Pic: Not the rivers and the lakes that I’m used to. Ouzel Falls, Rocky Mountain NP, CO
Dave has lived almost his entire life in the forests of Colorado, so I was surprised when he struggled to recommend good hikes for me in Rocky Mountain NP. The problem, he explained while perusing maps, was that I was here too early. The Rockies don’t really get going until about 8000′, and the really cool stuff is above 12,000 feet — especially the state’s famous collection of “fourteeners” — still buried under tons of snow.
Julie poked her head in. “What about Ouzel Lake?”
“That could work,” Dave said, handing me a book from his stack of trail guides. Let’s see: a 10.2 mile, 1700′ round trip past several waterfalls to an alpine lake at the foot of 13,176′ Copeland Mountain, all at or below ten thousand feet? I’m in.
I was a little nervous about crowds as I crept through the sizable but rapidly-filling trailhead parking lot, especially when two vans full of 8-10 year old girls from a nearby camp pulled in behind me. But after the first minor waterfall a mile or so in and especially after spectacular Ouzel Falls, I saw only a few other hikers.
The base of Ouzel Falls was a gorgeous, if obvious, spot to break for lunch. Even if it hadn’t been too busy for my tastes, I would have explored and found the social trail and minor scramble leading to the top of the 40-foot drop.
Pic: Having it my way or nothing at all. Top of Ouzel Falls, Rocky Mountain NP, CO
My efforts also earned me a preview of Copeland Mountain and a few of its neighbors.
Pic: Moving too fast. Copeland Mountain, Rocky Mountain NP, CO
Danger Beyond This Point 