RT Length: 17.49 miles
Elevation Gain: 4975’
I arrived at the Wild Basin Ranger Station I RMNP at 4:30am and was on the trail at 5am. There are several adjoining lots in the area, with room for about 50 vehicles. The very well market trail starts at the southwest end of the parking area.
I was headed to Ouzel Lake, on a trail that first passed Copeland Falls, Calypso Falls, and Ouzel Falls (that’s a lot of falls) along the way.
In true RMNP fashion, this is a well maintained, class 1 trail.
After hiking for 1.5 miles, I continued straight (towards Calypso Lake and Ouzel Falls) at this junction
I continued to follow the well-maintained trail southwest, crossing several bridges
After hiking for just under 2 miles, I came to another junction, where I turned right and continued following the trail towards Ouzel Falls
Here’s where I made a mistake. After hiking for about 3 miles there’s a junction where you turn left. In the dark, I didn’t see this junction, and continued on another half mile before realizing my mistake. In any event, turn left at this junction, and continue heading towards Ouzel Lake.
It is along this part of the trail you’ll get your first glimpse of Copeland Mountain.
Here’s the final junction before coming to Ouzel Lake. Follow the signs and continue straight. Also, tale note of the gully on the left. That’s what you’re going to want to ascend, and it’s a bushwhack below treeline with very little for sense of direction. That’s where you’re going to want to aim for to gain the ridge.
The trail was a bit washed out just before making it to the lake
After hiking for a total of 6.75 miles, you should make it to the lake. It was more than that for me, because of my little side trip.
The water level was high, so the place where I would usually cross was underwater. I changed to my creek crossing shoes, and waded the creek here. The water level was up to my thighs.
This is where the bushwhacking begins. I followed light game trails as they skirted the east side of the lake, then found a creek/drainage (not on a topo map), and followed it south to the ridge. When you see it, you’ll know it’s an obvious drainage, the trouble is finding it in the dense growth. Here are some pictures of the terrain.
Once you find the drainage, which will be full of vegetation and downed trees, and maybe even some water, continue heading south.
The drainage became rocky, which meant route finding was easier.
I headed up the rocks until they stopped, then turned right, and followed what could have almost once been a road for about 10 yards west, turned left, and followed another rocky drainage south to treeline. There was actually a cairn here (circled)
The rocks were solid, and easy to scramble over. The rocks eventually became dirt, and I briefly entered the trees before making it to treeline, but I was always going south
From the lake, it was 1.2 miles, with 1100’ of elevation gain to treeline. At treeline, I turned right, and followed the slope southwest towards the summit, gaining another 2100’ in 1.2 miles. While a topo map makes it look like a gentle slope, it was anything but. The summit always looked out of reach. It was one long false summit, where you thought you were almost there, and then you were surprised by more rock. The terrain started out as tundra, then switched to rocks that tended to roll if you weren’t careful. Route finding and terrain were all class 2. There was also a lot of water here. Even at the summit, I could hear the water rushing under the rocks. Below, on the tundra, I saw several small streams of water flowing downhill. This was all choose your own adventure. Here are some pictures.
At what I thought was going to be the summit I was met with some unexpected snow. The snow was punchy, so I skirted it to the right and regained the ridge
Only to find more rocks, Here you can see the true summit of Copeland Mountain
I summited Copeland Mountain at 10:45am
Copeland Mountain:
There was a plastic tube summit register at the top, which needs more paper. The only paper in there was (of course, since it’s a plastic tube) wet. Here are some of the views from the top of other peaks in the area
I turned around and headed back the way I came, but navigation was a bit tricky, as everything looked the same
I headed northeast, and knowing if I went too far north I’d cliff out, I kept this meadow in my sights and aimed for it until I could see a proper route back down
Here’s the route I took back to treeline
Note where Ouzel Lake is to the left, as that’s where you’re headed.
Here are some pictures of the gully down
And the short traverse to the east
Then the bushwhack back down to the lake, following game trails where I could find them
I once again put on my creek crossing shoes and crossed Ouzel Creek. I’d really recommend creek crossing shoes, as the rocks under the water were very slippery
Here are some pictures of the trail back to the trailhead. The signs (in daylight) make route finding easy. Keep heading east towards either the Ranger Station, or Wild Basin Trailhead (the signs differ, but they get you to the same place).
I made it back to my truck at 2:45pm, making tis a 17.49 mile hike (with a bit added due to missing my cutoff) and 4975’ of elevation gain in 9 hours, 45 minutes.
Side note: if you see strange looking tracks, that look like a cross between a moose and a deer, they’re probably Alpaca Tracks. I saw a trekking company with a few guests and 6 alpacas hiking into the basin to camp. It looks like they do this a lot. Make sure to step aside for them as they pass by you on the trail.
On to the next trailhead!
Or so I thought… While I’d been hiking they had closed off the parking area, with about 15 vehicles in the lot. As I tried to exit, a ranger asked me if I’d mind waiting a few minutes, as they were felling trees in the area. While I waited for about 45 minutes, not one single tree was felled, and they decided to let me go. I drove out, and someone was grading the road, so I waited for him to pass by. He asked me to drive slower (although I’m not sure how I could drive much slower than 5mph). When I got to the gate, it was locked, and I had to wait again for someone to open it. Apparently, they’d closed the roads for mitigation/tree work, etc. but hadn’t put up any signs warning people arriving before they got there they were going to close the road. 3 hours later, I was on my way home.
Wild Wanderer 