Day 4 contained two separate hikes. First, we would take a short hike in Wild Basin to Ouzel Falls. After returning to the car, we would drive up to Longs Peak TH and hike 1.2 miles and 750 vertical feet up the Longs Peak trail to the Goblins Forest backcountry site, thus shaving that much distance off of Day 5’s summit attempt.

The Wild Basin region, located at the south end of the park, is lower in elevation and has much denser vegetation. However, this region was also the site of a large forest fire in the 80s, leaving some areas of the hike to stand in dramatic contrast. It is possible to hike much further into Wild Basin, but today, we only had time to make a short 2.7 mile hike to Ouzel Falls.

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The first 1.8 miles of the hike follows closely to the North St. Vrain Creek all the way up to Calypso Cascades. The hike passes Upper and Lower Copeland Falls along the way. Both are large but not terribly interesting cascades. The lower elevation is immediately noticeable due to the height of the trees, which are much taller and provide more shade. Consequently, the first half of the trail has that beautiful mossy, alpine smell. The trail is abundant with mushrooms, ferns, and other moisture-craving vegetation.

The trail makes a short, steep ascent to Calypso Cascades. The Cascades are not as grand as many waterfalls in the park, but water intermingles beautifully with the surrounding vegetation. The Cascades are easily admired from a large wooden bridge which spans the creek just below. The Cascades mark a dramatic transition in the trail. Shortly beyond, the trail enters largely open swaths created by forest fire. The naked, black husks of pines stand in stark contrast to the beautiful wildflowers and other vegetation which have been allowed to grow in their place.

The trail passes about 100 feet below Ouzel Falls, but it is possible to get much closer to the base by following a well-established path. The base of the falls is a popular lunch spot, but this morning, we were the first ones there. 

By proceeding further to the west, it is possible to climb up above the falls. This region is where the forest fire burned the hottest. We took a short break at the top of the falls, where we met a chipmunk very interested in our snacks. The small rodents living around popular lunch spots have very little fear of humans, and will come quite close if they think there is a chip in the offering.

This year, there was an abundance of raspberries around and above the falls. They were very ripe and made a great treat.

Returning to the trailhead, we took another short break to eat more of our lunch before driving back north to the Longs Peak TH – about half-way between Wild Basin and Estes Park. The Longs Peak region offers several very popular hikes, and parking can be difficult. Luckily, we arrived at the crowded lot just in time to catch hikers departing from their morning hikes. We assembled our packs and, after respectfully observing the park notices about Summit Safety, hit the trail.

The first mile of the Longs Peak trail is steep and relentless (the rest of the trail is also steep, but has at least some modulation). With full packs, this became very tiring, very quickly. We took breaks about every 50 vertical feet. Finally, we reached the Goblins Forest backcountry site – named for the stunted and twisted pine trees. We set up camp and relaxed. Christopher, Drew, and Alex played frisbee golf – no small challenge with all the obstacles. With the weather holding, I decided to stroll a few miles up to the Chasm Lake junction. The trail rises above treeline about a mile past Goblins Forest and offers marvelous views of Longs Peak and surrounding mountains.

I passed numerous people still descending from the summit. This made me a little nervous as it was already about 5:00 p.m., but I told myself they had simply gotten a late start. By the time I reached the junction, the sun was already to the west of Longs and I decided to return to camp. Sadly, I did not reach one of my favorite lakes this year – Chasm Lake – but you can see pictures of it and Peacock Pool in the Gallery.

After returning to camp, we ate dinner, hoisted the bear bags, and hit the tents early. We planned to wake at 3:30 the following morning to begin our ascent of Longs.