Trip Date: October 15-16, 2022
Rampart Lakes Hiking & Climbing Trip
Lake Lillian
Lillian Pass
Rampart Pass
Rampart Peak (5870′)
Rampart Lakes
Alta Mountain (6240’+)
Trip Report Summary
Region: Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Keechelus Mountains
Area: Alpine Lakes Wilderness
Starting & Ending Point: Lake Laura Backdoor Trailhead on Rocky Run Road #4832-136 (Elev. 3760 feet)
Way Points: Lake Lillian & Lillian Pass & Southern Loop junction & Rampart Pass & Northern Loop junction & Rampart Lakes; return via Northern Loop junction & East Shoulder & Southern Loop junction (trail hike & trail scramble)
Campsite: Rampart Lakes
Summit: Rampart Peak (ascent & descent via East Slope)
Sidetrip: Rachel Lake Trail junction & Alta Mountain Summit Trail junction & Alta Mountain summit (trail hike & trail scramble)
Summit: Alta Mountain (ascent & descent via South Ridge)
Approximate Stats (excluding sidetrips): 5.0 miles traveled; 2700 feet gained & lost.
Approximate Stats (including sidetrips): 9.2 miles traveled; 4300 feet gained & lost.
Related Posts
Alta Mountain via Rachel Lake & Rampart Lakes – August 2018
Rampart Peak via Lake Lillian & Rampart Pass – July 2018
Alta Mountain via Rachel Lake & Lila Lakes – October 2008
Full Trip Report
Most years, I wrap up my backpacking season in mid-October with an overnight trip to larch country. Because these end-of-season trips follow my annual Golden Larch Outings and usually involve frigid weather, I have come to humorously call them my “frozen larch outings.” But this October has been unusually warm and sunny, with temperatures barely dipping below 40°F at night. Furthermore, most of the larch country in Washington has either been on fire or enveloped in smoke. As such, this year’s “frozen larch outing” became a “freakishly warm, not-a-larch-in-sight outing” to Rampart Lakes in the Keechelus Mountains near Snoqualmie Pass. Yoko, Kevin, and Maria were happy to join me.
Rather than take the standard Rachel Lake Trail approach to Rampart Lakes, we chose the shorter but much steeper Lake Laura Backdoor Trail approach. Whether this was a good idea or not depends on whom you ask, but at least it was a new route for everyone. The unmarked and undeveloped trailhead for the little-known Backdoor Trail is located at a 3760-foot switchback on Rocky Run Road #4832-136. Be aware that this abandoned spur road is moderately rough and somewhat overgrown, with parking space for only a dozen or so cars.
Day 1: Trailhead to Rampart Lakes + Rampart Peak + Alta Mtn
There were a surprisingly large number of cars parked at the obscure Backdoor Trailhead when we pulled in on Saturday morning. After wedging our car into a tight spot, we headed up the steep trail to Lake Lillian. This beautiful little lake, which is tucked between Mt. Laura and Dungeon Peak, was looking quite attractive in her bowl of autumn foliage.
From Lake Lillian, the trail gets even steeper as it ascends to Lillian Pass. I was actually dismayed to see how badly eroded this part of the trail has become in recent years; much of it is nothing more than a deep, ugly trough in the hillside—and it will only get worse as time goes on. Knowing that we were contributing to the problem, I made myself a silent promise to avoid this trail in the future. Maria made the same promise, although more vocally.
After crossing over Lillian Pass, we dropped a bit into a little meadow basin and then continued upward to 5600-foot Rampart Pass. This pass provides a stunning view of Rampart Lakes—a cluster of azure lakelets nestled on a bench of heather, huckleberry bushes, and volcanic rock—with a backdrop of Hibox Peak, Chimney Rock, and other jagged summits in the Snoqualmie Mountains.
While Maria guarded our backpacks, Yoko, Kevin, and I made a quick sidetrip up to 5870-foot Rampart Peak, which involves an easy trail and a short Class 2-3 scramble. Because the ascent side is only moderately sloping, you don’t fully appreciate how Rampart Ridge earned its name until you reach the top and see that the other side is a tall, vertical cliff! Being the highest point on Rampart Ridge, this peak offers a nice look at the entire Snoqualmie Pass area to the west.
After rejoining Maria at Rampart Pass, we all picked our way down the steep trail to Rampart Lakes. Our concerns about securing a good campsite here, given the large number of hikers we’d encountered on the approach trail, proved to be unwarranted; we quickly found a secluded site between two rocky humps (5.3 hours + 3.3 miles + 2250 feet from TH).
Having a few hours of daylight remaining, Yoko and I hurried off to climb Alta Mountain before dinner. We hiked northward past the Rachel Lake Trail junction, then veered left onto an unmarked climber’s path that follows Alta’s long south ridge. This well-trodden path stays on or close to the crest as it goes over four—yes, FOUR—false summits before finally gaining the true summit.
Wildfire smoke hung over the horizon in all directions, but low-angle sun highlighted the nearby peaks. Mt. Thomson, Huckleberry Mountain, Chikamin Peak, Three Queens Mountain, and Hibox Peak were particularly impressive from here.
Yoko and I hustled back down the trail and arrived back in camp at 6:00pm (2.6 hours + 1400 feet RT), in time to eat dinner with Kevin and Maria. The warm evening felt more like August than October, but without the insects!
Day 2: Rampart Lakes to Trailhead
Nighttime winds helped to clear out much of yesterday’s haze, such that we awoke to a very blue sky. Morning alpenglow put a brilliant orange coating over the entire lake basin.
For our exit hike, we took an alternative trail that swings around a rounded shoulder east of Rampart Pass and then reconnects with the main trail closely north of Lillian Pass. This eastern bypass avoids the steep, rocky climb up to the pass and provides good views from an open hillside high above Box Canyon Creek.
During our descent to the trailhead, we passed numerous day-hikers coming up the trail, and we arrived at a jam-packed parking lot in early afternoon (3.3 hours + 650 feet from camp). Apparently, many other folks were equally determined to snatch a final dose of autumn color before the rainy season begins!
Route Maps & Profile
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Photo Gallery
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