Day HikeEasyElk MountainsHikingAlpineLakeFamily Friendly
Maroon Lake to Crater Lake
A short out-and-back along Maroon Creek to a glacial lake at the base of the Maroon Bells — the easiest way to step inside Colorado's most photographed view.
Distance5.8 km
Duration1 days
Gain245m
Max Elev3,070m
DifficultyEasy
TypePoint-to-point
SeasonLate June to September
Trail Weather
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Maroon Lake is the iconic foreground for Colorado's most-photographed mountain scene, but the hike to Crater Lake is what gets visitors closer to the Bells themselves. The 3.6-mile round-trip trail leaves Maroon Lake, climbs gently through aspen and spruce-fir forest along Maroon Creek, and reaches Crater Lake at 10,070 feet — a glacial cirque pinned beneath North Maroon Peak and Pyramid Peak. From Crater Lake, the trail continues onward to Buckskin Pass for the much longer Four Pass Loop. Maroon Lake access is by reservation shuttle from Aspen May through October.