If you haven’t heard of Maroon Bells, we are so happy that you discovered it here! It’s a special place for a lot of folks. With so much interest in this spectacular natural space, a lot of effort has been put forth to make seeing this place accessible for everyone.
Made up of peaks Maroon, Pyramid and Sleeping Sexton, Maroon Bells is best gleaned from the Maroon Bells Visitor Center. The paved sidewalk makes experiencing this spectacular scene a synch.
We discovered three ways to make it to the Maroon Lake Trailhead and the visitor center. One included purchasing a bus ticket from the Maroon Bells Shuttle Welcome Center at Aspen Highlands Plaza seen here. Make a reservation through www.aspenchamber.org/maroon-bells. Try reaching them at 970-930-6442 if you have any trouble with the website or need additional information. The other option would be to rent an electric bicycle and ride the eight mile ascent from the Aspen Highlands. We opted for the bus so we don’t have any e-bike rental recommendations, but a quick internet search brings up at least two rental prospects at the time of this article’s writing. A third way to arrive at trail head is to drive a personal vehicle. However, parking restrictions apply during the late spring, summer, and early fall months. It’s advised to seek alternate travel methods such as the two mentioned above.
The hike from the visitor center following Maroon-Snowmass Trail begins at Maroon Lake and ascends roughly 1,000 feet in elevation along a mile long hike to Crater Lake. This is a very popular trail and with so many people hiking, it’s easy to just follow the crowd. The path itself is also well kept, albeit littered with twist-the-ankle sized rocks spanning nearly the entire length of the trail. There are longer, more challenging trails to be had if your heart so desires, which can be found by doing another quick internet search.
For a day-tripping couple such as ourselves, the adventure proved to be the perfect length of time. We polished off the day with two hearty slices of pizza from New York Pizza Aspen and enjoyed them as we took a picturesque foot tour of East Hyman Ave.
If you decide to book a bus ticket, double check with the staff to see if it’s possible to catch an earlier bus up the mountain. We were instructed to arrive 45 minutes early. Instead of waiting for our scheduled departure time, we inquired about extra bus seats and were accommodated!
If you play with the idea of becoming a full-time traveler but don't know how to get started, consider picking up a copy of our e-book today that explains exactly how we did it!