This destination is well worth going to! Just make sure you plan ahead of time and learn from myself 😛 I’m definitely a planner, so anytime I go for a hike I am well prepared. This time around I decided to go out on a whim and literally just typed the trailhead address to my GPS and went! (Little did I know that this would be the busiest weekend of the year to see the Maroon Bells due to leaf peaking). I wasn’t strapped for time, I had all day – so that wasn’t a problem.. but if you are strapped for time and don’t have all day I would definitely plan ahead of time or chose a different day to go.
Due to a large amount of interest in the Maroon Bells, you can not drive to the Maroon Bells from 8am – 5pm. There is a shuttle service that runs from 7-5pm Monday-Sunday that takes you from where you park to the trailhead. If you do choose to drive straight to the trailhead there is a $10 recreation use fee for driving to the Maroon Bells. Cash or check only. If you have these season passes you will not need to pay the fee. The National Parks pass WITH a Golden Eagle Sticker, Golden Access, America the Beautiful, and Maroon Bells Passes allow access to the Maroon Bells Scenic Area for the season. The Forest Service staffs the entrance station from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If you type in the Maroon Bells into your GPS, you’ll come upon a parking lot where you can park ($10/day I believe) and hop on a shuttle there that will take you to the trailhead. If you find parking at this first lot, there is a building where you can purchase a shuttle ticket inside. It’s $8 for adults and $6 for seniors (65+) and children. Inside the building, there are bathrooms to use, refreshments to buy, and apparel to checkout. If you don’t find parking at this first lot due to it being full (which happened to me) since I went on the busiest day of the year), there is another lot you can park at that is about 7 minutes away called “Buttermilk”. Parking at buttermilk is $6/day I believe and there is a shuttle at that lot that takes you to the main parking lot which ultimately takes you to the trailhead. The shuttle from the overflow parking lot “buttermilk” – does not take you straight to the trailhead. The shuttle from the main parking lot is the one that takes you straight to the trailhead. It’s about a 25-minute drive to the trailhead, and the shuttle leaves the main parking lot every 15-30 minutes I believe. At the buttermilk parking lot, the shuttle leaves every 30 minutes.
Once you get to the trailhead there are bathrooms you can use and many options for hikes. I decided to do the Crater Lake hike which is about 3 miles round trip. It took us about an hour to get to the end and about 45 minutes to get back down- of course, it really all depends on how often you stop for photos. This hike is very rocky so I’d be sure you wear good shoes (I wore regular tennis shoes and was just fine). Be sure to bring plenty of water since the trail is an incline most of the way and has an elevation change.
Overall, I’d definitely make sure that you check out this website: https://www.stayaspensnowmass.com/activities/visit-maroon-bells before planning your day visiting the Maroon Bells! As hectic as my day was just trying to get to the Maroon Bells, it was definitely worth it.
megsonthemove.org 