Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness | Saturday & Sunday, July 25-26, 2026
I can’t believe that it has finally happened! Just like with the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Maroon Bells Scenic Area was one of those places I thought I would probably never visit because of how popular and busy it can be there- plus there’s also the additional logistics of getting there and being able to park. As I have been working my way through the trails of the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness these past few years, I figured it was finally time to give this area a shot and hike up the West Maroon Creek drainage since I had already booked permits at all of the other areas in the Wilderness with designated campsites except for at Crater Lake. Back in February I was able to secure a camping permit at Crater Lake along with an overnight parking reservation, so this trip was actually going to happen this year! Although I initially hoped that Diane would be able to go with me, she was unavailable this weekend, so I invited Jackson and his wife Amy who both wanted to come along.
After spending a rare relaxing weekend at home last weekend, this Saturday I was up extra early to pick up Jackson and Amy by 5:00am so we could make it to the overnight parking lot at the Maroon Bells Scenic Area before 8:00am. We arrived with plenty of extra time and managed to get one of the very last spots in the overflow parking lot at the West Maroon Portal. We were on the trail by 8:00am and followed the West Maroon Portal Trail over to Maroon Lake.
We connected up with the popular Maroon Lake Trail and followed it back downstream to see the iconic view of the Maroon Bells over Maroon Lake.
I have seen the Maroon Bells from just about every conceivable angle and perspective before, except the one they are most famous for that everybody knows!
The Maroon Bells
Sleeping Sexton
We followed the Maroon – Snowmass Trail, mostly through trees with limited views, to Crater Lake and were setting up our camp by 10:00am. It was very humid out today which made the hiking a bit uncomfortable.
After camp was setup we rested for a few and then started following the West Maroon Trail further up into the drainage. The clouds had built quickly this morning and it was mostly cloudy out by now. We were hoping to make it up to West Maroon Pass before any thunderstorms materialized…
Unfortunately, about a mile before reaching the pass we started to hear some thunder that sounded pretty close and there were dark clouds coming over the pass, so we decided it would be best to turn around.
Looking back down West Maroon Creek from our turnaround point.
We could at least see West Maroon Pass from where we stopped…
Just before we started hiking back down this deer came down the trail next to us.
Jackson and Amy hiking down the West Maroon Trail ahead of me.
Sievers Mountain
Here’s one final look up into the West Maroon Creek basin.
The spotlighting highlights Minnehaha Gulch.
This pika posed on this rock right along the trail for us.
West Maroon Trail
Amy & Jackson
Crater Lake Valley
We could see that it was raining further down the gulch, but it had only lightly sprinkled on us a few times. Not even enough to get us wet.
We arrived back at our campsite in the middle of the afternoon and were tired, so we all took a nap for a little while.
When I got up for dinner a little later all the storm clouds had pretty much cleared up. All the storms had completely missed us, too! We probably could have made it up to the pass just fine, but it was too late for that now.
We had pretty nice views all around right from our campsite.
After dinner I laid down in my tent to rest again for a while, but I got up shortly before sunset to take some photos of the light on the surrounding peaks.
Len Shoemaker Peak
We couldn’t see the actual summit of Pyramid Peak from our campsite, but we could see the ridges and subpeaks that surround it.
Peak Light
It had been a long day and I was still tired, so I went right back to bed after taking those photos and would not wake up until just before sunrise on Sunday morning. It stayed surprisingly warm all night and was very comfortable.
It was still mostly cloudy on Sunday morning, but a little light made it through a gap on the horizon and added a little color to the sky.
When North Maroon and Maroon Peak lit up with golden light, I quickly made my way over to Crater Lake to see if I could catch a reflection.
Thankfully, I made it on time and had the place to myself!
Sleeping Sexton & Minnehaha Gulch
The Maroon Bells at Sunrise
The color of the light changed a little as it lit up North Maroon Peak, and then it was gone.
After taking our time packing up camp we started hiking back down the trail under a mostly cloudy and overcast sky.
Some light came back out while we were on the Scenic Loop Trail next to Maroon Lake, but the Maroon Bells stayed in the shadows.
We left the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness and returned to our vehicle for the drive back home. Although the trails were quite a bit busier than I would have liked, I’m still glad that I finally visited this popular area.
