Maroon Bells

2022-07-09
Aspen, CO

One of the premier hikes in Colorado is Maroon Bells, which was brought to my attention for this trip by my friend Chris who lived here for several years. It isn't just drive-up-and-hike though. First you have to book a reservation on the bus that takes you from Aspen up to the site, and then jump thorough a few hoops like converting your reservation to a ticket at the station near Aspen before you can ride the bus up. However, once you get there it's only a short walk to take the famous Colorado picture.

We hiked 4.5 miles which included the Scenic Loop and then on to the Crater Lake hikes. That ranged from 9,500 to 10,200 feet of elevation and totaled at 824 feet of climb. The Scenic Loop was mainly through alpine vegetation with a few ponds and such.

The Crater Lake section of the hike was a bit more crowded and the mountain over the lake isn't quite as beautiful, but it was still very pretty.

We took the 8:15 shuttle to use the morning light. While hiking on the way back we caught the light better on the mountains on the other side of the lake.

When we left Aspen, we traveled on Colorado's highways through Independence Pass (no vehicles over 35 feet, some sections single-lane). We once again crossed the Great Divide and saw some bighorn sheep - a ram and 3 ewes - along the way. We passed through the San Isabel National Forest and got to see a molybdenum mine. We also drove through Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. Colorado has a lot of wonderful National Forests that are free for camping and hiking. Overall, the scenery on this drive is amazing. And as we approached the Rockies, everything became lusher and greener with mountains and streams as we've been led to expect by beer commercials.

By the time we got to Estes Park it was a bit late for anything but supper, hike planning, and bed. While we were in our room, some elk came strolling along the river across from our balcony.

Driving Distance: 204

Hiking Distance: 4.5 miles