I arrived at the trailhead parking lot around 7:45 AM and there was one other car. When I left around 4 PM, there were ~20 cars with plenty of space left. There is an outhouse, but there was no toilet paper by the time I left, so don't forget to bring your own. As expected with the lack of cars at the trailhead, I encountered no one on the way up. I passed 14 hikers in small groups of 1-3 on the way down.
I started hiking at 8:10 AM. Despite the rain that happened the previous day, I found the trail to be manageable with waterproof hiking boots and trekking poles. The first ~3 miles in the valley were straightforward. However, the trail often became a stream during the steeper portion beyond that. I don't know if this is usually the case or if this only happens in the days following rainfall. In any case, the boots and poles came in handy. On the bright side, the falls along the trail weren't dry and offered nice rest spots.
I highly recommend bringing a map (physical or digital) or some sort of navigation. I loaded my Garmin watch with the course from AllTrails (see link below) as well as having it downloaded offline on my phone. I found myself glancing at the map on my watch at least a dozen times due to potential forks in the trail or the path becoming unclear.
As mentioned in the previous report, you only start seeing snow right before reaching Rachel Lake, and only in small patches. I never felt the need for microspikes; the poles were enough. In terms of bugs, I didn't notice any during the hike and when I stopped at Rachel Lake, but I don't know if their absence was caused by the recent rain.
Once you reach Rachel Lake, you'll have a nice view of an alpine lake, but I recommend that you don't stop here. If you continue to the right and gain more elevation, you will be treated to an even better (IMHO) view of Rachel Lake and the valley behind it (see photos below).
If you trek a bit further, you can reach an overlook with Lila Lake in the foreground and mountains in the background. Note that there are some snow patches that you have to cross to get to Lila Lake, but my poles were enough to both check for minor snow bridges and maintain traction. This viewpoint ended up being my favorite, so the extra mile from the Rachel Lake overlook was worth it. I considered summiting Alta Mountain, but I was out of time and the peak seemed foggy, so I ended up skipping it.
My Garmin watch clocked in 11.6 miles of distance traveled and 2,976 feet of elevation gain to Lila Lake and back, with 6 hours of moving time and 7 hours of total elapsed time (i.e. including breaks).
I'm surprised I haven't heard about this trail. I highly recommend it!
Comments