A Guide to Maroon Bells in Colorado: Hiking Trails and How To Visit- Maroon Bells is a stunning mountain area located about 10 miles from Aspen. Colorado. In this area you can see some of Colorado’s famous 14 ers (14,,000 feet mountains), blue lakes and a diverse hiking area. Getting here does require some prior planning, this article will cover the different ways to see Maroon Bells, by car, bike, hiking or shuttle bus, and how to make reservations. It will also inform you on what hiking trails to take and which are the best, what to see, where to stay, how to get there and much more!
Overview to the Maroon Bells
Other Hikes In The Area That You Might Like
Reservations & Parking at Maroon Bells
All parking and shuttle reservations are required for June to October. They open up these reservations in the spring on the Aspen Chamber of Commerce website. I would recommend getting reservations as soon as you can. They don’t seem to fill up fast but if you are looking at a certain date they seem to have booked up a few week in advance.
The road to get to the Maroon Bells will open in early June, there will be a $10 vehicle fee until the end of June, you can come and go at whatever time that you please. At the end of June they switch their service times to a shuttle for the majority of the day. You can still access the road by car after June but only before 8am and after 5pm.
At the end of June they begin their shuttle service from the hours of 8am to 5pm, no cars are allowed to drive on the road during that period of time during the day. This will cost $16 to use their shuttle service.
You can drive in on your own if you are through the gates before 8:00am or after 5:00pm for the standard $10 vehicle fee.
You will need reservations for all of the above scenarios, you can purchase them at the Aspen Chamber of Commerce website.
Parking
If using their shuttle service you will need a place to park your car. The best place to do that is at the Aspen Highlands parking area. It will be free for your first 30 minutes. After that it will be $10 for 0.5-3 hours, $15 for 3-5 hours and $30 for more than 8 hours (rates are as of summer of 2020).
If you go early before or after the shuttle shuttle services they do have a small parking lot by the Maroon Lake.
The parking lot has a few primitive toilets as well.
How to Get To Maroon Bells
By Car
If arriving by car and going before the shuttle hours it will take about 25 minutes to drive from the heart of Aspen to the Maroon Bells Trailhead.
We drove from the Carbondale area taking us about 1 hour in the morning. I found it to be worth the early morning wake up to not have to use the shuttle and pay extra for the parking lot and shuttle.
By Public Transportation
You can take Apsens RETA (Roaring Fork Transportation Authority) to get there. They operate from 8am to 5pm from the middle of June to October.
By Bike
This would not be my first choice but we did see plenty of people biking in to see the Maroon Bells. It is not a flat ride so be prepared.
When To Go To Maroon Bells
We went in July and although it was a little warmer, and probably more crowded, we didn’t have to worry about snow on the trails. If you go in the winter be prepared to snowshoe and the road in might be closed, and fall would be absolutely beautiful with the colorful birch trees throughout the trail.
What To Do At The Maroon Bells
Unless you want to do a quick stop at Maroon Lake you will probably want to hike a few of the trails at Maroon Bells. I would have been disappointed in all of the fees to only see Maroon Lake. If you can it is definitely worth it to hike to Crater Lake or others in the area. You can choose from the following quick day hikes or even more overnight night or longer hikes.
Hiking Map for the Maroon Bells Area
Maroon Lake
The Maroon Lake will be the first sight you will see from the parking lot or shuttle stop, whichever way you have arrived. Although being a beautiful view of the Maroon lake and Maroon Bells in the distance I think the best view is from Crater Lake a farther hiking trails.
Maroon Lake Scenic Trail
This is a quick and easy 1 mile hike. It starts at the parking lot/bus drop off and goes around the edge of the lake. This is a very casual walk, not much to see but something to do and gets you a little closer to the lake. You can read more about it here.
Maroon Creek Trail
This was the one hike that we did not do. This is a 3.2 miles one-way trail. It will start out at the Maroon Lake and you will walk along Maroon Creek. Here you can see lots of wildlife, if the timing is right along with various landscapes. Read more about the trail here.
Crater Lake Trail
This trail is what most visitors come for. The Crater Lake Lake Trail is a 3.6 mile round trip hike. This is definitely a must and not only will bring you to a clear view of the Maroons bells but will also take you to Crater Lake. On this hike you will walk through the beautiful Aspen Birch trees. This is a steep and rocky path so be prepared with proper foot wear and weather. Read all about the trail on the All Trails Site.
BuckSkin Pass
If looking for an all day hike check out BuckSkin Pass. You can hike this as an out and back hike or a through hike. We attempted this hike but ran out of time, we had to drive to Crested Butte that day still.
Maroon Bells to Crested Butte
If we came back to Aspen again this would be the hike that we would do. It does require some pre planning as it is a through hike. You will need to arrange transportation. This hike can be completed as a day hike but many pack their gear and stay on the trail overnight. Read all about the trail on this post. Check out Travel Crested Butte for more information.
**Check out All Trails for more on hiking in the Maroon Bells area.
Which Hikes Did We Do?
We hiked Maroon Lake Scenic Trail, the Crater Lake Trail, and part of the BuckSkin Pass. If making the trip to Maroon Bells I would for sure plan to hike the Crater Lake Trail, pack a lunch and eat it along the lake with the mountains surrounding you.
We really wished we could have hiked to the BuckSkin Pass overlook but we ran out of time since we had to drive to Crested Butte that evening still.
If we had planned and had more time we would’ve loved to have set up a through hike from Maroon Bells to Crested Butte. Looked absolutely stunning.
Where To Stay
Aspen would be the closest town to stay in. Carbondale would be another great choice as Aspen can be pricey. We had a rented KuKu Campers campervan so we stayed at the Bogan Flats Campground outside of Carbondale. A long drive but worth it.
Tips For The Visit
The big scenic viewpoint for most that stop here is at the end of the Crater Lake Trail. This is a 3.6 mile round trip hike, and it has some rocky areas on the trail. Be prepared with proper footwear and gear.
-Make sure that you have reservations for parking or for the shuttle ahead of time. When we were planning about a month in advance some time slots and days were already sold out.
-Bring a packed lunch to enjoy your time by the lake looking at the rigid mountainsides.
What To Bring
Layers: Because it can get so windy, so make sure you are prepared for all types of weather. We had great weather but I have heard of hikers experiencing snow on the extender trails in July.
Water: we each filled 2 liter water bladders and this 1 liter collapsible water bottle for our day hike, which was more than enough.
Electrolytes: to help with dehydration and altitude sickness I like to use a hydration tablet (I love the Nuuns as they are easy to pack) at least once a day. So I stuck one in my water bottle for this hike.
Snacks: we like jerky sticks, a peanut butter sandwich, granola bars, and trailmix to bring on our hikes.
Hiking Poles: I like my travel hiking poles for long all day hikes, definitely helps the knees, but not a must on this trail.
Sturdy Hiking Shoes: I wore my Vasques Hiking Shoes.
DayPack: My favorite lightweight summer daypack is the Osprey Daylite Daypack. Perfect size for all that you need.
Hat/sunglasses: Depending on what time of day you go you might not have shade on some sections of the trail.
Sunscreen
What To Do In Aspen
The Independence Pass is a great sight seeing drive. It spans 20 miles as you drive through think forests and cliff sides exposing the scenic route.
Aspen Brewing Company is a great place to visit for an adult beverage and to relax after a hiking day. We actually went to Carbondale Beer Works as we were heading in that directions after our visit to Maroon Bells, I would highly recommend it.
Visit a ski resort, there are plenty nearby. In winter you can ski or snowboard and in the summer these are great areas for hiking, biking and other outdoor activities.
Take a visit to T Lazy Ranch, they have tons of outdoor activities such as snowmobiling, horseback riding and fly fishing. We can even plan a wedding or reception there!
Aspen is known for it’s shopping downtown if that is your thing, we passed on that as we like the outdoor.
Other Hikes In The Area That You Might Like
Tuhare Lakes Hike in Minturn, Colorado
The Blue Lake Hike in Crested Butte
Scarp Ridge Hike in Crested Butte
Visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
The US Forest Service is tentatively planning to implement a fee system begiining in 2022 for overnight hikes within certain portions of the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness Area. You should inform your readers that there are some protective regulations in effect within the wilderness for overnight camping (i.e bear cannisters, WagBags to remove human waste, dogs on leash, campfire and camping restrictions, etc.). Plus, this area is one of the most heavily overused wilderness areas in Colorado. Need to stress low impact backpacking if visiting area.