I did this as a trail "run" on Aug. 12th. Went clockwise up the ridge first and then down and out through the Chilliwack River Valley.
The view on the ridge are phenomenal. The trail is in great condition and no obstacles or issues to worry about. The only thing I'd note is what's noted on here -- no water between Boundary Camp and Egg Lake, so definitely fill up near Boundary (there was a stream flowing over the trail about 1/4 mile up from Boundary that I used to fill).
About 2 miles past Cooper Lake, the trail starts to get a bit overgrown as you head the long way down to the Chilliwack River. Starting about 2 miles from the river ford and lasting until Indian Creek Camp there are LOTS (100+) blowdowns. This added significant time to my descent, and even ended up having to use GPS to find the trail again after some of the more serious blowdowns. I could imagine this being very challenging with a full day pack and heading uphill. And even without the blowdowns, the trail is pretty overgrown all the way to Indian Creek Camp (would recommend wearing pants -- my running shorts were soaked and lots of scratches on lower legs).
Salmon are spawning at the river ford before Indian Creek Camp, which helped to lift my spirits after all of the blowdowns. The next several miles back to Hannegan Pass are a relatively uneventful mostly uphill slog through the forest. The cable car is in very good shape and adds a unique experience to the trail.
Overall, if I were to do this again I would just do an out-and-back on the ridge to Cooper Lake. The blowdowns, overgrowth, and relatively monotony of the Chilliwack River Valley just didn't terribly excite me. To me, the only redeeming features of this half of the loop were the spawning salmon and cable car. But, to be fair, it could have been the 20+ miles I already had in my legs at that point.
For anyone interested in trail running, my GPS had 35.1miles, 9700ft of vertical. Total time of 8.5hrs.
Comments
MafHoney on Copper Ridge Loop
Thanks for this! How were the bugs (even though I'm assuming you were moving most of the time)? We're doing the loop end of this week for 5 days/4 nights, but going counter clockwise so we end with the ridge. Can't wait to trudge uphill through those blowdowns...
Posted by:
MafHoney on Aug 13, 2022 02:07 PM
RyanK33 on Copper Ridge Loop
The bugs were quite bad. When I stopped to filter water I'd pretty quickly get swamped. They weren't bad on the ridge (morning breeze probably helped), but I'd say they were the worst from US Cabin to Boundary Camp. Most backpackers looked to be wearing facenets to keep the bugs at bay.
Enjoy the trip! There looked to be some absolutely stunning campaites. With a 4-month old I have to do these 30+ miler in a one day push.
Posted by:
RyanK33 on Aug 13, 2022 05:39 PM
Stuke Sowle on Copper Ridge Loop
Thank you for the report! I've had this on my list for a few years now and when looking it over, have thought that an ONB on the ridge would quite possibly be the more scenic then doing the full loop. Your report helps to confirm that.
The Salmon are pretty cool though!
Posted by:
Stuke Sowle on Aug 14, 2022 06:54 AM