MT. BAKER-SNOQUALMIE NATIONAL FOREST, WA :: If you want to get to beautiful Lake Lillian in a hurry, there's a steep trail accessible from a sharp bend in a forest road along Rocky Run Creek. The trail is less than a mile long and is very, very steep. I won't reveal exactly how to get there, but it's fairly easy to locate if you study a USGS map of the area. I'm trying to avoid some flak from other hikers for giving away a secret.

From Lake Lillian, there are several route options. There are two paths up to the ridge, and at least three paths from Rampart Ridge to Rampart Lakes, making it possible to hike a small loop or two through the area. Today, the quick onset of overcast weather weakened my motivation to go too far, so I sped up to the top of the Rampart Ridge to look down on Gold Lake and Snoqualmie Pass on one side, and Rampart Lake and Rachel Lake on the other. Unfortunately, Mt. Rainier was a hazy ghost on the horizon. If the skies had remained blue, I would have made my way to the top of Alta Mountain.

This hike was barely 3.5 miles roundtrip. It was steep, however, gaining over 2000' in half that distance. Short and sweet, the views are worth it, even on a muggy, cloudy day.