Coplay Lake/Cayada Creek

[pope]

I was thinking of riding my bike up Cayada Creek, across the Carbon River from the MRNP entrance. If you've been up there recently, I would appreciate a report on the snow line.

[pope]

The road to Coplay Lake is completely clear and in the best condition I've seen it. Apparently you can also go to within 1/4 mile of the Summit Lake/Bearhead trailhead before contacting snow. What a fascinating journey! We encountered a friendly, trans-gender couple who intended to hike to Summit Lake but their Prius protested with alarming noises short of Coplay Lake. We spoke with an attractive USFS employee who was putting her geology degree to good use picking up garbage piled around the Coplay Lake crapper. We also encountered a seemingly domesticated deer. To my non-hunting companion, she seemed to communicate a message of peace and harmony. I derived an entirely different message...she seemed to say to me: I know what you want, that buck who won't leave me alone in November, if you know what I mean, so if you decide to hunt this area, I will disclose his location and daily routine...gladly....if you will help me get him "off my back". Since we both assigned some kind of deep, ethereal significance to our encounter with this doe, we gave her a name....the ambassadeer.

[netcoyote]

Speaking of Copley lake...
I drove my Jeep up there a couple weeks ago, during the mid-week, thinking I'd have the place to myself. Wrong! Got to the fork in the road to the lake and saw a couple minivans and went down the road t see a bunch of Asian ladies hiking in full REI color coordinated gear. Pinks, pastels and teal abounded. I waved at them and they seemed pleasant enough, must have been up there on some type of hiking outing.

Figured I'd get away from the crowd and drove over to East lake and found about five trucks parked near the lake. WTH!? Did I miss a memo or something or did this area just get that popular. With this type of crowd during a weekday, I'd hate to try to get up there on a weekend.

Also wondering what the attraction is on the road that forks off to the left just past Coplay lake. I walked part of it with the dogs and turned around before I got to the end. I thought it was just a short spur but it seemed like it went on for a way. Is there another trailhead to Bearhead up that way?

[pope]

I didn't even know about that road. On Google Earth it seems to just end below the south ridge of Bearhead. I'll check it out one morning this week.