Alta Mountain/Rachel Lake

I had a 3 day weekend due 4th of July holiday. I went to work on Thursday with all my stuff for a 2 nighter packed up in my truck. I left work early and drove down to the Tenneway corridor. I arrived at the Rachel Lake trailhead and quickly got my hiking gear together and started toward the lake on the trail. There were only a handful of cars in the parking lot when I started hiking. The trail starts off climbing just slightly on a relatively well kept trail. I saw a couple people coming down this section as I was heading up. After a short climb the trail evens out for a bit while you walk through the Highbox Valley covered in shade by the large forested canopy overhead. The peaceful jaunt through the forest all by myself was just what I was looking for, beauty and solitude.

Occasionally you escape the canopy and can see the surrounding peaks including Highbox Peak. Alta Mountain is one that can't be seen from the valley trail (or at least I couldn't find it.) After a solemn walk through there is a stream crossing which is rather sketchy, to put it nicely. I managed to get across without removing my boots and wading across (though that might be a good option.) Almost immediately after this crossing the trail climbs steeply and the trail becomes more rough wrought with roots, rocks, mud and the like. The climb is about a mile and there are more stream crossings, including one directly under a beautiful waterfall. Eventually you reach the lake. I found a few snow fields around the lake, but none requiring any snow equipment. There was only one other group up at the lake that night, so I found a great spot all by myself right next to the lake, great lake front property for the night.

The next morning I got up cooked a good breakfast and got ready to head up to Alta Mountain. From the lake you start out climbing a rock field which was covered in snow at the very bottom near the lake. The snow was melting fast so falling through and landing on some of the rocks and twisting an ankle was a real concern of mine, but I managed to get through unscathed. After climbing the rock field there is somewhat of a boot path that leads all the way to the top of Alta Mountain. The climb isn't too terribly difficult but there are large portions still covered in snow. It probably wasn't necessary but I did have my ice axe and I used it. I reached the top at about noon and I relaxed at the summit and ate lunch and took in the beautiful sights for about an hour by myself. I didn't see a single person on the climb up or down to Alta Mountain. On the way down I could see clouds rolling in from the west and by the time I got back down to camp at the lake there was some pretty good cloud cover.  I camped again that night at Rachel Lake however this night there were far more campers than last night. There were about 6 groups that night but things were still peaceful and didn't feel crowded. I got up the next morning before most of the other campers and made a quick exit. On the way down I encountered a few more hikers coming up for the weekend, some looking to go to Rachel Lake and some more looking to go all the way to Alta Mountain. It was a great trip and one I would do again in the future. Most enjoyable!

Region: Snoqualmie Pass
Distance: Rachel Lake 8 miles (total distance), Alta Mountain via Rachel Lake 12 miles (total distance)
Elevation Gain: Rachel Lake 1600 ft, Alta Mountain 3150 ft
Peak Elevation: Rachel Lake 4600 ft, Alta Mountain 6150 ft
Difficulty: Rachel Lake Medium, Alta Mountain Medium-Difficult
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass.

As always check out all the photos from of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.