Calypso Cascades is a 65-foot steep cascade on Cony Creek in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park, Boulder County, Colorado. It sits at a trail junction 1.8 miles from the Wild Basin Trailhead, between Copeland Falls and Ouzel Falls.
The falls
Cony Creek tumbles down a slope covered in large boulders on its way into the North Saint Vrain Creek valley. The cascade drops about 65 feet, though the height is hard to judge because the water drops through a deep, boulder-strewn section.
Getting there
The hike starts at the Wild Basin Ranger Station trailhead at 8,500 feet, reached by a narrow dirt road with a small parking lot. Calypso Cascades is 1.8 miles one way with 700 feet of gain, ending near 9,200 feet, on a moderate 3.6-mile round trip. The route passes Copeland Falls, crosses North Saint Vrain Creek, then follows Cony Creek for about half a mile to the cascades.
Admission to Rocky Mountain National Park is $30 per vehicle for one day or $35 for seven days, plus $100 per person for non-US residents aged 16 and older unless they hold an eligible pass. From May 22 to October 12, 2026, entering Wild Basin between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. requires a timed entry reservation, which carries a $2 fee.
When to go
The waterfalls along this trail are usually roaring with snowmelt in early summer.
On site
At the cascades the trail crosses Cony Creek on three log bridges spanning a wide, boulder-strewn stretch of rushing water, with rocky steps along the approach. At the junction, one trail heads east toward Finch and Pear Lakes, and the other continues northwest to Ouzel Falls and Thunder Lake.
History and name
The name comes from the calypso orchids that grow along the trail. The cascades appear on Cooper and Babcock's 1911 map, but no sustainable trail reached them until 1926 projects built a route on the south side of North Saint Vrain Creek to pass the waterfalls. In 1985 and 1986 the first two footlog crossings were replaced with steel-beamed horse bridges faced with half logs, and the third followed later that decade. The National Register nomination for the historic Thunder Lake Trail lists the cascades among its features.
Nearby
Ouzel Falls is about 0.6 mile away, farther up the same trail, Copeland Falls about 1.3 miles back toward the trailhead, and Lyric Falls about 2.1 miles.
Distances are straight-line.