Dave's Hiking Blog: CO - July 2013

Around the forth of July we took a trip out to Colorado to visit my brother and his family and do some backpacking. We chose the Four Pass Loop because it was a loop trail and offered some great views. My brother joined my kids, my wife, and I on the trip and we had a great time. The Four Pass Loop starts just outside of Aspen Colorado at Maroon Bells. You can also access it from the Crested Butte area, but with the Maroon Bells being one of the most photographed spots in Colorado you'd be crazy to pass that up!

We did the loop clockwise and really I can't understand why the direction is even a debate. Clockwise is the way to go. First off, there is no camping between the West Maroon Pass and the Frigid Air Pass. So you have to knock those out in the same day. If you go clockwise you can work your way up and camp within a few miles of the West Maroon Pass at some great campsites. You can knock out about half the elevation gain up to West Maroon Pass the day before. Then the next day you go over both passes earlier in the day so you can avoid any afternoon storms. If you go the other way there are not any good camping options before Frigid Air Pass for a few miles so you would be hitting both passes later in the day which can be dangerous. Trail Rider Pass is about the same either way. Going clockwise you do break the climb up into two segments rather than one death march to the top. But Buckskin Pass should be the deal breaker for anyone considering going counter-clockwise. So you would start from Maroon Bells, do the couple of miles to Crater Lake and then begin the toughest uphill and trail of the entire loop. There are no breaks, there is no relief, and the terrain is tough. If you go clockwise you start the day with a little steep uphill and some switchbacks, but once you get close to Buckskin pass, the assent is the easiest pass of the trip! It is so nice and gradual when going clockwise it really blows my mind that anyone would consider going the other way... But hike your own hike!

So we started out from the Bells and made it to Crater Lake without any problems. The day hikers are everywhere around this area, but its funny to watch them struggle with the ascent to Crater Lake. We made it there in decent time and started to head into the valley towards West Maroon Pass. We ended up camping between the two river crossings on the trail. Neither crossing was really tough, but the first one presented so many options it took us a little time to decide which way would be the best. We found a beautiful campsite on the edge of the stream and setup camp. After a hour or so we had a deer come right into our camp and check the place out. We spent the rest of the day and night relaxing and got a good night sleep.

The Maroon Bells

Leaving Crater Lake and heading toward West Maroon Pass.

View of the Bells from Crater Lake.

Pika along the trail.

First stream crossing leading up to West Maroon Pass.

View from our first night campsite along the creek looking back towards the Bells.

Our friend that visited us at our camp.

The next day we woke up and crossed the second stream crossing which was no big deal at all and began the ascent to West Maroon Pass. It was a tough climb for us flat landers at times. My one daughter woke up not feeling good at all from the elevation but she toughed it out like a trooper and eventually we made it to the pass. There were a lot of people up on the pass when we got there - maybe 10 other people plus our group. But the views were amazing. After lunch on the pass we started our way down.

View along the trail leading up to West Maroon Pass.

View looking back towards the Bells near West Maroon Pass.

Snowball fight in July!!!

The final assent to West Maroon Pas.

View looking back the way we came from West Maroon Pass.

View looking forward from West Maroon Pass.

The area between the first two passes was beautiful. Lots of wildflowers and views of the mountains in the distance. We made our way over to Frigid Air Pass and started the climb up. This was a tough climb. In between the passes the grade is pretty level so once you get to the base of the pass it is almost straight up to the top. There was a lot of taking 20 steps, take a break, and repeat. Once we made it to the top though we had the pass all to ourselves and soaked in the views. You get a great view of the Bells from here and the Fravert Basin below is just awesome.

View of the area between the passes.

Hiking along between the passes.

First view of Frigid Air Pass.

The final assent to Frigid Air Pass.

The Bells from Frigid Air Pass.

360 Degree shot of Frigid Air Pass.

Last view of the Bells for a couple days.

From there we descended down into the Basin and eventually began to hike on more level ground. We worked our way around following the North Fork River. At times it becomes some really nice falls and eventually the trail opens up into a great view of the valley below. There was one campsite it looked like before you descend into the valley so I guess this is where you would camp if going counterclockwise. We kept going and found a nice campsite right before the stream crossing at the North Fork River. There were probably a dozen really nice sites here and most of them were filling up (not sure where all these people came from because we saw no one else at all well hiking). But we setup camp and then went and relaxed our sore legs and feet in the stream nearby.

Heading down from Frigid Air Pass.

Marmot along the trail.

Upper end of the North Fork River.

View of the valley below.

Waterfall along the North Fork River.

View of large waterfall from below.

The next day we woke up and crossed the river first thing in the morning. It was a deep but very slow moving crossing. No problems at all. Then we began the hike up to Trail Rider Pass. Like I said above it is broken into two sections. The lower half of the climb is a lot of switch backs and some decent views, but a lot of tree covered sections. Once you get about half way up you come to a plateau section with some lakes spotted across the landscape and some great views back the way you came. The second half of the ascent is not terrible but it is a little rough right up to the pass. We again had the pass to ourselves and had some great views of Snowmass Lake below. After soaking in some views and some lunch we started our way down. After some switchbacks you enter a forested area and then have to cross a rock field before re-entering the forest that leads all the way down to the camping areas around Snowmass lake. There were a bunch of people here including a large group of young girls that seemed more interested in screaming and calling attention to themselves then enjoying the beauty around them. Thankfully we crossed a log bridge and found a site all by ourselves away from the noise. We all took a nice swim in the lake to clean up and cool off a little.

Easy crossing of the North Fork River.

First view of Snowmass Peak.

View along the trail heading up.

Devil's Rockpile. This aptly named rock laughed at us the whole way up.

View along the trail heading up.

Wildflowers along the trail.

View looking back along the trail.

Up on the plateau area of the trail. First view of Trail Rider Pass.

Beautiful lakes along the trail as we approach Trail Rider Pass.

View looking back as we climb up towards Trail Rider Pass.

The final death march up to Trail Rider Pass.

View looking back the way we came from Trail Rider Pass.

View looking forward of Snowmass Lake from Trail Rider Pass.

Heading down the trail towards Snowmass Lake.

Me taking a swim in Snowmass Lake.

View from our campsite of Snowmass Lake, Snowmass Peak, and Trail Rider Pass.

The Waterfall leaving Snowmass Lake.

Reflection shot of Snowmass Lake.

After a good nights sleep we awoke to my other daughter throwing up pretty bad. She could barely walk, but we were on our way out this day, so I grabbed her pack and we soldiered on. After a few miles and a power bar she started feeling better and the rest of the day went good. Once you get above the treeline the ascent to Buckskin Pass is a breeze. A very slight upward grade for the last few miles was great compared to the death marches of the other passes. We reached the pass and again there were a few people there. After a bite to eat we started our way down. I think everyone twisted their ankles several times on the rocky terrain on the other side of the pass. But before too long we were back at Crater Lake and then it was just fighting the day hiker crowds back to Maroon Bells and the car.

Snowmass at sunrise.

View from Buckskin Pass looking back the way we came.

View from Buckskin Pass looking forward.

Finally see the Bells again.

Overall it was a fantastic trip. We all had a blast and the beauty of the area can not be overstated. You go through a so many different areas and terrain it is like 4 mini trips all linked together. Leaving the back country and hitting Aspen is bit of a culture shock, but we just drove through and started heading back home. We lucked out on the weather and had zero rain the whole trip which is amazing since it rained at least a little every other day we were in Colorado.