My partner and I weren't in the mood to commemorate the 4th of July or listen to fireworks, so we took off for Okanogan-Wenatchee NF to enjoy a short backpacking trip in Alpine Lakes Wilderness! We totally ripped off a similar itinerary from trip reporter K_Stachowski's recent outing (thanks for the inspo, K_Stachowski!) My hip is a bit bum so it was a relatively lowkey affair.
There was room for about 6 other cars, plus multiple horse trailers, at the Waptus River/Cooper River TH around noon on July 4th. Bathroom in good shape. There are lots of early season huckleberries around 2,500 feet near the trailhead this time of year. The trail to Waptus is dusty and drags on a bit, but there are a few good areas to camp (every 3 miles or so) and to hop in the river and cool off.
We cooked dinner on a beach on the southwest shore of Waptus Lake, near Quick creek. There were tons of other hikers, plus a fun party that brought a packraft. My partner and I gathered water and started hiking west, up the Waptus Pass Trail, around 7 p.m. with hopes of quieter camping. We didn't see anyone between then and 9:30 a.m. the next day — nice!
Waptus Pass has 3 or 4 large campsites with ample water this time of year. Mosquitoes were about a 6/10 on my tolerance scale (perhaps more of a nuisance to folks with a lower tolerance) but we managed ok with headnets and bug pants. Bugs are much better down near the larger lakes (3,000 feet) and pretty much a nonfactor around the TH. We ran into a few blowdowns throughout, but nothing to write home about. The trail is in relatively good shape throughout (watch out for horse doodoo).
The hike from Pete Lake back to the Cooper River/Waptus Lake TH had a ton of hikers, paddlers and campers (I didn't realize how popular Cooper River is). We made it back to the car around 2 p.m. and were unsurprised to see the trailhead parking absolutely blasted.
Distance: 23.91 miles
Elevation: 3,937
Comments
erin_elaine on Waptus Lake via Waptus River, Waptus Pass, Pete Lake, Cooper River
Did you notice a lot of backcountry camping sites along Cooper Lake, either before the "Owhi" campground or after?
Posted by:
erin_elaine on Jul 20, 2025 03:39 PM
Joseph Gonzalez on Waptus Lake via Waptus River, Waptus Pass, Pete Lake, Cooper River
There are campsites before and after, but few of them are quality and the entire area has a ton of day-use and car campers. If you're hoping for more of a traditional wilderness experience, I'd recommend hiking to Pete Lake or taking the Waptus River trail a few miles in to the first water crossing and campsites.
Posted by:
Joseph Gonzalez on Jul 21, 2025 07:18 AM