Ouzel Falls - Wild Basin fun

Ouzel Falls
Rocky Mountain National Park - Wild Basin
5.4 miles roundtrip
870' of elevation gain.

I wanted to go on a scenic and easy hike in RMNP while the relatives were in town. In part I wanted to accomplish acclimitization for those folks who do not live at 5,000' or 6,700'. I chose the Ouzel falls hike in RMNP's Wild Basin. This is a fantastic hike and I highly recommend it. It offers lots of scenery as your are hiking along a river most of the time. There are lots of waterfalls big and small along the way, and of course rocks, trees, and wildflowers abound. This area did receive considerable damage from the fall 2013 floods, and so this area is not back to 100% yet. The Ouzel Falls area is a construction zone at the moment and progress is hindered beyond that point.



Nice waterfall along the way





A little before Caylpso Cascades





Calypso Cascades. They were even more impressive in person.





Calypso Cascades




Ouzel Falls




Ouzel Falls





Group photo by Ouzel Falls


As a result of the floods in the fall of 2013, there is plenty of flood damage on this route. Besides downed trees, there is other flood debris, eroded trail areas, and some damage to bridges. The bridge that crosses the river at Ouzel Falls was destroyed by the floodwaters and has not yet been replaced.


The gang by Calypso Cascades



Lower Copeland falls, I think




My parents, Kirk and Christy




My Nephew Jacob Lillo




My sister Becca Lillo



Perfect Flower

This was a relatively easy hike with big payoffs. While not offering much in the way of scenic vistas, it was loaded with rocks, trees, flowers, and of course river and waterfall views. Highly recommended, although it can get crowded on weekends in the summertime. I recommend late spring on a weekday if you can get up there. In addition, it seems like it would be a nice area for snowshoeing or fall hikes.