Wild Basin Trailheads

Ready to hike

The Wild Basin is located at the southern end of the park. We haven't hiked here as much we have in the Bear Lake/Glacier Gorge areas, but the hikes we've taken have been spectacular. One of the nice features of the area is having so much to see on the way to your destination. The great thing about this, you can take kids along, pick a goal for them and have an adult take them back down having done some nice hiking while you continue further up.

As with my other pages, just click on the small images to see the big pics.

CALYPSO CASCADES - OUZEL FALLS - OUZEL LAKE

The trail to Ouzle Lake takes you past Copeland Falls, less than .5 miles from the trailhead. Calypso Cascades is the next stop, a little more than a mile from the Cascades.
	Calypso Cascades
	Next up is Ouzel Falls, a beautiful spot, perfect for grabbing a snack out of your backpack and taking a few pictures.
Ouzel Falls
Less than .5 mile from the falls, the trail splits, take the left fork and head for Ouzel Lake. After climbing some rather steep switchbacks, you reach the area of the 1978 Ouzel Burn. Lightning started a huge fire here, and the results are still visible as nature struggles to rebuild the forest.
	Ouzel Burn Area
	The last stretch to the lake follows Ouzel Creek, a seemingly happy little stream that makes your legs feel better just walking along side of it.
Ouzel Lake in late June

THUNDER LAKE

Thunder Lake, a 14 mile round trip, is one of the most beautiful places in the park. To get there, take the right fork after passing Ouzel falls. In case you don't know, an ouzel is a small diving bird who "walks" along the stream bottom looking for food.

We visited Thunder in late June and had to walk through deep snow the last mile in to the lake.
	Flo on the trail to Thunder Lake
	It was worth the distance and the tough going. Still mostly ice covered, it sits in a spectacular setting, with a patrol cabin near the shore adding to the photographic beauty of the scene.
Thunder Lake in June
We're hoping to get back to Thunder a little later in the year to see what in looks like in summer.

FINCH LAKE

The Finch Lake Trailhead is in the Wild Basin Area. The path heads up right away on one of the straightest sections of trail in the park. You get some good views of the south side of Long's and Meeker on the trail, and a close up view of the Ouzel Burn area. According to the book the elevation gain is only 1,442' but it seems to be much more. It feels like you're always going up until the very end when the trail drops about 500' to the lake.

	Finch Lake might be a pretty spot, but the day we hiked to it wasn't. We started out on a sunny afternoon, but by the time we got to the lake thick clouds were rolling in.
Andy and Mike at the trailhead
Part of the trail winds through the Ouzel burn area which is slowly regenerating.
	Ouzel Burn
	The sky changed quickly from clear blue to pea soup.
We had time to take a few pictures, put on our rain gear and head back up the trail. We didn't get more than a light drizzle, and by the time we got back to the burn area the sky had cleared and we walked back in sunshine.
	Finch Lake

This was one of the fastest hikes we've ever taken, ten miles in four hours. Pretty good time for mountain hiking.

Trail Facts

		Miles
Destination		From Trailhead		Elevation		Elevation Gain
Copeland Falls		.3		8,515'		15'
Calypso Cascades		1.8		9,200'		700'
Ouzel Falls		2.7		9,450'		950'
Ouzel Lake		4.9		10,010'		1,510'
Thunder Lake		6.8		10,574'		2,074'
Finch Lake		5.0		9,912'		1,442'

Some more pictures from the Wild Basin

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