Just 10 miles outside of Aspen, Colorado, is a special place called the Maroon Bells. Twin blush-colored bell-shaped peaks gracefully lounge in a U-shaped valley, their mirror images projected in the glacier lake at their base, perfectly composed for thousands of eager photographers. Like princesses too precious to touch, their 14,000 foot summits are not for casual mounting. Their crumbling sedimentary composition has thwarted even the bravest of climbers, claiming lives every year. No, we were not here to climb these ladies. We came to hike the Aspen to Crested Butte Trail, one of several multi-day hikes in this gorgeous area of the Elk Range in Colorado.

Note: For image slide-show, click on any photo.

We had just spent a month in Breckenridge, acclimating at high elevation and building leg strength in preparation for our planned through-hike of the John Muir Trail in California. After enjoying the thrill of 13k and 14k peak climbs in the Mosquito, Tenmile, and Sawatch Ranges of the Colorado Rockies, we needed to test our gear — and our mettle — on a longer multi-day hike. The Aspen to Crested Butte Trail was the perfect destination for our first over-nighter.

To get an early start, we camped at the Silver Bell campground. I think we got lucky because we simply drove through the Maroon Bells welcome station on a Tuesday afternoon in July and scored the last empty site. Typically, though, you need to make an advance reservation. The next morning, we woke early, packed up our things, and parked our car at Maroon Lake in the overnight parking area.

We chose the West Maroon Pass route, which is about 20 miles out and back between Aspen and Crested Butte. From Maroon Lake, the trail heads modestly upwards along the creek through wooded Aspen groves. A bored moose chomping on a breakfast of low-hanging bush leaves paid us little attention as we strolled past in the early morning fog. Passing the registration box, we inserted the white copy of our permit. From this point, the trail became steeper and more rocky, climbing roughly 1.5 miles to Crater Lake.

Note: For image slide-show, click on any photo.

There are about a dozen dispersed camping sites hidden within the pine trees surrounding the lake, available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Alas, we were only just getting started so we continued onward. From Crater Lake, the trail follows the base of the Bells, up through a broad talus field, to a water crossing at Maroon Creek. The trail has several water crossings, two of which required wading through knee-deep water. As we climbed higher in elevation, the forests turned to dense brush and the trail became quite muddy. Squishing through the mud, surrounded by head-high bushes for several miles, the trail felt a bit claustrophobic before it finally opened up again.

Note: For image slide-show, click on any photo.

When we emerged from the bushes, a giant red wall loomed ahead. I couldn’t quite discern where the pass was! Continuing onward, I began to make out a thin trail line leading to the top of West Maroon Pass at 12,400 feet. It’s a tediously slow climb to the top, but the payoff is magnificent! On one side is the long broad valley flanked by Pyramid Peak and the Maroon Bells. On the other side is a broad, rolling green basin.

A steep switchback led sharply downward into the basin where it then became a gradual descent through meadows filled with colorful wildflowers in full, glorious bloom: intermingled clusters of bright yellow Alpine sunflowers and Heartleaf Arnica, Western Yellow and Orange Paintbrush, pink Elephantella and bright Rosy Paintbrush, deep crimson colored Kings Crown and Queens Crown, pale Mountain Lupine and Purple-fringe. Mother Nature is one heck of a groundskeeper!

Note: For image slide-show, click on any photo.

We camped along the banks of the East Fork South Fork Crystal River. A late afternoon thunderstorm hastened our dinner plans, but lulled us to an early shut-eye. We made the return trip along the same route the next day.

This wonderful overnight excursion enabled us to test out our pack weight, shelter, mess kit and other gear in preparation for a longer through-hike of the John Muir Trail. It was a great shake-out hike; we learned a lot and had some memorable views along the way. There were tons of other trails in the area and we hated to leave, but we had to set out for California, with a stop in the San Juan Mountains for a little more preparation camping and hiking. Hopefully someday soon, we will return to try the Aspen Four Pass Loop!