Backpacking Maroon Bells - Four Pass Loop | Day 1 | West Maroon Pass | Best trailhead?

This video describes day 1 of my 4 day backpacking adventure in the Snowmass Wilderness hiking the Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop. I am backpacking with my wife and we will be hiking one pass per day averaging about 7-8 miles per day. I think this is the best backpacking loop in all of Colorado and you should put it on your bucket list.
We started at a non-traditional trailhead, the West Maroon Trailhead to begin our journey of the Four Pass Loop. The traditional trailhead is the Maroon Lake Trailhead, however, there are parking reservations and certain logistics that need to be considered if you want to start from this trailhead. This is where you will get that million-dollar picture of the Maroon Bells reflecting off of Maroon Lake. But since I've done this loop a couple times already and have experienced that scene, I was wanting to try something new with a bit of less hassle from a parking reservation perspective.
The West Maroon Trail is known for its wildflowers. So, I planned this trip near the end of July because I wanted to see the wildflowers in full bloom, and they did not disappoint. For me, what makes this loop so magical are the wildflowers throughout the entire trail. But I have never seen wildflowers like this on any trail in Colorado. It was just miles and miles of wildflowers, up the hillside and down to the creek. It was just simply breathtaking and is probably by "go-to" trailhead for starting the Four Pass Loop, if you do it during peak wildflower season; otherwise, I would start from the Maroon Lake Trailhead and just be ready to get those parking reservations early.
Keep in mind about the West Maroon Trail: (1) The trailhead is a bit more difficult to get to. It is about a 9-mile dirt road with one sort of sketchy part if narrow one-way roads and steep drop-offs make you nervous. There is a sign saying you need 4-wheel drive and a high clearance vehicle but I say plenty of low clearance vehicles at the trailhead. I'm not sure how they made it past a couple of spots without bottoming out, but they did. (2) It is about 3 miles from the trailhead to the actual Four Pass Loop. You are basically replacing the 2-mile section from Maroon Lake Trailhead to Crater Lake with this section of trail. So, you won't see Maroon Lake from this route. (3) The wildflowers are beyond amazing. I've never seen anything like it in my life, anywhere. But like I said, above, if you are not coming in the peak of wildflower season then it might be best start from the Maroon Lake Trailhead.
Once we hit the Four Pass Loop, we began heading counterclockwise to ascend West Maroon Pass. Of all the four passes, I think this has the fewest switchback and just takes you straight up the mountain. So, to me, this is the most difficult pass, if you are heading counterclockwise. But once you reach the top of one of these passes, there is just something magical. Maybe it's nostalgia or my love of Colorado, but this was one of my first backing trips when I moved to Colorado, and I just remember that feeling of getting to the top of a pass and then just viewing 360 degrees of snow top mountains, green valleys, 14ers, wildflowers, lakes and creeks, and it just has a special place in my heart.
Coming down was no picnic either. The trail is steep, so you are going slow. The you start bushwhacking through these shrubs. You are also dealing with muddy trail in some sections and a bunch of rocks for most of the section. Very hard on the feet and very slow going. Our pace was greatly reduced because of all this.
We then finally made it to camp after hiking a little over 7 miles. My plan for this loop is to always do it in 4 days, hike 7-8 miles each day, and just enjoy it. Why wouldn't you? I'm in no rush to get through this trip, so I recommend doing this loop in 4 days and just enjoy!
That was our day one adventure. But after waking up at 2:30 am to get to the trailhead around 9 am so we could get to the top of the pass around Noon, we are pretty tired and going straight to bed.
Thanks for watching!
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[@karensmith5116]

What an abundance of beautiful wildflowers with vistas for days! Thank you both for sharing!

[@foggymorrnning9319]

Grear video! Where did you stay in town before you hit the trail coming in this way? What was cost to park there? We are trying to plan our trip for next year.

[@crimsonblaze_backpacker]

Thanks! I live in Northern Colorado, so we just woke up early that morning (4 am) and drove to the trailhead to get there around 8-9 am. No cost to park at the West Maroon trailhead, and no reservations needed, which is one of the reasons I think it is an ideal trailhead to start this loop. It's a bit more remote to get to than the trailhead in Aspen but that requires a lot more logistics for planning. It's an awesome backpacking loop. You are going to love it!