Beauty in Aspen at Maroon Bells: Easy Hike that Lives up to the Hype

Welcome to Maroon Bells (And to my lengthy descriptions), where the lovely hues at sunrise will meet all expectations for a colorful show!
For some great information on one of the most photographed mountain locations in North America, please click or paste the link below.
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Now this, my friends, was one gorgeous summer day spent near Aspen Colorado. It wasn’t a far drive from where we were staying in Silt, so I included the drive because… well because that’s what I do. The journey is part of it all, yes? Of course it is! And the drive was at sunrise, with the moon guiding the way to our destination. Our reservation time (yes you MUST have one of those) was at 7am. And it was perfect. Not a lot of people, and as you will see in the video, it was peaceful, pleasant and free of crowds.
This is one of those places that can be enjoyed by anyone. There are trails of varying degrees, but there is definitely access for the mobility impaired. I did the 3.6 mile loop trail, which is the easiest, although at the junction by the second bridge, the trail split to either go back to Maroon Lake, or continue on through the forest and around the other side of a small crystal clear pond, which would bring me back to the bridge, which I then crossed and traveled back to the lake along the other side of the creek.
As I chose to continue, it looked fairly overgrown at first, but opened up into a beautiful forest of aspen trees, and took me over some moderately rocky terrain. Then the view opened up and I was greeted by a field of beautiful flowers and tall alpine grass, and I knew it was the right choice. My knee was strong and didn’t give me any issues, although I did have my hiking pole with me, and a knee brace. I would not advise this route unless you are confident you can handle a bit of rocky navigation.. I had some footage of that but…. Yeah, I lost it. Boo.
As I mentioned in previous posts leading up to this video, user error is most likely to blame and I don’t even know what I did, but I lost part of the back side of this hike, along with the drive back to and in and around Aspen proper. Bummer. But I recovered a few photos I had saved on another app, and I think the best footage is what you will see here anyways. It’s all good. This is an absolute must see if coming to Aspen, or anywhere even near here. GO. Just plan in advance.
The Glenwood Springs KOA is a nice campground, and it did the trick for a place to stay, although being a little closer to Glenwood Springs would have been nice. Just remember that it is near the freeway, the train, and most sites have a view of the gas station, whose lights shine really bright at night. Ask me how I know. Black out shades for the win! Economy sites are what they are. Also, the grasshopper infestation was a thing. Not that they can control that but…. Late July travelers, beware.
Now, there is something quite unique about this particular KOA, which is that they have a service that is a joint endeavor with a little restaurant across the freeway. There is a FREE ride to and from Miner’s Claim from the campground. We did not use the service, but there is a definite reason to if you happen to like martinis.
The chef/owner at MC used to work in Aspen in at a fancy schmancy place, and 25 years ago decided to start his own restaurant in a more low key location, catering to travelers and locals alike. It is a real winner! AND, in Colorado, you can take your drinks with you. It just happened to be “Two-fer Tuesday” when we were there, so since it was my very first time trying a martini, I went for that and took one back to camp. Amazing. Our server said they served over 21,000 martinis in 2023. You can read about Miner’s Claim in Silt on their website, easy to Google it. If passing by Glenwood Springs, don’t miss this one!
So there you have it, one of the few hikes I did on this trip due to several factors, but I am so grateful for the experience. I can highly recommend this one, and it was a privilege to stand before such an iconic sight and ponder, observe, and cherish what was photographed by the great Ansel Adams himself.
Next up, we’ll be headed to Granby Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park, featuring a portion of the incredible I-70. We were only there for two nights, so a couple more videos and they we’ll be moving on to Nevada as we start making our way back home to Washington state. Thank you for joining me today, I am always so glad you are here. Enjoy this pretty wilderness therapy hike and all its soul drenching wonder.. and I’ll catch ya next time!♥️

[@ervinslens]

Outstanding, such a lovely scenery! Shots are masterfully put together!

[@michelemcdanieltravels]

Thank you so much!😊