Pikes Peak Region Trail Finder

By R. SCOTT RAPPOLD, THE GAZETTE

WHITE RIVER NATIONAL FOREST • These are arguably the most-photographed mountains in Colorado, perhaps all of North America. The breathtaking Maroon Bells, ancient, eroded and jagged, tower over crystalline glacial lakes near Aspen like a quintessential Colorado postcard.

Most hikers stop at Crater Lake, 1.7 miles from a trailhead so crowded that shuttle service is mandatory on summer days. But that is merely the launching point for what has become one of the state’s most popular backpacking trips: the Four Pass Loop, a 28-mile ring around the Bells.

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Four passes above 12,000 feet, ample water, easy road access and some of Colorado’s prettiest scenery — few trails combine so much into a 3- or 4-day loop. The loop has gotten so popular that Jon Thompson, trails supervisor with the White River National Forest, was concerned about a reporter’s phone call.

“It’s tough talking about that loop with a publication, because, boy, this is one of the highlights of the forest,” said Thompson. “Yeah, there are a lot of great treasures off that trail.”

He could not provide visitor numbers, but the loop’s trailhead is one of the handful of places in Colorado where officials give out travel toilets, in hopes that hikers will use a bag instead of digging a hole.

September, when thunderstorms are mostly gone and all but one creek can be crossed without getting your feet wet, is a great time to hike the Bells.

Choose your route

Your group’s first decision evokes the most debate among backpackers: clockwise or counter-clockwise.

The mileage and elevation gain are the same in either direction; it’s a question of whether you want the trip’s most brutal climb at the beginning or the middle.

Clockwise, the trail winds gradually up the West Maroon Creek valley, 4.8 miles and 2,900 feet of elevation gain to West Maroon Pass. Counter-clockwise, the climb is steeper, 2,900 feet in 3 miles to Buckskin Pass.

Numbers aside, if you go clockwise, it means the most difficult ascent will be Frigid Air Pass, probably on the third day. Counter-clockwise, Buckskin is the hardest climb.

Journalists are great procrastinators, and since clockwise seems to be slightly more popular, that’s the way we went.

Our trip started about 1 p.m. on a stormy Thursday afternoon in mid-August. We turned left at the junction, optimistic that we would be back at this spot 72 hours hence.

If you’ve gotten a late start, consider one of the back-country campsites around Crater Lake. Camping is in designated sites only, and fires are prohibited.

A half-mile past the lake, the unofficial campsites begin. We found ours just after the first crossing of West Maroon Creek, 3.7 miles from the trailhead. In early summer hikers must ford the creek, but by August we stayed dry by hopping on rocks.

The energetic can continue, though campsites thin as you re-cross the creek and pass timberline. There is no good camping for at least 5 miles after here, so don’t continue unless it’s early or you want an epic day.

Day 2

Knowing we had a long day above treeline, we got an early start, hitting the trail by 8:15 a.m. We need not have worried; it was the dawn of  three cloudless days.

The trail climbs to 12,550-foot West Maroon Pass, where we were shocked to find nearly 20 people. This is a popular day hike — with a shuttle vehicle — between Crested Butte and Aspen, and hikers unburdened by tents and sleeping bags were snacking and posing for photos.

We had miles to go before we slept, so after quickly enjoying the view of the valley, we plunged down.

After a mile we turned right at the sign to Frigid Air Pass. This was my favorite part of the loop, the trail meandering through alpine flower fields, with sweeping views of the Elk Mountains.

Then came my least favorite, as the trail veered straight up the mountain. We climbed, sweating and cursing the masochist who designed a trail without switchbacks. After the grueling ascent, we hit the pass, with amazing views of the back side of the Maroon Bells.

The trail then winds downhill for 4 miles into the quiet splendor of Fravert Basin, where we collapsed into a campsite.

Day 3

Fravert Basin is quiet and green, ringed by peaks, split by the North Fork of the Crystal River as it comes gushing down the mountain. The best campsites are just past the 600-foot waterfall, at about the 11-mile point of the trip, or farther down the valley.

A recent windstorm had knocked down trees, and we made the same mistake as other hikers and detoured along the river. After a half-hour of slogging through boot-stealing mud, we were reunited with the trail. We took our boots off and crossed the gentle river, a foot high at most and the only time we had to get our feet wet.

The previous day’s labors were a distant memory as we started up 12,400-foot Trail Rider Pass, climbing 2,400 feet in 3 miles, the toughest climb of the clockwise route. At the top we collapsed, breathless, in the white granite of the Snowmass Peak formation, with Snowmass Lake glittering below.

The trail descends to the lake at 11,000 feet, cool and inviting after the climb. Most people camp here, but the namesake lake and fourteener make this a crowded area, with no campfires allowed, so we decided to hike on. We turned right at the sign for Buckskin Pass, and after a blissfully flat 1.5 miles found a campsite in a pretty valley along Snowmass Creek.

Day 4

Our car — and cold beer and nondehydrated food — were only 6 miles away, but to get to them we still had to conquer Buckskin Pass. We crossed Snowmass Creek on a good bridge — the only one — and zigzagged up the mountainside, a 1,600-foot climb that seemed tame compared with the others. At the top, the Maroon Bells again loomed into view, as we completed our circuit around the glorious peaks. We wound down toward Crater Lake on a steep trail, glad we had decided not to start the trip this way.

Some of the best campsites of the entire trip were just below treeline, and we vowed to return someday and camp there.

Some people do the loop as a two-night trip, which is certainly possible with an overnight stay near Aspen, early starts and favorable weather. Some trail runners even do it in a single day.

The crowds returned as we staggered past Crater Lake to the trailhead, people giving us a wide berth either because we looked exhausted or had not showered in four days. Some asked where we had gone.

“The loop,” I responded. Nobody asked any follow-up questions. The weariness in my voice must have told the story.