Four Pass Loop, Maroon Bells

Overview

Forty-three kilometres, four passes, every one of them above 3,780m. The Four Pass Loop circles the Maroon Bells — the most photographed mountains in Colorado — via West Maroon, Frigid Air, Trail Rider and Buckskin passes, and between them it stacks more concentrated alpine scenery than routes three times its length: avalanche-combed aspen groves, basins solid with paintbrush and columbine in late July, and the Bells' striped maroon pyramids revolving through every compass bearing. The two disciplines that make or break it are acclimatisation and clocks. Starting from Aspen at altitude, unacclimatised hikers blow up on West Maroon the first morning; and from midsummer, afternoon thunderstorms arrive with punctual violence, so you crest each pass before noon or you wait a day. Snowfields guard Trail Rider well into July. Overnight permits for the Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness are booked on recreation.gov, bear canisters are required, and the Maroon Lake trailhead runs on a reservation shuttle from Aspen Highlands. Most parties take four days anticlockwise. Cost on the ground is modest — around £200 with permits, shuttle and food.

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Prefilled for 1 July 2027 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.