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I wanted to do a long hike in Wild Basin. Many of my forum friends raved about it, but I had only ever gone as far as Ouzel Falls. I had asked iceberg (Kristin) what her favorite destination in Wild Basin was and she told me it was Pipit Lake. I decided I would head to Bluebird and if things went well, I would head to Pipit.
I was very excited to have another great weather day. I again got an early start and was on the trail around 7 AM. This was my last day, so I wanted to really soak up the beauty. The Aspens had finally turned and there was beautiful color everywhere. It was pretty warm (for a Sept morning) and there was not a cloud in the sky
I was feeling really strong and quickly got to Ouzel Falls. I got a snack, drank some water, and took some pictures at Ouzel Falls. I was surprised at how much water was flowing over the falls for September. I pushed quickly past the falls and down the trail.
Soon I was in the burn area. It was so beautiful. There are thousands of small Aspens growing all over the area and they had all turned a beautiful yellow and orange. I took my time hiking through the burn area, stopping often to take pictures. It is amazing at how long it has taken this area to start to recover. This area will be a prime location for fall pictures in a few more years.
I continued along the trail, enjoying the burn area. I saw the sign for Ouzel Lake and thought about adding that one to my hike, but I decided to stay on course and head to Bluebird. I could see Ouzel off to the left as I kept hiking. There was also a marshy wet area (maybe Chickadee Pond) that looked beautiful.
After you see Ouzel Lake on the left, the trail starts climbing pretty good. You cross over the creek and then head up a gulley just to the left of the creek. There were still quite a few wildflowers. This surprised me being so late in the season, but they were everywhere along the trail. There was still snow in several areas along the trail. Anywhere that the sun could not reach still had snow. The creek was beautiful, there was still an impressive amount of water flowing in the creek.
At this point I still had not seen any one on the trail. I had the whole park to myself. I had come across a couple of deer, but other than that it was complete solitude. I soon came to Bluebird Lake. I had made it in around 2 ¾ hours. I wanted to pace myself so that I would have enough energy to make it to Pipit. I stopped and drank some water and enjoyed the incredible view at Bluebird. Bluebird Lake is a truly beautiful alpine lake.
I rested at Bluebird for about 10 minutes and then decided to head to Pipit. I did not know exactly where it was, but knew it was to the right of Ouzel Peak, so I headed along the North shore of Bluebird. I saw some cairns and started working my way uphill away from the lake. I wasn’t really following a trail, just working in a general direction. Hiking off trail is one of my favorite things, so I was really enjoying this part of the adventure. I soon made it to a bench above Bluebird. From this bench I saw what I thought was Pipit, so I headed further West. As I got close to the water, I realized this must be Lark Pond. I again worked my way North along the edge of the pond. I saw another bench higher up to the North that I figured must be Pipit, so I headed that way. As I got up to that bench, I saw the creek flowing out of Pipit. This part of the hike was basically rock hopping in the creek bed. There was still a lot of water ,but it was below the rocks, so it was easy hiking. I was having so much fun hiking that I did not notice I had climbed up the final bench and was at Pipit Lake. I found a spot near the shore and had lunch. I was really soaking up the beauty of the area. It is truly a wonderful destination. It had taken about an hour to get from Bluebird to Pipit, but it was a wonderful hour.
I was very tempted to hike to the ridge above the North end of Pipit, but one of the rules of hiking alone is to let some one know where you are going. I had told every one my destination was Pipit Lake, so I decided it was better to not stray from my original plan. After I had a sandwich and an apple, I started working my way back.
When I got back to Bluebird I saw a couple of other people. These were the first people I had seen all day. I was glad that others were out on this beautiful day enjoying this amazing area.
I wanted to thank Kristin for her suggestion, she was absolutely correct about this amazing destination. Pipit Lake is a fairly challenging hike, but it is well worth the effort. You go through some unique areas and Bluebird and Pipit are both wonderful lakes. I will remember this awesome journey through Wild Basin forever.
