How to Get a Copper Ridge Permit

About Copper Ridge

The Copper Ridge loop runs from the Hannegan Pass Trailhead at 3,000 feet over Hannegan Pass at 5,060, along a 13.9-mile ridge past the Copper Ridge Lookout at 6,260 feet, then down a descent the park describes as precipitous - 2,400 feet in five miles - to the Chilliwack River, and back out. It publishes five miles and 2,000 feet to Boundary Camp, the Copper Ridge Trail at 13.9 miles gaining 1,817 feet from Boundary or 4,170 from the Chilliwack, and the Chilliwack River Trail at 17.3 miles. Three camps sit on the ridge - Silesia, Egg Lake and Copper Lake - each with composting toilets and food storage lockers, each with sites capped at four people, and none allowing campfires. Fires are also prohibited at Boundary and Whatcom camps. Water governs the itinerary. The park's guidance is that the Copper Ridge trail is hot and dry in summer and to carry enough water; that in summer there is no water between Boundary Camp and the ridge; that ridge water is available at Copper and Egg Lakes; that Silesia has no water once the snow melts, requiring a one-mile round trip to Egg Lake; and that there is no reliable water between one mile east of Copper Lake and the Chilliwack River. Fire closures have reshaped the loop. As of the park's August 7, 2026 closure list, the U.S. Cabin Stock Camp, Graybeal and Graybeal Stock camps and Whatcom Camp are closed, and the trail is closed beyond Whatcom Pass. Graybeal, Graybeal Stock and Whatcom are closed due to fire damage from 2022; Bear Creek camp has been closed since a 2021 fire; and Little Chilliwack Camp no longer exists because the Chilliwack River changed course. On the ground in 2026, the park reported on August 5 that the trail crew had logged out the entirety of the Copper Loop and flagged a new landslide on the bottom of the north switchbacks, and that the lower Chilliwack from Brush Creek to Indian Creek had been cleared and brushed through the burn scar. On July 12 it noted the Chilliwack crossing running high enough that groups should be prepared with good stream-crossing tactics, crossing early in the morning with trekking poles, and a debris flow just east of the crossing that can be tricky to navigate. Permits are the park complex's standard: $10 per person for adults 16 and over, youth free, plus $6 non-refundable. The 2026 early-access lottery ran March 2 to 13, results March 20, awarded booking March 24 to April 21, general on-sale April 29 at 7:00 am PT. Roughly 60% of sites are reservable in advance with the rest held for walk-ups up to 24 hours ahead. Reservations are not allowed for trips in this area starting before July 1, and the park's stated prime season is mid-July to mid-September - the camps stay snow-covered into July and it warns that attempting the ridge before the snow melts is dangerous, with proficiency on steep snow with an ice axe and readiness for high creek crossings both required. One thing we cannot tell you: the current status of Hannegan Pass Road (USFS Road 32). The park does not publish it and defers to the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, whose pages return 403 to automated requests. Check with the forest before you drive.

The Copper Ridge and Chilliwack loop is the classic multi-day route in the north end of the park complex, and the park calls it one of the most popular backcountry destinations, with permits difficult to obtain during busy periods. It is also the loop most changed by fire: several Chilliwack-side camps have been closed since a 2022 burn and the trail is closed beyond Whatcom Pass.