Rachel Lake, Lila Lake & Rampart Ridge - Rampart Lakes — Monday, Sep. 19, 2022

The road to the trailhead was in good shape. The gravel portions had a lot of washboard, but no significant potholes. On a Monday morning, there were about 8 cars in the parking lot.

On the trail, there were a few minor blowdowns, but nothing that posed much of an obstacle. This trail is not for the faint of knee, however, and it certainly favors the sure footed over the fleet footed hiker. There are a few big steps in the first half mile of the trail, but the real fun starts about a mile before Rachel Lake. This last mile is a real boot eater. It gains about 1200 feet, but the bigger challenge is the tread rather than the elevation gain. Throughout this section, there is little chance to get your full foot on the ground. It features a lot of loose rock, roots, big steps, and, of course, the climb. After Rachel, the tread is a bit more stable, and a bit less steep, until reaching Rampart Ridge after a little over 1/2 mile. Along the ridge, the trail generally rolls to Rampart Lakes or climbs over rough terrain to a ridge above Lila Lake.

Rachel Lake had a number of nice camp sites as you first hit the lake. None of them were occupied either time I went by. Rampart Lakes, likewise, has quite a few sites scattered among the lakes. I ran into a few groups that had spent the night, but no-one was camped at the lakes during my brief afternoon visit.

There are also a number of camp sites on the near edge of Lila Lake, both North and South, as you first descend to the lake. There are also 3 or 4 additional sites between Lila and a smaller lake on the far side, and there may be more near another, even smaller, lake a little further East. I had the lake area to myself for a few hours, until another party came in the late afternoon.