North Maroon Peak, is the sister peak of Maroon Peak. This Colorado 14er in the Elk Mountains, is the smaller of the Maroon Bells, but is considered a very challenging summit. Most climbing this peak combine it with Maroon Peak via the Maroon Bells Traverse. In this article we will discuss hiking this summit by itself, and we will discuss the traverse in a separate article.
These two peaks are some of the most photographed places in the country because of the extreme beauty. Hiking just North Maroon, or both the bells is an intense endeavor, but extremely rewarding. Here is everything you need to know about hiking North Maroon Peak.
Distance – 8.76 miles round trip (14.10 km)
Height – 14,014 feet (4271.47 m)
Elevation gain – 4,719 feet (1438.35 meters)
Duration – 10 – 12 hours (book time dependant upon trailhead start)
Difficulty – Strenuous
Class: Class 4 Hike
Trailhead Location – Maroon Lake Trailhead (9,560 feet)
Quick Navigation:
Routes | Trail Map | Camping Info | Weather | Directions | Pictures
Need To Know Information
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- Parking in the summer is extremely hard to come by, and the process is a bit confusing. We explain all of this below.
- This is a class 4 hike with exposure. It should only be attempted by hikers that have other class 3 and 4 experience.
- There are many mountain goats on this hike during most of the summer season. They can kick rocks down on you even when hikers are not above.
Hiking Route Options
There is only one common route to the summit of North Maroon if completing without other peaks. This summit may be combined with Maroon Peak via the Maroon Bells Traverse, which is one of Colorado’s 4 great traverses and should only be done by experienced hikers and climbers. We will discuss this traverse in another article.
Maroon Lake Trailhead | 8.76 Miles Round Trip (14.10 km) – 4,719 Feet Elevation Gain (1438.35 meters) | Class 4
Begin at the parking lot for Maroon Lake along the Maroon Snowmass Trail. 0.5 miles in, hikers will reach the junction for the scenic loop trail, and they should stay to the right along the Maroon Snowmass Trail towards Crater Lake. 1.6 miles in, hikers will reach the junction that heads up towards Pyramid Peak, hikers continue straight.
1.9 miles into the hike, hikers should bear right on the Maroon-Snowmass Trail towards North Maroon Peak, and not towards Crater lake. 0.8 miles after this junction, hikers need to turn left towards N. Maroon Peak and diverge from the Maroon-Snowmass Trail. This left turn is not a signed junction.
From here, hikers descend and cross a small creek and then hikers begin ascending through a talus field that has an incredibly well done trail through the Talus field now due to recent trail crews. The trail is simple to follow through these sections. Hikers will then begin ascending through a very steep gully, and then into a second gully. We highly recommend downloading the route on your phone or watch to help you stay on trail beyond this point. We have a GPX download here and below.
The second gully is even more steep, has more loose rock, and this is the point at which you need to make sure you have a good weather window. At 13,600 feet, hikers will find a rock band that has the routes only class 4 move through a chimney. Hikers usually take this route, but it is avoidable by walking to the right side and around. After this point the hike has a large amount of loose rock and class 3 hiking to the summit.
North Maroon Peak route (roughly)
Trail Map
Camping For North Maroon Peak
Most people doing North Maroon Peak, Maroon Peak, Pyramid Peak, or the Bells Traverse as an overnight hike will camp out at Crater Lake, which has 11 campsites. If all spots are filled, campers can camp as long as they are .25 miles away from the lake. Information on camping can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/whiteriver/recarea/?recid=40563
The difficult part of camping here is landing an overnight parking permit, or arranging being dropped off. Parking reservation or shuttle reservations to the lake can be found here: https://aspenchamber.org/plan-trip/trip-highlights/maroon-bells/reservations. Hikers can be dropped off between 6-8 am without a parking reservation. Hikers are required to purchase a one way shuttle back down to Aspen Highlands on the way out unless someone is picking you up after 5pm.
In addition to the Crater Lake Options, there are several campgrounds along the road to Maroon Lake. Below we order them as the closest to Maroon lake first:
East Maroon Portal
Silver Queen Campground
Silver Bell Campground
Silver Bar Campground
Current Weather Conditions:
Here is the detailed weather forecast for the next few days. We highly recommend you check out the mountain forecast for this peak the morning of your hike.
Snowmass Village, CO
Tonight
A slight chance of snow showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. South southwest wind 20 to 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Wednesday
A chance of snow showers before noon, then snow showers likely and a slight chance of thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 28. West southwest wind 25 to 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
Wednesday Night
Snow showers likely and a chance of thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 9. West wind 10 to 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.
Thursday
A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 22. West southwest wind 15 to 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 15. Southwest wind 15 to 30 mph.
Friday
A slight chance of snow showers before noon, then a chance of snow showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 29. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible.
Friday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 17.
Directions & Parking
From the roundabout, take the exit for Maroon Creek Road. Follow the road until the Aspen Highlands Center. If you are day hiking or don’t have a parking pass, you will need to park here and take the suttle. Continue along the road if you are traveling to Maroon Lake Trailhead.
Important Note: Read our camping section above for more information on parking fees, shuttle use, overnight parking, times you can enter, and dropoff information.
Directions to Maroon Lake Trailhead:
Additional Pictures
Mountain Goat on North Maroon Peak with Pyramid Peak in the background
Mountain Goat On North Maroon Peak
Views descending North Maroon Peak
Maroon Bells Traverse from Maroon Peak – North Maroon is the summit seen here
Crater Lake, Colorado
Views of the Maroon Bells from summit of Pyramid Peak
Maroon Bells as seen from Maroon Lake
Max DesMarais is the founder of hikingandfishing.com. He has a passion for the outdoors and making outdoor education and adventure more accessible. Max is a published author for various outdoor adventure, travel, and marketing websites. He is an experienced hiker, backpacker, fly fisherman, backcountry skier, trail runner, and spends his free time in the outdoors. These adventures allow him to test gear, learn new skills, and experience new places so that he can educate others. Max grew up hiking all around New Hampshire and New England. He became obsessed with the New Hampshire mountains, and the NH 48, where he guided hikes and trail runs in the White Mountains. Since moving out west, Max has continued climbed all of the Colorado 14ers, is always testing gear, learning skills, gaining experience, and building his endurance for outdoor sports. You can read more about his experience here: hikingandfishing/about