ouzel falls

I hiked all over RMNP, but this one is my new favorite. Beautiful stream, great falls....and if you keep going to lake you'll be glad you did. About 11-12 miles round trip. Not a hard hike ..but on the long side .....but worth it

Strong flowing in September -- so I imagine this one is great year round. There are a bunch of places to hang out, eat some lunch and enjoy the beauty of the falls. Look for the Ouzel birds flying behind the water.

I love waterfalls, so this hike was made for me. We went with a group of 14(!) and we were all able to easily get up to the second set of falls without any problem. There is some climbing, but it's stairs and not terribly steep. Physically, I wouldn't have minded keeping on for more, but time-wise, we needed to head back. I think we were parked about a mile back from the ranger station, so we probably walked the mile to the station plus two miles up? The river is so beautiful, rushing over rocks and trees, and there are many levels of waterfalls, bigger and smaller, and lots of rocky inlets. I think we were out there between 3-4 hours, with several photographic stops, so you'd probably need longer to go all the way to the top and back.

The water was up so that made a few of the stream crossings a little more interesting. Beautiful falls all along the hike. The road in is a bit rough, so plan on some extra time to the parking lot-it could be slow going depending on your vehicle.

Ouzel Falls is a 5.4 mile there & back trail in Wild Basin. The hike is just wonderful. Though it can be moderately strenuous as it's uphill to get there. You're by the Ouzel Creek & it was a wild, thundering mass of water when we were there. Be careful around the water & make sure you don't fall in . You would surely drown in a raging stream like this one. When we got to the falls, we were able to see them by looking up the creek. As you probably have heard, the flood last fall took out the bridge & the short hike to see the falls close up. You also can't ford the creek to get to the other side of the trail to Ouzel Lake. Don't try it! Very dangerous currents. Although we tried, we were unable to get past the logs & boulders littering the way. It didn't look like any progress whatsoever was done on it. You can still see the falls, just not close up. Unless of course you were more nimble then the 3 young adults we talked to on the trail. They were much more fit than we are & they said they couldn't get any closed either. We had the falls to ourselves. When we headed back, we started to see more & more people. By the time we got to Copeland Falls, the crowd had begun the trek. Let's talk about pit toilets. On this trail before you get to Calypso Cascades there's a hitching post area for horses. It also advertises a pit toilet. If you think the pit toilets the NPS uses at all their trailheads are gross, than you're in for a big treat trying to use this rustic potty. A short walk takes you to the hitching posts, then you have to walk about 150 feet through a big wet area to get to the log cabin version of a restroom. I had to go bad enough I braved it. It was actually not bad. There was a commode & seat & they were reasonably clean (though I didn't sit on it!). I carry my own tissues, but there was toilet paper there also. Whenever you use a pit toilet, don't forget - IT"S NOT A TRASH BIN!! Toilet paper & body waste is the only thing that should go in it. After you're done PUT DOWN THE SEAT!! Of course, if it's an emergency, you can always hide behind a tree or some boulders. Be sure to carry out your tissue (I carry a plastic baggie with me just in case). If you poop, be sure to dig a hole & cover it when you're done. I've seen some hikers carrying little trowels dangling from their packs. Whatever works I guess.

This is a more remote trail, but worth it. The bridge over the river was washed away, right at the falls, but the hike was worth it, just to see the falls. The trail to the falls has few difficult places. We are in our 70's and were able to complete the hike easily.

We took our daughter, her friend (both 12) our sister in law with my nephew (6) and make it to the Ouzel Lake. This was a nice little hike the kids were more than capable to make at their age. The are several look out points as well as the falls are fun for the kids to see just how powerful water can be. We laid out a poncho liner and made a nice little picnic where the chipmunks got very friendly. They said don't feed the wild life, but my guess was people had been since they did not shy away so easy.

We really enjoyed our hike to Ouzel Falls. The hike is about 3 miles long each way and about 1,000' elevation gain. The hike is not very strenuous at all and there is plenty to look at along the way (on your way you will see Copeland Falls, the North St. Vrain River, and Calypso Cascades). I would highly recommend this hike to anyone visiting RMNP. It is a great way to break up your visit to the park. Spend some days doing mountain hikes, others doing lake hikes, and one doing hikes with falls such as this one. This is a very pleasant hike which we completed with kids aged 18 months, 8 years, 11 years, 13 years, and 16 years. There are numerous stopping points along the way with great views and photo opportunities.Access this hike from the Wild Basin Trailhead. TIP: Get there early as there are different parking lots. If you have to hike from a farther parking lot it could add a substantial amount on to your hike. We were fortunate the staff was kind enough to observe we had little kids and they let us drive all the way in and wait for a parking spot. Thank you RMNP staff!

Evidently the parking situation at this trailhead is limited, so arrive early or you may have a mile long hike to the trailhead -- we did! We enjoyed this hike, there were people of all ages and many families along the trail and we were easily able to take our time and photograph the falls. When we arrived at Ouzel Falls we were able to scale some of the boulders and get very close to the falls. So people had even climbed to the very top -- this trail allows for you to make it a bit more challenging at the end. We enjoyed our opportunities for great photography. We also appreciated a swift hike down from the falls.

Ouzel Falls out of the Wild Basin Trailhead was a very enjoyable hike. The trail was well maintained and fairly easy with about a 1000 foot change in elevation. It was a very impressive waterfall for this time of year. We did follow a sort of trai8l to the base of the falls to get better pictures. The round trip took about three hours with many stops along th way for pictures, all in all a fun time

Nice quick hike you can do in a morning. The trail stays mostly flat, crosses the river several times and you see three waterfalls. I went on a wednesday morning in August. The trail was packed with families, if you want solitude, this is not the right trail. Still astonishes me how few people come prepared with hiking sticks and enough water, or starting too late in the day.

Because of construction, the fella and I did not want to try to figure out shuttles and transfers. From The Stanley Hotel, we drove south about 20 minutes to the Wild Basin Trailhead. Now, I am new to hiking, so I had "trained" for 4.5 miles, so I thoroughly enjoyed the hike to Copeland Falls and the Calypso Cascades. It is an extra .9 mile to Ouzel Falls. This part was a bit strenuous for me, but I did make it. This part of the trail is not as shady and is a little steep, but it is worth it. I would recommend this hike; start early and take lots of water. P.S. There is a "privy" right before you arrive at Calypso Falls (on left hand side, near hitching post). You have to walk a little ways back into the woods, but Whoo-Hoo!!! =) Happy Hiking!