A great fall hike up to Alta Mountain – this is one of my favorite hikes. The trail up box canyon is beautiful, the transition from old forest to alpine deciduous areas, following a stream bed with beautiful pools and river rock, up a nice hill to Rachael lake – beautiful in the fall and perfect for a post-summit dip. Once out of box canyon TH you will see Hibox Mountain peek into view – its a great scramble to the top. The trail to Alta follows the same route to Rampart Ridge. It kicks right passing through beautiful fall foliage – amazing reds, and follows a ridgeline, with about three false summits until you reach the rocky summit of Alta. Great 360 degree views of the entire area – you can see Snoqualmie snow area, the PCT – Kendall Peak, Red Mountain, Kendall Katwalk, Mount Thompson, Huckleberry Mountain, Chikaman Peak among others. Truly a great vantage point.
