Maroon Bells

[trink408]

So I've been debating changing my travel plans from Rocky Mtn. park to the maroon bells wilderness area.

Any suggestions on shooting in this area? Good times of year, good hiking trails, must see places, etc...

Still thinking about traveling in the late May, early June time frame.

Thanks in advance.
Kevin

[venchka]

No matter where you go, check on snow conditions. Best to talk to someone, rangers, park people, who actually know what the conditions are up high. Snow conditions in late May-early June are quite variable up high.

Have a great trip! Share your photos!

[eric black]

They got a lot of snow this year- May is typically fairly sloppy up in that area with snow melt etc... Good new is there ought to be a bountiful wild flower shoot through the summer associated with all of the snow- hope your timing works out for you and you hit good weather and some peak blooming

[trink408]

If necessary I will postpone my trip until later June, I'm just concerned with how busy the park will get into the summer, anybody know how busy it gets?
I do plan to take many hikes so maybe that will allow me to get away from the crowds a bit...

[Donald Miller]

Both places have their own distinctive flavor. I personally prefer the Maroon Bells...not so much for the Maroon Bells themselves since they have been photographed to death.

But there are a number of adjacent worthwhile places to visit. Among those is the old town of Marble (back side of the Maroon Bells) and continuing up from Marble is the old Crystal Mill (another photographed to death place) but nearby is Lead King Basin which had a wonderful wildflower display the last time that I was there.

Back to the highway leading to Marble, if you head up the hill to McClure Pass you will find stands of aspens that are truly amazing.

Above the town of Aspen you will encounter Independence Pass (may or may not be open at your time of visit). On the road up the pass, you will come across Lincoln Creek... a place that I have made several meaningful photographs. Many rock formations and also the Grottos which is unique in it's own right.

RMNP is typically busier than the Maroon area.

All in all this area has more appeal to me than RMNP...different strokes for different folks...

[venchka]

My last experience in R.M.N.P., many moons ago:

I had to wait for a parking space at the Bear Lake parking lot. The shoreline of Bear lake was crowded near the parking lot. I hiked up to Bierstadt (sp?) Lake. The trail to the lake and the lake itself was deserted. I have had similar experiences in Grand Teton & Yellowstone N.P. Within 15 minutes, or less, from most parking lots the trails are empty. Things may be different now.

[venchka]

About halfway between the two places you mention, I'm partial to the Holy Cross City-Holy Cross Wilderness-Mount of the Holy Cross area. If you can hike up to Holy Cross City and get across Fall Creek Pass, you will be alone. A base camp at Holy Cross City seems very feasible. Beware of the 4x4 crowd. That is generally a weekend annoyance. Weekdays are generally not crowded.

[mrladewig]

Kevin,

In all the years I've lived in Colorado, for one reason or another, I've never been to the Maroon Bells, but I've been all around the area. The Maroon Bells are not a park, but because of the high visitation, there is a bus to take people up the road. However, if you get there very early you can drive up yourself and park.

If you can, I'd strongly suggest that you postpone you trip until July, and better yet late July. That is unless you are looking to capture the Bells with snow and lime green aspens, in which case late May will probably be very good.

Wildflowers bloom in the high country around mid July to mid August.

The 4WD roads will usually be open by mid July, though some like Pearl Pass may not open in a year. This just gives you more options for travel.

The runoff will be quite high this year, so stream crossings may be very difficult and the trails may be quite mucky. Plus you'll be fighting with snow in some of the higher elevations.

I wouldn't worry about how busy the Maroon Bells get. They're busy all the time, but not as busy as RMNP. At the same time, I have to echo that RMNP gets quieter 15 minutes walk from a parking lot in all but a couple areas. Its quite easy in my opinion to enter the mountains and not see too many people, but its also almost impossible to enter the mountains and see no other people. If you wish to have quiet solitude, stay away from the 14,000 mountain trailheads.

I live in Colorado and would be happy to provide more information, but would need to know more about how you are planning to travel (hiking/backpacking/4-wheeling) and what you are capable of doing.

Mel-

[mrladewig]

Beware of the 4x4 crowd. That is generally a weekend annoyance. Weekdays are generally not crowded.

As one who does 4-wheel and has driven the Holy Cross City trail I don't think this is a fair comment. In fact the last time I was up there 4-wheeling, I helped a couple of lost hikers find their route and gave them my map. Certainly there are some impolite 4-wheelers, but I've run into many impolite hikers as well. And I should add that I hike and backpack more often than I 4-wheel difficult trails like this.

Holy Cross wilderness is hardly quiet these days. A friend of mine was up there last year and was surprised by how many folks he saw in the Missouri Lakes area. I was surprised by how crowded the Homestake Road area was. There were makeshift camps and pullouts everyplace on that road. For the forest service to even operate a campground in that valley is almost absurd as they handled about 5% of the weekend volume from what I saw. The wilderness is also being affected badly by the pine beetles as most of the forest is lodgepole pine. So expect to have lots of red pine trees in your photos.

[venchka]

I apologize. I haven't been there since before the wilderness was designated.

"Be advised that the road to Holy Cross City is shared with 4x4 vehicles." That's what I was thinking and used my customary shorthand to keep my typing to a minimum here at work.

Like most places I "discovered" in my youth, they may not be as I rememered them now.