Ouzel Falls

Over Memorial Day Weekend, David and I went on our first hike of the year to Ouzel Falls, a 5.4-mile roundtrip hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was named one of Colorado’s must-see waterfalls, so we thought it would be a great way to kick off our summer.

The trailhead was located in Wild Basin, a fairly remote section of Rocky Mountain, and one of the few areas of the park we have yet to explore. We knew it had a small parking lot so we arrived early in the morning and managed to grab one of the last spots left.

The trail was perfect for a hot summer day. The path followed the St. Vrain Creek, which provided cool, misty pit stops beside smaller waterfalls like the popular Copeland Falls. And the surrounding forest shielded us from the harsh sun, so much so that there was still snow along parts of the trail!

About two miles in we arrived to Calypso Cascades, a tranquil waterfall fanning out over the rocks and under the bridge we were standing on. It was the perfect place to stop and cool down – completely shaded with a refreshing breeze coming off of the water. We continued on, and in less than a mile we finally reached Ouzel Falls. The waterfall was a lot bigger than we imagined. The fast flowing water fell about 40 feet crashing into the rocks below. We rested on a log at the base of the falls and refueled with some almonds while being harassed by a hungry and determined chipmunk. It was such a beautiful day – something we definitely needed after what seemed to be a never ending winter. We were so happy that spring had finally arrived in the Rockies, and looked forward to going on many more hikes.