I did the early lottery for permits back in April and was awarded a fairly early permit reservation date, so I booked this trip! We had done Devils Dome Loop two years ago, so wanted to explore another part of this park. This ridge loop does not disappoint and at five days, four nights, this was my longest backpacking trip ever. I was pretty happy with this itinerary (going counter-clockwise with a side trip up to Tapto) because it alternated woodsy, no-view, but relatively bug-free relaxing campfire nights with spectacular-views, horrendously-buggy, starry alpine nights! Also good alternation of uphill/downhill hard/easy travel days.
Day 1: Hannegan TH to US Cabin (10.1 miles, uphill and downhill)
Really impressed with the views on the way up to Hannegan Pass pretty much right from the start! Kept the climb interesting and enjoyable. Started at 3PM and rolled into camp past dark at 9PM. Too late for a campfire, so we just had dinner and slept. Great pit toilet that looked almost brand-new. Almost no bugs.
Day 2: US Cabin to Tapto Lakes, 8.5 miles
Mostly uphill
Crossed the cable car! Big climbing day. Bit of difficulty navigating blowdown before Graybeal, but nothing too bad. Went between the roots of two upturned trees in the river (lots of flies there), ducked below two fallen trees in the riverbed, and climbed out of the riverbed towards cut logs indicating where the trail should go. Steepness didn't really start until after lunch at Graybeal and was steep all the way up to Tapto. From Whatcom to Tapto there are sections that require some scrambling (using hands). At Tapto, the bugs were bad and the views were fantastic. This night was a side-trip off the Copper-Chilliwack loop and I think it was worth it for the different alpine-lake terrain! Blue bags and bear canister (borrowed from ranger station when picking up permit) needed here.
Day 3: Tapto Lakes to Indian Creek
9.4 miles, mostly downhill
Pretty much a repeat of the day before, just backtracking downhill. Not much to report. Cool suspension bridge right before Indian Creek. Had a nice little campfire at the camp.
Day 4: Indian Creek to Silesia (plus 1 mile for water at Egg Lake)
11.5 miles, mostly uphill
Coolest part of this whole trip was seeing the huge bright red sockeye/kokanee salmon spawning in the Chilliwack river right where you ford across. I've never seen anything like it before. Took some underwater videos with my camera. Ranger back at the wilderness center said the salmon will start to die soon (we did see some with graying backs and fin) and bears, birds, marmots and all critters will start to eat them and their nutrients will return to the forest soil. Sometimes birds will carry the carcasses up the ridge to eat, and you'll see salmon heads in the trees as you hike! The Chilliwack River ford was about knee-deep, very cold, and Tevas/sandals came in handy here. Then it was relentless switchbacks all the way up the ridge. A lot of blowdowns, but none too difficult to cross. Thank you Bruce for labeling the "last log" to keep our spirits up :) The entire Copper Ridge is amazing. Saw Chilliwack Lake in Canada. Stopped for a swim in Copper Lake (amazing, felt so good, and wasn't too cold!). Stopped for a snack at the fire lookout (high point of the day). Didn't see the fire lookout keeper but did see a marmot. Dropped bags at Egg Lake junction and ran down to filter water. Continued short way to Silesia, which has only two tent sites but amazing views (glad I chose this over Egg Lake, thank you previous trip reports)! Watched sunset and got up early to watch sunrise. Amazing. Saw a deer right by our tent, didn't seem afraid of humans.
Day 5: Silesia to Hannegan TH
8.2 miles, mostly downhill
Savored the last bit of the ridge and alpine meadows before descending back to Boundary Camp, then back up to Hannegan Pass and all the way back down to trailhead. Not much to report, this day was relatively fast and we were ready to get home. Opted not to climb up to Hannegan Peak, need to save something for another visit :)
Comments
MafHoney on Copper Ridge Loop
Ahh this is perfect timing! We head up to start tomorrow and have almost the exact same plan (skipping Tapto since it wouldn’t let me book copper lake after it, so doing US Cabin, Copper Creek, Copper Lake, and Silesia).
I didn’t know you could do campfires in the forest so that’s good to know! How were the campsites for hammocks? I imagine the creek sites are fine, but I’m wondering about Silesia.
Posted by:
MafHoney on Aug 17, 2022 05:43 PM
Meeshelle on Copper Ridge Loop
Silesia has a small grove of trees-- you might be able to find a few for a hammock. Bring protection for the bark if you're going to put up a hammock. Also bring mosquito protection for yourself!
Posted by:
Meeshelle on Aug 17, 2022 05:56 PM
Meeshelle on Copper Ridge Loop
I also just remembered that recreation.gov wouldn't let me book indian creek after tapto, probably same problem you had! I had to call the ranger station and they changed it for me. I think it's a bug with recreation.gov, I got the sense they just switched over to using it for itinerary building.
Posted by:
Meeshelle on Aug 18, 2022 10:54 AM
Campfires
In general campfires are forbidden above 5000 ft in most locations. In addition, please, please, be considerate and dig 6 inch holes for human waste and paper. I have been backpacking for 55 years in both the Olympics and Cascades and am appalled at the trash I see on the trails and at the lakes in the past 3-4 years.
Posted by:
ILUVBACKPACKING on Aug 23, 2022 03:08 PM