Details
Features
About this place
Hiking to Rachel Lake has many great features: old-growth forest, rivers, waterfalls, and mountain views. The trail culminates at your end goal, a beautiful alpine lake, tucked below a mountain ridge
This hike is 7.4 miles roundtrip, with 2100 feet of elevation gain. Once you're on the trail, it starts heading uphill to help get your heart rate up on the hike. As you enter the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the trail starts to level out. You'll cross a few streams and hike through a fair amount of vegetation, so if there's been recent rain or dew, prepare to get a little wet.
At a little shy of 3 miles, the trail starts to become more of an uphill climb again. In this part of the trail, there will be large step-ups, leading to an elevation gain of roughly 1200 feet in your last mile.
When you reach the lake, you'll see that there are several campsites if you're looking to make it an overnight adventure. Once at the lake, continue up Rampart Ridge for amazing views of Rachel Lake and the surrounding valley. If you have the energy or the time, keep going up to Rampart Lakes.
PARKING:
- Northwest Forest pass (for parking at trailhead)
Leave No Trace
