Maroon Bells

Twin maroon-colored peaks above an alpine lake — one of Colorado's most photographed scenes

The twin peaks of Maroon Peak (4,317 m) and North Maroon Peak (4,275 m) rise above Maroon Lake about 16 km southwest of Snowmass Village, in the Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness. The view across the lake to the maroon-coloured stone of the mountains, framed by aspen groves that go gold in late September, is one of the most reproduced images in North American mountain photography.

Access in summer is by shuttle bus from Aspen Highlands — private cars are restricted during daylight hours from mid-May to late October. The easy walk around the lake is about 1.5 km; the Crater Lake trail beyond it adds another couple of kilometres and a lot more solitude. Climbing the peaks themselves is for experienced and prepared mountaineers only.

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A story
The Bells have a grimmer nickname among Colorado climbers — "the Deadly Bells." The mudstone they are made from is rotten and prone to giving way underfoot. Eight climbers died in a single summer in 1965; the National Park Service still maintains a sign at the trailhead listing the names of more recent fatalities.