Just got back from hiking the Copper Ridge Loop in the opposite direction.

Day 1; Hannegan to US Camp. Pretty easy going. As noted in the previous trip report the trail is snow free and easy to navigate up Hannegan and all the way to US Camp.

Day 2; US Camp to Whatcom Pass. The trail was brushy in parts, but nothing too crazy along the Chilliwack. The cable car was in working order and pretty cool to use. Getting to the junction with the Brush Creek/Whatcom Pass trail was easy. There are parts of it that are very overgrown (shoulder high) but they aren't too long and we never lost the 'trail' because of it. Just before Graybeal Camp the trail is washed out. It was a bit tricky to find it, but we managed to stay close to the river and eventually made it to the stock camp. From there we found the trail and back tracked to the wash out. We made a series of cairns to help people find the shortest way through the wash out.

The path from there was pretty straight forward, there were a couple blow downs and brushy areas but nothing too bad.

Day 3; Whatcom Pass to Copper Lake. We got an early start and there were areas of brush, but nothing that caused us to lose that much time. Just a few scrapes and ducking under branches. There was always a spot that had broken branches to follow. The forest along parts is beautiful old growth. We heard the ford was about mid-thigh in the afternoon, so we got there as early as we could. Around 9 am we arrived at the Chilliwack. We had to bushwack ~150 feet down stream to find a decent spot to cross (at the end of a gravel bar that had a downed alder with a bunch of limbs). It was easy to get to the gravel bar  (~ankle deep) and it looked like you could climb on the alder and shimmy if you needed to, but we went ~80% of the way down the bar and waded upstream to a much smaller bar just shy of the opposite bank. It was just below the knee. Once across, we had to search on the opposite side for the flagging, and eventually found it a bit further downstream. We followed it through the woods/washout to another creek and had to search for a while, eventually crossing on a large nurse log above a deep pool and picking the trail up in the woods.

The climb up was steep, but straight forward. Once out of the woods, there was one ice slab that had a good slope to it and a decent drop. I would have liked spikes to feel more comfortable, but my friend kicked in steps and we crossed with just poles.

The lake was beautiful, a deep blue, but once we stopped moving the mosquitoes swarmed us and never really let up.

Day 4; Copper Lake to TH. Got up early to catch the sunrise at the lookout and the views were incredible. There were only a couple of small lingering snow patches on the ridge that were easy to cross. The bugs got progressively worse, esp after Hannegan Pass back to the car. Even hiking at a brisk pace they were all over you. If you stopped, then it was worse.

We hiked in from the trailhead to copper lake and spent two nights there, and then hiked back out the way we came in. The trail to Hannegan pass was snow free. We stopped at hannegan camp looking for a toilet that was theoretically there, but we were unable to find it despite following the signs. There was some snow in the camp but other sites were snow free. The trail from the pass to copper lake was also snow free for the most part, I would guess 5-10% snow covered. There were a couple longer sections of snow cover on the northern side of the hill Silesia is on, and on the back side of the copper mountain lookout, but these were no longer than a couple hundred meters. We were glad to have hiking poles. We brought micospikes but these were not necessary and we did not use them. Our gators probably helped keep some snow out of our boots, but we were not post-holing and these were probably not necessary. At Silesia one camp was snow covered, the one with the better view was snow free. We talked to a couple who stayed there and said they had no issues melting snow for water. All of the sites at copper lake, as well as the lake and basin itself, were snow/ice free. Our first night there was fairly windy and cold and while there were lots of mosquitoes, they were tolerable. The second night was not windy and there were very large amounts of mosquitoes which were quite bothersome. We had to be completely covered including hats with bug nets and gloves to be able to spend time comfortably outside of the tent, which was ok as it was still chilly. On our hike back out along the ridge the bugs were also very bad, much worse than in the way in. Any place we paused we were set upon by large amounts of mosquitoes/flies/nats. The flies in particular made it difficult to have a peaceful lunch break at the pass on the way out. Walking down from the pass the flies were so bad that they were landing on us and biting us while we hiked at a brisk pace! We don’t usually wear bug spray while hiking, but would reconsider that if doing this hike again soon. We did not plan to do the loop but we heard from others that the trail was extremely difficult to follow in the valley after crossing the chilliwack. We ran into two groups that found the brush so dense that they were forced to abandon their plans and turn back and hike the 3000 ft back up to copper lake in the evening! We also ran into several groups that had managed to navigate that section however. All in all we had a great hike and the views from all along the ridge were truly spectacular. The up and down along the ridge does make the hike into copper lake feel much longer than the 11.2 miles it’s billed as. If we did the trip again we would probably try to stay at Silesia camp on the first night.

Day 1: Hannegan trailhead to Silesia Camp. The first 4 miles were easy enough, although there were several snow bridges that didn't look sturdy enough to cross. One of them in particular was too steep to climb over or go down and around, so we used an ice axe to climb up to the side of it and traverse the steep snow back to the trail.

Once we got closer to Hannegan Pass, the trail became more difficult. The trail was completely covered by snow in some parts, requiring a GPS to navigate. On switchbacks with tree cover, there was less snow, but still some steep parts with snow that had to be carefully crossed. The snow only got worse on the way through Boundary Camp up to Silesia. When crossing Hell's Gorge, we lost the trail a few times due to massive snow mounds. Once we finally got up on the ridge, it was entirely snow covered. I think we were the first ones up there for the season, so there were no footprints to follow. We were able to navigate with a GPS. Several descents required ice axes.

Silesia was completely snow covered, although the bear box was melted. Egg Lake was frozen over but there were puddles on top of the ice that could be used for water.

Day 2: Silesia to Copper Lake. This wasn't our original plan, but we woke up to six inches of fresh snow. The snow continued to fall throughout the day, making navigation difficult. It took almost all day to get to Copper Lake due to losing the trail in snow, poor visibility, and treacherous conditions requiring ice axes. The trail was only melted for small sections here and there, requiring the GPS most of the time. Copper Lookout was still closed, although the toilet was thawed out. The real narrow section leading up to the lookout was snow-free. Tricky descent down to Copper Lake as the switchbacks were all snow covered. Copper Lake itself was mostly frozen, with the drainage beginning to melt. There were two snow-free tent pads, and the toilet and bear box were snow-free.

Day 3: Copper Lake to Indian Creek. More snow fields, snow-covered boulder fields, and sketchy traverses. We lost the trail a lot before we got to the switchbacks leading down to Indian Creek. There was one very steep descent over a snow covered boulder field that required careful navigation with an ice axe. Most of the trail was snow covered. Once we made it to the switchbacks down towards Indian Creek, the trail was snow free and easy to navigate. A few downed trees, but nothing major. About 1/2 mile from the river crossing, the trail becomes overgrown and we lost it. We had to bushwhack the rest of the way to the river through thick overgrown forest with lots of itchy plants. The Chilliwack River was passable in some spots, although it starts out about waist-deep and then gets shallow in the center. Try to find a fallen tree that blocks the current in the deep spots.

On the other side of the Chilliwack, we still couldn't find the trail. We headed towards Indian Creek until eventually found a chainsaw-cut tree that hinted at a trail. The trail leading up to the Chilliwack trail junction was very overgrown. Once hitting the Chilliwack trail, it was less overgrown and fairly easy to follow to Indian Creek Campground.

Indian Creek camp was very buggy. Fires were allowed, which kind of helped with the mosquitoes. There was a toilet. Didn't see any bear boxes. Lots of bear scat on the trail.

Day 4: Indian Creek to Boundary Camp. The trail was visible for most of the hike. The bridges to cross over Indian Creek and Brush Creek were in good condition. I don't know if the creeks would have been passable otherwise. The cable car over the Chilliwack worked great. The option to ford also seemed doable. US Cabin Camp looked to be in good condition. Switchbacks up Hell's Gorge to Boundary Camp were brutal, but we were happy to not have to deal with any snow. Boundary Camp had experienced significant snow melt since we first crossed it. The bear box and toilet were melted, and there was at least one snow-free tent area.

Day 5: Boundary Camp to Hannegan Trailhead. Still several snow fields covering the trail and some snow mounds on the switchbacks. Not too bad. After ascending Hannegan Pass, it was a relatively easy hike back to the car.

Incredible ridge hike! We had originally planned on the full Copper Ridge Loop, but given the fact that our first day, the 16th, had good stable weather and the following two days had rain in the forecast, we decided to stay on the ridge rather than be in the valley on the clear day and the ridge on the wet days. So we missed the Salmon and cable car. Camped at trailhead, next morning we humped it to Hannegan Pass and ran into a friend from Seattle on the way. She pried loose a big plump mushroom to cook up later. Every hiker coming out talked about seeing bears all over the blueberry fields so we were primed! A lot of smoke was hanging in the valley up to Hannegan Pass. Views were not the clearest, but being surrounded by Shuksan, Ruth Mtn, and the Northern Pickets was still humbling. Camped at Egg Lake night one. There was at least one site unoccupied, which is annoying as when we booked our camp with the backcountry office, they said we had the last site. And we set up camp after watching the sunset on the ridge 500 feet above. This happened again at Copper Lake where again we supposedly got the last permit. I guess a party bailed. I almost would advocate for a fee be charged just to discourage people from reserving, not showing up, and "wasting" a precious camp spot. I digress. That night, I captured an aurora on my camera which I mistook for a low cloud at first. The green color showed up on a 30 second exposure! Zooming on the image, you can clearly see stars shining through the "cloud", so it must be an aurora! Day 2. Did I mention THERE ARE RIPE BOUNTIFUL BLUEBERRIES EVERYWHERE ON THIS RIDGE after Hannegan Pass?!!! Yep. Its insane. We must have accumulated at least 1.5 hours stoppage time for combined berry snacking. Was really nice to have fresh berries in my oatmeal too! Hiked to the Lookout Tower/Ranger hut. It was closed down. We saw the ranger hike out previously on day one. When we arrived, the weather turned right on cue. The wind ripped, and big heavy drops rained down. Started hoofing it down to Copper Lake. It was beautiful though! And a marmot was gathering grains for his winter den. He even did a conqueror pose for us on a conspicuous giant boulder. As we descended to the lake, whilst getting pummeled on and off, we still managed to make blueberry stops. I mean these were the best damned blueberries ever for godsakes! The lake has an enchanting deep topaz color. And the topography around the lake was just idyllic. Like a shire. One of my favorite camps yet. I had a little magical moment to myself, during my explorations of the site in the rain (the wiser campers were tucked into their tents), I spied a weasel darting to and fro along the little damned up drainage creek. You could say it was in a state of curious frolicking. Cute little feller. We went to bed wet but content as the rain continued to pour down on the tent flies. Woke up to stillness. Opened the tent fly to be transported to a white wonderland! Hallelujah! We quickly packed up camp as there were sunbreaks, but still threatening clouds, and hiked up towards the lookout tower with plans for breakfast in the morning sun. Well, the weather deteriorated, but thankfully remained as flurries. Enjoyed hot coffee as planned during a sunbreak at the lookout, and again, the weather turned at that point. Very curious indeed. Hiked out the rest of the way enjoying the ripe chilled berries, the turning leaves, the trees with snow, and finally the rain again when we dropped below 5000 feet. My goretex boots were sponges on the inside with every step. Never saw any bears :( A happy dramatic hike though!

We hiked the Copper Ridge Loop over five days, from Thursday 7 September through Monday 11 September 2017.

Day 1: Hannegan trailhead to Silesia Camp. ~3000 ft climb over 8.2 miles. It was really smoky, so the views were closed down, and the breathing was a bit tough. The good news was that temps were in the low 70s, a big break from low 90s earlier in the week. Very few bugs/only a couple of bites with no repellent. Started just after 12pm, arrived in camp about 6:30pm. We refilled water at Boundary Camp. There's no water at Silesia, so you walk to Egg Lake to get it. It's a solid one mile round trip with about 500ft of loss then gain... not the most fun after Day 1 on the trail. Even without the big views, it was beautiful hiking and a great spot. This was definitely the hardest day, with the climb from Hannegan Camp to Hannegan Pass sucking, then the climb from Boundary Camp to Copper Ridge sucking more. Saw two other people on the ridge, not including day hikers early in the day. Composting toilet.

Day 2: Silesia Camp to Copper Lake. ~1000 ft climb/1500 ft descent over 3.2 miles. We woke up to clouds instead of smoke, which was nice. It was a short day, but lots of up and down. We saw Bear #1 in the first mile or so, and he was very shy. The lookout was great and we hung out there for two hours completely on our own (it was unstaffed). It was completely fogged in when we arrived, but we got some very nice peek-a-boo views through the clouds to Ruth and other peaks. We saw a marmot and an immature bald eagle. Copper Lake was really nice and we had a leisurely afternoon there. There were some small snowfields along the route, but not much in the way of active streams. We were glad that we set out with enough water from Silesia to get us the whole way there. Saw 4-6 people all day. At the lake at dusk we saw a curious weasel up close, then a pika swim by about 50 ft off of the bank. Composting toilet.

Day 3: Copper Lake to Indian Creek. ~3000 ft descent over 8.2 miles. We saw bear #2 a mile or so from Copper Lake. We were dreading this descent, but it was really not that bad. Compared to local trails, the grade was similar to Church Mountain forest switchbacks and nothing near as brutal as Welcome Pass. Crews had cleared most of the 28 logs that we heard were blown down, so we had to hop eight of them. They should all be cleared now. We had some rain in the morning and on the trail. The ford was not bad at all (a bit above the knees/gentle current), and the route was well marked. We were lucky to catch the last of the sockeye run. Indian Creek was very nice, and we had it all to ourselves. Burn ban meant no fires. Saw two trail crews, and 2-4 hikers. Pit toilet.

Day 4: Indian Creek to Copper Creek. ~1000 ft gain over 7.5 miles. We woke up to the first day of clear sky. Really nice forest walk, plus fantastic suspension bridge and cable car. There were reports of a wasp's nest on the cable car, but one of the trail crew guys told us that it had been cleared, and we had no problems. The cable car was very fun. It takes some upper body exertion, and the destination platform is pretty high... if you zone out, you could take a really big fall through the big gaps in the rail, plus there is a tall ladder. Not a problem for us, but I kept my A Game going while on the platform. Copper Creek has lots of sites and the creek itself provides some open sky and mountain views. We saw a Canadian couple with a black and white Chihuahua. That was weird since none of us had ever seen a dog in the NPS backcountry. We saw 10-12 people on the trail, with several of them headed towards Whatcom Pass and beyond. Pit toilet.

Day 5: Copper Creek to Hannegan Trailhead. ~2000 ft climb/2000 ft descent over 7.5 miles. We got an early start in good weather, made good time, then beelined it through very bright sun and hot brush to the trailhead. Saw 20+ dayhikers and maybe 10 other backpackers.

Great hike overall. It's not the easiest 35ish miles you can do, but it's not super hard either. Great scenery. Nice campgrounds. Good time of the year to do it if you prefer less bugs, not hot, and are tolerant of some rain and obstructed views.