Snowmass Colorado, Hike Spiral Point for Sunset during the fall

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Aspennn, One of the best places to visit during the fall in Colorado. While a lot of people may be inclined to visit the Maroon Bells, there’s still a number of different hikes in the area if your unable to get a reservation for the Bells. While I was visiting the Maroon Bells, I stayed at the Stonebridge Inn located in Snowmass and after almost just watching TV for the night at the last minute I decided to hop on the All Trails app and look for trails in the area. I found Spiral Point, a shorter hike, perfect for sunset and about a ten minute walk from the hotel. I’ve done a number of hikes in Colorado, but I’d have to say this one had to be one of my favorites. The views, location, and length of the hike made it perfect for an evening fall sunset.

In this post I’ll be going over how to get to Spiral point, trail details, and the best time of year to hike it. Alright lets do thissss!

Where is Spiral Point

The trailhead for Spiral Point is just outside of Snowmass Village in Aspen Colorado. You’ll want to go up Brush Creek Road veer right onto Divide road, then on the right will be a small parking lot and the trailhead. The ski resort will be to your left as well as the Snowmass Mall area.

What is parking like

There is a small lot at the trailhead and if that gets full, in the fall and summer months day parking is free at the Snowmass Mall lots. These are about a ten minute walk to Spiral Point.

Is this a challenging Hike

What I liked about this hike was that it wasn’t too far of a hike to the summit, 2.6 miles out and back with 590 feet of elevation gain. It takes around 1.5 hours depending on speed. Just make sure to watch out for Mountain Bikers as this is a shared trail! If you have kids or a dog, this is also a good easy-moderate trail to do with the whole family. Just make sure your dog is on a leash!

What is the trail like

It’s not very rocky and is going to be mostly switch backs on a dirt path. Look left and you will notice part of the Snowmass Ski resort and the Maroon Bells wilderness as you hike up. This is an awesome trail for shooting photos so whether you have a digital, phone, or film camera there’s a number of spots as you make your way to the top. (including the summit!)

Best time of day and season to hike

Sunset is going to be the best time of day to hike this trail in my opinion and I would have to say in the fall because of all the golden colors that Aspen is known for. If you’ve never been to the Colorado mountains in the fall, I highly recommend making a trip out to Aspen for all of the fall foliage!

Is the trail hard to navigate and why is it called Spiral Point

The trail is easy to navigate as there will be signs at the beginning of the trailhead and at the top. You’re going to want to take the Rim Trail South and then eventually a left onto Spiral Point! You’ve made it to the summit if you see a giant marble floor with a Ying and Yang. I believe the name of the Trail comes from the 360 degree views you have at the top!

Mt Daly, Clark Peak, and Capitol Peak (a 14er that sits at 14,131 feet) will be some of the mountain peaks that you see straight ahead. The views are pretty breathtaking at sunset and definitely worth hiking for in the evening!

Tips for Hiking Spiral Point and what to Pack

Know the Sunset time

Make sure to leave yourself enough time to get up to the top and back down before it gets completely dark. Packing a headlamp with you will be very helpful for the trek back down if needed.

Wear the proper outdoor clothing and footwear

• Hiking shoes/boots- Look for anything with good traction and support. Remember to size up a little bit as your feet do swell up when hiking. I recently started hiking in La Sportiva’s and really like the designs and function of the boots.

• Beanie- Pack one of these for any sunset hike in the mountains

• Lightweight Down Jacket- Burtons AK Baker Down is packable, lightweight, and warm. Once the sun starts to set in the mountains you’ll want to bring this jacket out of your bag for warmth.

• Hiking pants- I like anything made by Fjallraven. Lightweight, moisture wicking, and fabric that stretches for easy movement when hiking.

Pack a camera

The lighting is incredible, use a phone, digital, or film camera!

Looking for other fall adventures in Aspen? Check out Maroon Bells and Crater Lake, not far from Spiral Point! Thanks for checking out the blog, and if you have any questions or comments to add, please leave a comment below.

Aspen Colorado, A guide to Maroon Bells and Hiking Crater Lake

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Looking for easy trail navigation? Check out Alltrails; an app with trail reviews, navigation, and trail stats. Predownload trails in case of no service.

Considered to be the most photographed mountains in all of North America, Maroon Bells located just outside of downtown Aspen is a great way to spend a day trip or weekend in Colorado, especially in the fall! It’s a bit of a process to get there because it’s such a sought out destination. However, once you get there, it’s definitely worth it.

In this post I’ll be going over how to get to Maroon Bells, parking, what to expect, trail details, and best times to visit. Alright lets do thisssss.

The Maroon Peaks straight ahead are both above 14,000 Feet

How to get to the Maroon Bells and what to know about parking

Parking

Located off of Maroon Creek Road (6 miles from Aspen), to access the Bells you either have to make a parking reservation or a shuttle reservation during the Spring, Summer, and Fall months.

Parking reservations are required from Mid May to the end of October while shuttle reservations are required from early June through late October. The parking is tricky, and to alleviate some of the hassle with specific time windows, Aspen offers a 24 hour reservation option and two day option as well. As long as the road is open it will always cost $10 to park. Maroon Creek Road will close in November when the snow starts to fall. After November 1, no parking reservations are required, however you are still required to pay the $10 fee!

Once the road closes for winter you can access the Bells by snowmobile, cross country skis, and snow shoes. The road will be about 7 miles from T-Lazy-7 ranch.

If you decide to take a shuttle you’ll park at Aspen Highlands. It’s $5/hour or $40/day for parking. Weekends and peak times such as fall, you’ll want to plan ahead and arrive to Aspen Highlands early to get a parking spot. Once you park you’ll check in at Guest Services above the parking area, where the buses are stationed. Aspen suggests that you arrive 45 min before your reservation time to check-in and get your shuttle ticket. The shuttle ride is about 20 minutes to Maroon Bells. Make sure to not miss the last shuttle on the way back!

If you end up driving, the parking lot is at the end of Maroon Creek Road. They will have a separate lot for overnight parking. For more information visit the USDA Forest Service website. Parking reservations fill up quickly, so I would plan weeks in advance if you are deciding to go that route. For Fall foliage make your parking reservation in May, the day of the reservation window opening for September and October.

To make a shuttle or parking reservation visit the Aspen Chamber of Commerce website.

Directions

Please Note, Independence Pass Closes during the winter months usually around the beginning of November

As mentioned above, Maroon Bells and the Crater Lake trail are located off of Maroon Creek Road, past Aspen Highlands Ski Resort. There are two ways to access Aspen during the Spring, Summer and Fall months and that is on I-70 and Independence Pass. Independence Pass is the most scenic route going over the Continental Divide and is 32 miles long between Leadville and Aspen. Below I’ve listed distances and average times from Major areas in Colorado to Aspen Highlands via I-70. For flying, there will be an airport near Buttermilk ski resort, not far from downtown Aspen.

Denver- 198 miles/3.5 hours

Boulder- 204 miles/4 hours

Evergreen- 181 miles/3 hours twenty minutes

Summit County- 132 miles/2.5 hours

Vail- 102 miles/2 hours

History of the Maroon Bells

Created millions of years ago from the Tectonic Plate movement the Maroon Bells and Crater Lake are part of the White River National Forest and also the Elk Mountain Range. The name is derived by the shape of the rock formations and the color (maroon) when the light hits the peaks at the right time.

In the late 1800’s there was a Silver Boom in Colorado and interesting enough Silver is what founded the town of Aspen. However, the town didn’t bring world wide publication until the 1950’s when Aspen became a resort town. As tourism picked up so did trips to the Maroon Bells.

In 1964 the Wilderness Act protected areas like the Bells and Crater Lake.

The two peaks that make up the Maroon Bells are the Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak.

What makes Maroon Bells so special

The rock that makes up most of the Maroon Bells is a red shale and lighter siltstone called, the Maroon Formation. The maroon color that you see is derived from very small iron particles that have been oxidized (rusted). The formation of these peaks was caused from sea bed deposits over 290 million years ago that were compressed and then elevated with the rest of the Rocky Mountains. These rock formations in the Aspen area are over 3 miles thick. Due to the fact that this kind of rock is brittle and soft, it can break easily, so be careful if you decide to hike in the Aspen Area, especially fourteeners!

Best time to Visit Maroon Bells and Crater Lake

Spring through late October are the best times to visit. Crater Lake is usually dried out by October, as was the case when we went. Honestly, it was still a beautiful hike and the area surrounding Crater Lake is amazing for photography. The best time to hike Crater lake would be in the summer and Fall (June-October). Fall in Aspen is an amazing time to visit because of the fall foliage and leaves changing. This time of year will bring a lot of crowds, so book ahead if you plan on visiting in the Fall!

Late Fall and Late Spring (May and October) are better times to visit if you want to avoid larger crowds. The other cool part about late spring is there is still snow on the peaks and late fall is when Colorado starts to get snow dustings. I think it adds a different/unique perspective to the peaks.

As mentioned above you can still access Maroon Bells during the winter, however one thing to keep in mind is Avalanche Danger when traveling on Maroon Creek Road with snow.

If you are looking to shoot photos of the peaks, the best time to do that is early in the morning, right before the sun gets too harsh. Google Maroon Bells and a lot of beautiful photos of the peaks will pop up.

Is Maroon Bells Dog Friendly

Dogs are allowed they just have to be on a leash at all times due to surrounding wildlife that can show up in the area!

Does it cost anything to Visit Maroon Bells

As mentioned above parking will cost $10 on Maroon Creek road and also $5/hour at Aspen Highlands ($40 for the day)

Biking on Maroon Creek Road is free.

The Shuttle is $16 for adults and $10 for seniors over 65 and kids under 12.

What to Expect and Trail Details

Shuttle busses run every 15 minutes with the last one picking up people at 5pm to head back to Aspen Highlands, make sure not to miss the last bus! Otherwise it’s a nine mile walk back with almost no cell service.

There are couple of trails for day hikes at Maroon Bells with the first one being Maroon Bells Scenic Loop and the next one being Crater Lake. Although Crater Lake was listed as a moderate hike on All Trails, I would rate it as a more challenging hike because of how rocky it was and technical in areas. There was also snow and ice when we hiked it which made the hike even more challenging.

Maroon Bells Scenic Loop

This is a pretty easy scenic trail that goes around Maroon Lake. At times, you will be walking through Aspen trees. Great for families with younger kids or people looking for an easier trek.

• Distance- 1.9 Mile Loop

• Elevation Gain- 160 ft

• Difficulty- easy

Crater Lake

This hike was more challenging then expected. Pretty Rocky and steep at times. You walk through a wooded area at first with mountain views to the left of Pyramid Peak. Towards the top on the right you will see the Sievers Mountain range. As you get towards the top you’ll have breathtaking 365 degree views of the Maroon Bells and the Elk Mountain Range. Awesome hike and I highly recommend using hiking footwear and hiking poles. I saw a number of people with improper footwear and clothing. With improper footwear on a trail like this, you might risk an injury.

• Distance- 3.8 Miles out and back

• Elevation Gain- 688 Feet

• Difficulty- Moderate to difficult

Where is there a good place to stay in Aspen

Snowmass- In the fall, rates here will be cheaper then in downtown Aspen. There’s also other surrounding trails in the Snowmass area if you plan on staying for longer then 1 night. One of my favorite trails was right by the hotel I was staying in called Spiral Point, a must hike for sunset! I booked a room at Stonebridge Inn as they had parking on site, a restaurant, pool/hot tub area, and fitness center. It was about a 20 Minute drive to the Maroon Bells as well as downtown Aspen.

Downtown Aspen

I get it if you want to be in downtown Aspen because it is a cool spot to grab some food, walk around, shop, and enjoy the fall colors around town. The St Moritz Lodge will be on the more inexpensive end for overnight stays with Limelight, The Little Nell, and Hotel Jerome being on the more luxurious side for lodging. There are also a number of awesome options on VRBO.

Is there Camping nearby the Maroon Bells and Crater Lake

Yep, there are campgrounds located near the Bells that will be along Maroon Creek Road. These are popular campgrounds that need to be booked months in advance! The three campgrounds are Silver Bell, Silver Bar, and Silver Queen. Parking at the Bells is included with a campsite reservation, grab your parking pass or print out the camp reservation when driving to the Maroon Bells. Head over to recreation.gov to make a campsite reservation.

Where is a good place to grab something to eat in Aspen

Most restaurants in Aspen will be on the more expensive side. Probably one of the best restaurants in Aspen is the White House Tavern. Located in an old historic building on the corner of Hopkins and Monarch; the ambience, music, simple menu, and amazing food make this a great spot to grab something to eat after a day of hiking.

What to pack

Hiking boots- If you plan on hiking up to Crater Lake, these are a must have. Make sure your hiking boots or footwear have good traction and support.

Hiking Shorts and/or Pants-Not needed, but it’s nice to have some lightweight and breathable clothing when hiking around Maroon Bells or up to Crater Lake.

Rain Jacket- Burton makes a number of awesome jackets, that will keep you dry in case weather rolls through

Lightweight Puffy- Especially if you go in the fall like I did, a down jacket will keep you warm when the temps are low

Water Bottle- Stay Hydrated while hiking!

Maroon Bells Quick tips

• Book reservations when the booking window opens, months in advance for Peak times, especially fall

• Pack the proper hiking footwear and outdoor clothing

• Sunrise-early morning is the best time for Photography

• Leave no trace

• For shuttles, never miss the last bus back

Looking to visit Aspen in the winter for skiing or snowboarding? Check out Aspen Highlands and what you need to know when Hiking Highlands Bowl. Thanks for checking out the blog and I’ll see you on the next post!