Alpine Scramble - Rampart Ridge (Snoqualmie)

Our group of 7 met at Travelers Rest to consolidate cars for the short drive to the trailhead. FR 136 is very narrow in spots with room for only a single car, but luckily we didn’t meet any cars travelling the opposite direction either in the morning or on our return in the afternoon. The parking area at the trailhead is very small but we had no problem finding spaces for the cars at 8am.

The trail up to Lake Lillian and above the lake is steep and eroded, with lots of big steps and slippery sections, and a few downed logs that one can climb over or walk around. The rock traverse at Lake Lillian was a bit damp from showers the prior evening, but everyone made it across safely. After climbing out of the lake basin the travel becomes easier and very scenic as the route passes through small meadows and by several tarns.

Once at the summit block most members of the party elected to go up the more challenging west face while a few chose the easier east ascent via the ledges. Although short, this is a very fun rock scramble. We enjoyed the 360 views from the summit and spent a long time lounging on the summit and identifying a good number of the many peaks visible from the summit.

Since it was still early we decided to explore Rampart Lakes and made a big clockwise loop around the lakes and back. Once back at Lake Lillian a couple of us detoured up and around the rock traverse on a well-defined bootpath while the rest of the party crossed the slabs again.

We had ideal conditions for this scramble. The overnight showers had cleared any lingering smoke from the air. Some low clouds in the morning kept it cool for the ascent and then cleared out in time for crystal clear views from the summit and warm summit lounging. Fall colors were beginning to show and there were still blueberries to be found. We had a great group of competent scramblers and 3 students completed their graduation scramble. Total distance and gain for the trip was about 6 miles and 2800’.