Picked up backcountry permit at Glacier Public Service Center. If you're going past Hannegan Camps, a backcountry permit is required. Gal in the office told me that they had received reports of snow at 4000 ft. A couple gnarly potholes in the road as per usual, I drive a pretty low clearance Subie but it was alright. There were a few cars in the parking lot, a gentleman camping on the river as well. Easy, easy hiking up until Hannegan Camps. Trail begins to switchback up to the treeline that is Hannegan Pass. A very cloudy day so views of Ruth Mountain were minimal. Don't trip over the U.S. Geological Survey marker in the ground like I did! Very steep descent into the valley (try not to think about hiking back) where you will come to Boundary Camp. Fill water bottles at the small creek/waterfall you pass before you get to Boundary Camp. Nice little camps, utilize the bear can! Rain, rain, rain throughout the night and morning. Left camp around 10:30 and began the gruelling but seemingly short 3 mile trek to Egg Lake Camp. Icy blue water in a well protected valley. Wonderful camps with spectacular views. The campsite with the best view is right next to the bear can, I walked right past it and camped on the other side of the lake, but this side you get views of the lake and the valley beyond. Pack out your toilet paper!! Set up camp in order to lighten my load and set off for the fire lookout around 1:30. There is a fork when you come to the Egg Lake sign post, just continue straight on the trail. Craig Romano says that the fire lookout is 1.5 miles away from Egg Lake. I think not. Took me a good hour and a half to traverse what ended up being 3 different mounts. Mentioned this to the forest ranger who was manning the fire lookout and she laughed, saying, 'Yeah those mileages are completely made up. They just kind of write whatever." Wasn't much to see. Friggen pea soup. A hoary marmot posed very well for me though! (See picture) Made my descent and was back to camp within an hour. More rain. Hip cramped up. Was much colder at Egg Lake than it was at Boundary. Left camp around 8:30 in the morning, hiked past a few parties, (biggest smile on my face after not really talking to anyone for three days), an older couple warned me of a bear they heard a while back. I got within eye sight of the parking lot and nearly walked right into a black bear. Clapped my hands and said "Hey baby let's go back up that hill!" He/she ran up the trail and then disappeared into the bushes. Back to the car around 1:30. A wonderful hike. Looking forward to maybe doing it this summer when the mountains would be visible.

This is a gorgeous loop hike that offers up the classic North Cascades experience! We did this starting as a 3-day, 2-night hike on the Friday before Labor Day weekend. Note that this is a VERY popular trip so be prepared for a plan 'b'. Even though we were second in the queue that morning at the Glacier Ranger station, we were one of the last to snag a coveted permit to be able to do the loop (first night Silesia, second night US Camp). There is no need to bring bear cans as all of the sites either have bear boxes or trees to hang from. The trail is clear, and most of it looks to have been recently maintained. The berries are no longer out, but it looks like a few of the trees are just starting to turn color. I'm glad we got good weather as Silesia is a bit exposed but, in my opinion having visited all of the camps, has the best views of the ridge camps. Yes, you have to walk all the way down to Egg Lake for water, but you would've had to anyway, so why not reward yourself with a jaw-droppingly beautiful sunset and sunrise with Baker, Shuksan, and the Pickets? The views of the ridge on our second day hiking didn't disappoint! The cable car is a delight and currently makes a terrifying scratching noise as you're riding, but I'm guessing it's safe?!? We were thankful that our second day was at US Camp which is a comfortable camp close to the river and sheltered from the rain and wind that occurred our second night. This is an awesome backpack! There is still some time to catch it this year, so go and do it!

Fun hike! Easy for people who are in shape. If you go when the blueberries are ripe you probably have to pack a quarter less food and might be able to too some bears munching

If this isn't the best hike in the North Cascades, I'm not aware of any place that is better. This rates as one of the finest visual experiences ever. I hiked to Hannegan Camp Wednesday, set up my tent to reserve a site, and went to Ruth Arm via the incredible scramble trail. The views of Ruth, Shuksan, Baker, Nooksack, the Nooksack Valley, etc. are stunning. Thursday morning I set out just before sunrise from Hannegan Camp for Copper Lake. The sunrise was beautiful at Hannegan Pass. The views from Copper Ridge in the morning light were stunning. The ups and downs of the trip to Copper Lake are like a slow roller coaster ride. Down 600' to Boundary Camp from Hannegan Pass, and then up 600' to the ridge above Selesia Camp. Down again past Egg Lake to the valley below Copper Lookout. Up 1,000' in less than a mile to the lookout, and then down again 1,000' in two miles to beautiful Copper Lake. The views more than make up for the effort required. The weather was clear and hot during the day, so I opted for early hiking and beat the heat. The trail was not crowded, but the hikers I met were all extremely friendly. If I had known about the abundance of blueberries and huckleberries, I would have packed less food. The berries are large and sweet. I did not have time to complete the Copper Ridge Loop. I had to hike back to the Hannegan TH Friday, which meant riding the roller coaster again on the way out. I timed my trip to catch the sunrise on the ridge above Selesia Camp, which meant that I left Copper Lake at 2:30AM. My timing was perfect. I caught the Blue Moon setting by Mount Baker at sunrise! This was a perfect ending to a near-perfect trip. My stats were 28.2 miles with 8,100' of elevation gain. 12.2 of those miles were the hike out on Friday. I'm ready to go back and hike the entire loop.

Myself and a friend ran the Copper Ridge Loop from Hannegan Pass. It was difficult trail run with lots of vertical gain. The trail was in fairly good condition however there were many places before and after the cable car that were highly overgrown. These areas were mostly avalanche shoots overgrown with grass, and Salmon Berries. It was an extremely itchy ordeal. We were so glad to reach a stream to wash our legs of the sweat that was causing the stinging sensation as it irritated the micro-abrasions. The only spot that was tricky from a navigation standpoint was when you cross the Chilliwack to head up the ridge. There are a few orange flags to follow as you cross the second stream. The climb up is a beast! Once on the ridge the views are spectacular! We were greeted by friendly, cute National Park Ranger at the lookout. I would recommend taking leggings and gators to protect your legs and to keep debris out of your shoes. I think I would have been a much happier man! Also, this route took me 10 hrs at a moderate running pace. Don't underestimate the distance and difficulty! We used tablets along the route to treat water but also drank straight from streams when on the ridge. So far no signs of gastrointestinal issues and it has been a week. Bring a light too! This route has the potential to leave you in the dark. Epic trail run!