Four Pass Loop - Maroon Bell/Snowmass Wilderness CO

Friday 13 July – 16 July 2007

Hikers: Pat, Jodie
Weather: 40s-70s, sunny, rain showers
Miles: 28
Elevation Gain: 2,920 ft
Duration: 3 days

Jodie and I did the Four Pass Loop outside of Aspen, CO. It is a very beautiful route. We spent most of the first day getting ready and walking around Aspen. In the evening, we backpacked in 1.5 miles to Crater Lake for our first night. The next morning we hiked up and over Buckskin Pass, and then down to Snowmass Lake. All the passes on the route are fairly similar in that you hike up to them at a moderate grade and then the last bit of trail before the pass is a steep series of switchbacks that, combined with the altitude ~12,400 ft, is guaranteed to take your breath away.

Looking back from Buckskin Pass

Snowmass Lake and Trail Rider Pass

Snowmass Lake is visible from Buckskin pass, and the hike down to the lake is nice. There is a little bit of climbing just before the lake that can be hard at the end of the day. There are many established campsites at Snowmass Lake – and many mosquitoes. We brought our bug head nets so the bugs didn’t bother us too much. We hung out in the tent most of the time after dinner anyway. The bugs weren’t quite as bad next to the lake, so we did spend some time there too.

View toward Fravert Basin from Trail Rider Pass

On our second day, we climbed up and over Trail Rider Pass, which has a great view down into Fravert Basin. The descent down into Fravert Basin is long and steep at times. We made good time and were feeling strong, so we continued high up into Fravert Basin, passing a nice waterfall and several established campsites shortly thereafter. As the trail began to turn farther away from the stream, we decided we had better find a campsite before we got too high up. We found a fairly decent, not particularly flat, site that was suitable for the night. The bugs were pretty bad at this campsite as well, but not as bad as at Snowmass Lake.

The third day was our final day. We climbed up and over Frigid Air Pass, which has amazing views of the curving maroon ridge that forms the side of Fravert Basin, as well as views towards the mountains outside Crested Butte. The route descends slightly from Frigid Air Pass and then makes a downward traverse towards West Maroon Pass. The wildflowers are spectacular at all the passes, but this section has particularly tall wildflowers. Thankfully, not a lot of elevation is lost before the climb up to West Maroon Pass Begins. West Maroon Pass is a narrow rocky pass that was by far the most popular of the ones we visited. We encountered many people who were doing day hikes from Aspen or Crested Butte, or in some cases people who were doing a one-way hike from Aspen to Crested Butte.

View towards Crested Butte from Below West Maroon Pass

The descent down from West Maroon Pass to Maroon Lake went smooth, though it did seem to drag on towards the end when Jodie and I were both ready to be done. We took showers at the Aspen Rec Center before heading back into Aspen for dinner.

Back at the Maroon Bell Trailhead