Hiking the Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop
A 4-day hike near Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, Colorado is great for hiking in the fall. Aspen is known for Aspen trees - they have skinny white trunks and their tiny leaves glitter and shimmer in the wind. We chose to hike in the fall as the bugs are gone, and the Maroon Bell trail permits are easier to secure. The tradeoff was that it was frigidly cold at night and we were snowed and hailed on multiple times.
[Aspen leaves shimmering in the wind]
Acclimatization
Maroon Bells is at 2,920m of elevation and the highest elevation we reached was 3,810m. We acclimatized in Aspen for two days before the hike. We did two moderate hikes (Ute trail and La Plata) to get used to the altitude. I felt my heart beating faster than normal when climbing the stairs of our hotel!
Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop Hike
The Maroon Bells is located a short drive from Aspen. The overwhelming majority of people are there to do an easy stroll to the first lake from the parking lot. A few folks will wake up super early to get an iconic sunrise shot with the mountains and trees reflecting in the water. I couldn’t convince my hiking partners to wake up at 4am - so here’s the shot we got!
The Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop requires a permit and a bear canister for your food. We did the 42 km circuit clockwise in a chill 4 days - hiking 4 to 6 hours a day. We saw a few hardcore women of all age ranges who ran the trail in a day! The trail path is easy to follow and not very technical - but do not underestimate hiking at altitude.
The hike itself
A short day and we camped right before the first big pass. We had gorgeous day one campsite views.
We heard the howls of a pack of coyotes for 30 minutes straight. They were really close to us up in the mountains. Our campsite was very exposed and it was super cold at night. I did not want to leave my sleeping bag in the morning.
Day 2
The first pass is West Maroon Pass and it has stunning views.
We chose to go a few kms “off trail” and descend into Geneva Lake. The last ascent of the day before going off trail was super rough on my hiking partners due to the altitude effects they experienced. Descending to Geneva Lake adds a little bit of elevation to the next day’s hike but it’s definitely worth it for the camping location. The camp is located in a sheltered valley and there wasn’t much wind.
We got hit by a hail storm in the morning and it made for nice photos - cold as hell though!
Day 3
As a four day loop our day 3 was extremely short. We hiked over Trail Rider Pass and saw Snowmass Lake in the distance. The lake was our campsite for the day so we took it easy.
We arrived so early in the day that I was able to do a few hours of reading by Snowmass Lake.
Day 4
A somewhat chill but long day. We headed over Buckskin Pass and then there was no more elevation left. We descended quite a bit of elevation back to the trail head. It was a nice finish to the trail and we then hit the horde of casual hikers near the end.
Trail thoughts
This trail was a pleasant surprise. I’ve been hiking all over the world and didn’t realize there was a trail near me (Montreal) that has such rewarding views for so “little” effort. I felt at home in Colorado as everyone loves being outside in nature as much as I do. I will definitely return to do some 14ers, rock climb outdoors, and do the via ferrata in Telluride.
Enjoyment: 9/10
Views: 8/10
Trail quality: 9/10
Trail difficulty: medium
Overall: 8.5/10
About me
I serendipitously discovered a love for hiking in 2021 right after the pandemic after my aunt pulled out of hiking the Alta Via 1 trail in the Dolomites. Ever since then I’ve done numerous epic hikes around the world such as the: Via Alpina (Swizerland), Northernmost to Southernmost Iceland traverse, Te Araroa (New Zealand) , Tour de Mont Blanc (Italy, France, Switzerland), GR10 (France), Salkantay to Macchu Piccu (Peru), all of Oahu island, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim, Zion (Arizona), Mount Whitney (California), Maroon Bells Four Loop (Colorado), and Hang Son Doon Jungle Cave (Vietnam).
