Copper Ridge Loop, Brush Creek to Tapto Lakes & Hannegan Pass and Peak — Sunday, Sep. 6, 2020

Overview:

I solo hiked the Copper Ridge Loop counter-clockwise with an out-and-back to Tapto Lakes. 4 nights, from 8/31 - 9/4. This is an absolutely stunning area if the weather agrees!

Itinerary:

Hannegan Pass TH -> US Cabin Camp (Night 1) -> Tapto Lakes (Night 2) -> Indian Creek Camp (Night 3) -> Egg Lake (Night 4) -> Hannegan Pass TH (Route picture attached)

Total Distance (Gaia): 52 miles

Total Gain (Gaia): 12,500'

A few notes I wish I had known beforehand:

• Between Graybael Camp and Whatcom Pass (below Tapto Lakes) there are about 15 small stream crossing for water access (at least this time of year, later on YMMV)
• The Chilliwack River is quite low currently and the crossing was very easy in the morning mid-calf, I am 5'10" (I used poles, but not needed). Salmon still spawning as of 8/3. One of the two braids of the river is dry so you just have the one crossing (pictured here).
• I read here that there is a ~6.5 mile dry section between the Chilliwack River and right before Copper Lake. As a result, I loaded up with 3-4 liters of water for this big climb - however, as of 8/3 there are 4 small streams located at ~4300' after the switchbacks. Still a good call to bring extra water, but enough to last you the whole way is not needed. These streams are small/drips, but I imagine they will be around for some time. I would still bring extra water from the Chilliwack/Copper Lake as conditions change and YMMV.
• The section between Boundary Camp and Egg Lake is currently dry as a bone. 
• The section between Egg Lake and Copper Lake is dry. 
• Hannegan Pass Trail is Very exposed to the sun. Coming up on 8/31 everything above 4k' was socked in so the climb was not too bad, but heading out around 2-3pm on 9/4 the sun was very, very hot and brutal. There is plenty of water in this section.
• Easy water access at Boundary Camp - just go towards the furthest back (SW) campsite and right before there is a small (albeit steep) trail down to the creek.
• There is a climber's path up to Tapto Lakes (and Middle Lakes) from the very top of Whatcom pass. You can't miss it. This trail is a bit of a scramble in some places, but is easy to follow. I am not much of a scrambler and didn't have any issues going up or down, but I did have to stow my trekking poles and use my hands. 
• Tapto Lakes is a massive area - much larger than I thought it would be. There are 4 lakes here and honestly enough room for 10-15 tents and it wouldn't feel crowded. Most beautiful alpine lake basis I've been in. Amazing views of Whatcom Peak and Mount Challenger.
• Great wildlife on this route. I came face to face (within 20') with a very large black bear (300-400 lbs) on the trail about 0.5 miles N of the Indian Creek/Whatcom Pass JCT.  He ran off. It seemed like 50-60% of the people out there saw a black bear at some point. Others saw one N of Copper Lake, right below Whatcom pass, and right before the saddle before Tapto Lake. I had a deer nearly wander into my camp at Egg Lake. I saw dozens of marmots, pikas, chipmunks, and grey squirrels. Found a couple bear scats on trail (one old, one super fresh from the bear I saw I believe) as well as some old Lynx or Bobcat scat.
• Wildflowers are still blooming along Copper Ridge. Blueberries and salmon berries along trail.
• I would agree with the general sentiment that the loop CW is easier than hiking CCW as I did. The Indian Creek -> Egg Lake day was pretty long - ~12-13 miles and 5-5.5k' gain based on Gaia. I was planning on hiking this in 3 nights but based on how the permits broke down 4 nights made more sense, and I did not regret it.
• It is definitely post-peak bug season - adult mosquitoes were not too bad, but lots of baby mosquitoes that still bite! Also the biting flies were a PITA and very annoying!

Road Conditions:

Road is very good besides a bunch of potholes. Potholes have very steep walls but this would be doable in a 2WD car. No washboarding on road. Trailhead is washed out so you must park at a makeshift one. Bathroom at TH. 

COVID Info:

The trail up to Hannegan pass is not very crowded compared to most hikes in the Central Cascades, however in comparison to the bulk of this loop, it is very crowded. I did this hike during the week so probably was slightly less crowded due to that as well. Once past Hannegan Pass and Boundary Camp, the trail feels very remote - you might pass two or three people/parties per day max. While the campsites were booked up on paper, when I was out there, only Indian Creek was full. US Cabin and Egg Lake both had extra spaces. Apparently Silesia had an open spot the night I was at Egg Lake as well. It is pretty easy to socially distance on trail. The hardest part is the 4 miles between Hannegan TH and Hannegan Pass. Everyone was respectful of your "own personal social distancing/mask wearing guidelines" in the backcountry. If you wanted to keep distance or wear a mask they would keep distance from you, not come into your campsite, etc. I would say about 50% of people on the trail put on a mask when they saw you. 75% in the backcountry and closer to 40% on Hannegan Pass Trail.

Trail Conditions:

Aside from what I mentioned in the bullet points above a few more notes. The trail terrain varies substantially, from rocky & rough pass climbs to smooth and soft dirt/pine needle deep forest paths to everything in between. The trail up to Hannegan Pass is especially rocky. The trail is well marked and I never had issue locating it. There are about 6-8 blowdowns on the switchbacks W of the Chilliwack River. 2 of these are a bit of a pain to get over, the remainder you can just step over. There are a ton of overgrown sections on this hike - if it is not too hot, pants would be a wise decision. With that being said a ton of brush has been recently cut from around the trail to decrease how overgrown it is. Also many sections have been recently logged out of blowdowns. I saw evidence at trail crew was out there 8/23 and I bumped in to a 5-person trail crew above Copper Lake/at the fire lookout. They had been out there a few days on "poop scoop" duty - AKA they were replacing all the toilets at the camps. I saw the helicopter fly in to take away a huge bucket of human feces from Copper Lake. I also "christened" the brand new toilet at Egg Lake lol. The trail crew was also out there digging drainage along the trail - good stuff! 

This trail offers absolutely spectacular views of the North Cascades and I highly recommend it. Tapto is beautiful and offers very different views than provided by Copper Ridge. It is worth the venture out.