Twisp Pass, Copper Pass via Twisp River, South Creek, Louis Lake & North Lake — Saturday, Jun. 15, 2013

Our crew camped at Poplar Flat Campground and spent the week clearing logs off several trails in the Twisp River valley. Louis Lake is now cleared to 4700', Twisp Pass is cleared to the pass, South Creek is cleared to the creek crossing at 4200' (the creek was too deep and swift to pass safely), Copper Pass is cleared to the snow line at 5000', and North Creek is cleared to 4700'. We had lovely weather, only one wood tick, and the wildflowers were out. On the Louis Lake Trail, we saw more calypso orchids than I have ever seen on one trail. The Twisp River Valley, viewed from any of these trails, is gorgeous, with snow still to be seen up high and beautiful spring greens below. The Poplar Flat campground was busy, but not overflowing. There were sites available even on the weekend. The facilities are well kept, and there's a lovely CCC picnic shelter with a fireplace for cool mornings or evenings. It's a great place to car camp and use as a base for day hiking any of the lovely trails in the valley. Getting to high elevation can be done fairly quickly. The trails range from moderate (South Creek) to quite steep (parts of Louis Lake and Twisp Pass). Bring trekking poles for creek crossings, as some of them are still running high.