On previous hikes this summer I hiked over two of the Stake Lake Hills. First, the Lac le Jeune Lookout (Vista Trail) was hiked from Lac le Jeune. In the middle of summer, it was a loop route over McConnell Hill. On this recent day, the hike was through different cross-country and snowshoe trails to the top of the hill Rattler Viewpoint. The fastest route up was around the west side of Stake Lake (Cartwheel Trail), then up Hold Up. A sign shows the way to a snowshoe trail which winds through the forest and up the hill.
Most of the area around Rattler Viewpoint is douglas fir forest.
From the viewpoint there are views to the west side of Lac le Jeune, up Chuwhels Mountain and Stake Lake to the north. This rocky hill has cliffs of basalt columns on the west side.
On the loop route back I followed an off-piste ski trail, then a series of cross country trails back to the start for a two hour hike, mostly before the heat of the day.
We could hike a different route in the Stake Lake Trail system every day for the whole summer, so we will be back to hike another route this summer and fall.
