Maroon Bells

Colorado’s Maroon Bells are two closely spaced fourteeners in the Elk Mountains near Aspen, famous for their striking reddish peaks and one of the most photographed alpine views in the United States. Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak owe both their color and their danger to unstable Maroon Formation mudstone, which creates loose, hazardous climbing terrain; the risk was starkly demonstrated in 1965, when eight people died in five accidents. Below them, glacially carved Maroon Lake and surrounding trails draw about 300,000 visitors each season. Since the surrounding wilderness gained federal protection in 1964, managers have increasingly restricted access and added preservation measures to address crowding and environmental damage.

Colorado · United States