previous location but will leave you with no way to locate the one that’s there now. The Gaia app shows the toilet is located near the two signs, but it’s not. Instead, find a four-way trail intersection near the top of the south side of the hill with a post about 3 feet tall and follow the trail that goes to the top of the hill to its end. That’s where you’ll find it.
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