BEE ALLERGIES BEWARE
We hiked up to rachel lake and spent the night there and then did a day trip to Rampart today. As another person mentioned, there is a wasp nest near the top (approximatley at mile 3.5, its on the right side on the ground in an old tree stump/root, so bear left to avoid it) which had quite a lot of wasps flying around as we passed it yesterday, and we head several people had been stung, some multiple times. Today, on our hike back down, we did not actually see the nest but did notice some areas that were pretty buzzy with wasps. I also noticed a huge number of yellow jackets, hornets, and bald faced hornets throughout our hike up to rachel lake and some up to rampart lakes. Bald faced hornets were all over the toilet by Rachel lake, that is their toilet now. godspeed to anyone who tries to use it. But seriously, if you have bee allergies, please stay away from this hike (rachel lake, Lila lake, and Alta mountain too) because I personally have never seen so many wasps during a hike as I did on this trip.
Aside from bees, fantastic hike! The end bit is quite steep and was a pretty challenging push for me, but definitely worth it. When we arrived in the mid afternoon yesterday (saturday) the campsites near the trail and right on the water were taken, but many of the campsites further away and set back from the lake were available, we snagged a cool spot all the way at the end of the lake. Definitely seemed like Rachel Lake was less busy than ramparts and Lila, so may be a good option for camping if those areas seem full. Also makes a great place to camp and then do day hike from Rache Lake.
The "bugs were an annoyance" is in regards to the wasps. I don't think I saw a single mosquito and I got no bites.
A few lingering wildflowers were present in some of the wet spots and streams, and up at the lake there were the first signs of fall foliage with some shrubs on the steep mountain slopes starting to turn, mostly yellow and red, and a handful of larches had a few small branches that were starting to turn yellow! Not in full swing just yet, but getting there. If you want some fall color, you can head up to Rampart lakes from Rachel Lake, there's definitely some fall colors going on up there, and it's a challenging but short hike from Rachel.
Highly recommend if you're up for a moderately challenging backpack or a long day hike!
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