Ouzel Falls

Worth the drive

Is it plungeworthy?

40feet tall

A horsetail on Ouzel Creek.

Scale39/60

Documentation20/20

Character14/20

The details

Type: Horsetail
Watercourse: Ouzel Creek
Coordinates: 40.19891, -105.60051

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About Ouzel Falls

Ouzel Falls is a 40-foot horsetail in Colorado, on Ouzel Creek.

Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.

Plungeworthy rates Ouzel Falls 7.3/10 — worth the drive. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

Wild Basin's headliner: Ouzel Creek fanning 40 feet over dark volcanic rock, reached past two warm-up falls — Copeland at a third of a mile, Calypso Cascades at almost two — on the quietest big trail in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Getting there

Trailhead: Wild Basin Trailhead, off CO-7 south of Estes Park (winter trailhead ~1 mile earlier when gated)
Parking: Small lot, full by mid-morning summer weekends; the entrance station turns cars away once pullouts fill
Road: 2.2 miles of decent gravel
Hike: 5.4 mi round trip, 950 ft of climb (moderate)
Heads up: Three waterfalls for one hike; continue to Ouzel Lake if legs allow. Turn back at the first thunder — standard RMNP lightning discipline.

When to go

June through September; snowmelt peak in June. RMNP's 2026 timed-entry runs May 22 – Oct 12: a 9am–2pm reservation window for this corridor — or just start before 9am, which is the right call here anyway.

Winter closes the road gate and turns it into a fine microspike walk with the crowds gone.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: RMNP entrance $35/vehicle + 2026 timed-entry reservation 9am–2pm in season ($2 on recreation.gov); early birds skip it
Dogs: Not on any park trail
Camping: Olive Ridge (USFS) ~10 minutes; Meeker Park overflow first-come
Warnings: Slick rock and fast cold water at every falls on this trail.

Researched from NPS — RMNP timed entry · Rocky Mountain Hiking Trails — Ouzel Falls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Ouzel Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.