While driving from Crested Butte to Aspen and vice-versa may take around 3 hours and over 100 miles in the summer (5 hours and over 200 miles in the winter), as the bird flies, the hiking trail between the popular mountain towns is only 11 miles. This route ascends the 12,500-foot West Maroon Pass, one of the most stunning alpine landscapes in the state.
Crested Butte to Aspen Hiking Trail Specs:
- Route: Hike from West Maroon Trailhead up to West Maroon Pass. Cross Maroon Creek, and hike past Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak (the “Maroon Bells”) to Crater Lake. Hike on the Maroon Snowmass Trail to Maroon Lake.
- Mileage: 10.2 miles | ~6 hours | One-way
- Elevation: 2,357 feet of elevation gain
- Season: Summer to Early Fall
- Pets: Dogs are permitted on leash only
- Transportation: Alpine Express shuttle from Crested Butte to West Maroon Trailhead. Maroon Bells downhill shuttle from Maroon Lake Trailhead to Aspen.
Plan to reach the summit of West Maroon Pass by noon to help avoid afternoon thunderstorms common in the summer. You’ll also be navigating above the tree line for some of the trek, so pack appropriate cold-weather gear as temperatures can drop quickly. There can be stream and snowfield crossings during the hike, so waterproof shoes are best, and a change of socks.
Please practice “leave no trace” and proper hiking etiquette, which includes burying any human waste at least 6-8 inches below ground and 100 feet from the trail.
Bears are present in this area, so anyone camping overnight should have bear-proof containers for all food, drink, and cooking supplies. Bear spray is a smart idea too.
Before the Hike in Crested Butte
What I love most about Colorado is the way comfort and glamor coexist with the rugged outdoors. The epitome of this for me was one weekend in September 2022, when my husband Ben and I attended the wedding of our friends Rachael and Geoff in Crested Butte and hiked to Aspen the next day, carrying our formal wear in our backpacks.
Autumn in Colorado is a sight to behold: the aspen trees turn gold, their leaves quivering in the gentle breeze, and ancient mountains rise high into the blue sky. Ben and I flew from Burbank in California through Denver Airport to Gunnison Regional, then rode the Alpine Express shuttle to Crested Butte. Located in the Elks Mountain Range of the Rocky Mountains, Crested Butte stands prominent and majestic.
The town is adorable: full of art galleries, bookstores, bars, and cafes. Everyone we met was a physically active outdoor enthusiast. We wandered into Sherpa Cafe, a Nepali restaurant, to eat vegetarian momos and drink glasses of beer on the balcony.
Rachael and Geoff hosted a welcome party at a private residence with epic views of Crested Butte the evening before the wedding. Located on a parcel owned by a land trust, none of the surrounding land was developed.
The valley was wide open, and we saw deer wander through green and gold grasses. People wore cowboy boots and hats in accordance with the Colorado casual dress code. Rachael grew up in Dallas, where her family still lives, so many of the attendees had Texas accents, their southern twangs floating through the evening air.
We watched the sunset light up Mount Crested Butte, then the sky turned black and filled with stars. A planet came out from behind the mountain, and the Milky Way sprinkled across the night sky. The air was cold on our skin, so we all huddled around the bonfire. At the end of the night, a shuttle transported Ben and me back up the mountain to where we stayed at The Grand Lodge (affiliate link).
The next day, we attended the wedding ceremony on a private ranch with even more beautiful views of Crested Butte. The shape of the mountain looked different from every angle: sometimes like a Hershey’s chocolate Kiss, other times like an ocean wave. One side is long with a gradual incline, coming to a sharp point, and dropping suddenly down the other side. I loved seeing dark green pines covering most of the mountain in contrast with the exposed gray rock at the top.
Ben and I mingled with the other guests at cocktail hour, ice cubes tinkling in our glasses, everyone dressed in mountain chic attire. Bright blue sky and gold aspen trees made the landscape look like a painting. We ate dinner under a tent lit up with fairy lights and listened to wedding speeches.
This is one of my favorite parts about weddings: catching glimpses into my friends’ pasts and learning we have even more in common than I previously realized. Rachael’s father talked about how they climbed Mount Whitney together when she was ten years old, a hike my father and I have done together as well. We danced to a live band in a barn, disco balls hanging from the ceiling. One of Rachael’s friends from high school put glitter on our faces, and Ben and I took photos in a vintage VW Bus photo booth.
Hiking from Crested Butte to Aspen
We woke up early the morning after the wedding and rode the Alpine Express shuttle from the Grand Lodge to the West Maroon Trailhead, departing at 6:30 am. As soon as we received the wedding invitation, we decided to hike from Crested Butte to Aspen so we could see the Maroon Bells.
The ride to the West Maroon Trailhead took about 45 minutes, and we didn’t need a permit since we were only doing a day hike. We began the hike at 7:15 am. The air was cool and crisp in the morning as we hiked through pine tree forests along Crystal River and traversed the valley, surrounded by green and gold.
We laughed at the contents of our backpacks. Ben carried his suit jacket, button-down shirt, dress pants, belt, and boots, and I carried my dress, jewelry, and a nice pair of flats. We knew we would have to do this to attend the wedding in Crested Butte and hike in the Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness.
At first, I felt self-conscious, as if nature made the pomp and circumstance of human events seem frivolous. But as we walked, I realized that hiking outdoors and dancing in a barn wasn’t so different: we were moving our feet and bodies to a certain rhythm.
Getting married and going on hikes are two ways that humans celebrate life. I felt grateful to Rachael and Geoff for having their wedding in such a beautiful place.
After four miles, we ascended a steep trail to West Maroon Pass, and the landscape turned to red. From the top of the pass, we looked back at the way we came and forward to where we needed to go. The weather was perfect, and we basked in the warm sunshine before beginning our descent toward Aspen.
As we dropped down into the valley, we heard the shushing sound of water running over rocks. We crossed Maroon Creek a few times, managing to keep our feet dry. Mountains towered above us on both sides and rose in front of us as we looked ahead.
Then, Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak, known as the Maroon Bells, appeared on our left: two gorgeous mountains, both over 14,000 feet tall. They’re shaped like bells, curving from their pointed tops and cascading in layers down to the valley floor.
I wondered what they would sound like if they actually were ringing bells: the deep tone that makes you vibrate from the inside out, or a high-pitched chime. The peaks are maroon in color due to iron particles that have oxidized in the rocks.
The Maroon Bells are made of soft, crumbly mudstone, and the weak nature of the rock makes it difficult to hike to the peaks since the ground falls away easily. Luckily, we were only walking past them.
The views of the Maroon Bells from Crater Lake were spectacular. Ben and I sat on the shore and ate sandwiches that we bought at a deli in Crested Butte the day before.
After a leisurely lunch, we got on the Maroon Snowmass Trail and walked through a forest of aspen trees: tall skinny trunks covered in white bark shooting up into the blue sky. We had seen these trees from a distance, but it was a different experience to be fully immersed in their golden world.
Emerging from the forest at Maroon Lake, we took in more gorgeous views of the Maroon Bells. The hike wasn’t strenuous, totaling about 11 miles and 2,000 feet of elevation gain, so we were able to truly appreciate the natural beauty around us. It took us around 6 hours in total to hike from the Crested Butte trailhead to the Maroon Bell Scenic Area.
Ben and I rode the downhill shuttle from the Maroon Lake Trailhead to Aspen, reflecting on the weekend. Our relationship embodies what I love most about Colorado: we are both fancy and wild, we celebrate being alive in cocktail attire one day and hiking gear the next. These different aspects of Colorado and ourselves exist in harmony rather than in contradiction.
We ate lunch and drank beers in Aspen, then rode a free bus to the Aspen-Pitkin Airport. We flew out of Aspen and back home to Los Angeles. Ben and I love hiking in our local mountains, the San Gabriels, but the Maroon Bells and aspen trees of Colorado will always have a special place in our hearts.
The Reverse: Hiking from Aspen to Crested Butte
If preferring to start the trek in Aspen, you’ll do so at Maroon Lake (9,580 feet in elevation). Due to the sheer popularity of the Maroon Bell Scenic Area (one of Colorado’s most photographed locations), you’ll need a reservation to access it. Even if you drive yourself and park here, or you take the aforementioned shuttle from town, you will need a reservation.
Parking reservations are required from May 15 through October 31st, however, driving yourself is closed between 8 am and 5 pm, so plan to arrive early to the trailhead. Your reservation includes up to two nights of camping for overnight hikers. The bus begins running from Aspen Highlands at 8 am, with the last shuttle departing to Maroon Lake at 3 pm, and the last one returning to town at 5 pm.
If you’re just getting dropped off in a private vehicle, and your driver isn’t parking, you won’t need a parking reservation, however, you will still need to be here between 6 and 8 am. For those planning on staying in Crested Butte after the hike from Aspen and not hiking back for a roundtrip, the 100+ mile car route takes you over Kebler Pass in the summer, which closes seasonally around late October.
For those round-trip hiking, there is an option to return on a different route, via East Maroon Pass instead of West Maroon Pass. This trek from Crested Butte spans 16 miles beginning on Gothic Road at the Copper Creek lot. It ascends to Copper Lake and then onto East Maroon Pass. From here it winds down into East Maroon Creek Valley and roughly 10.5 miles back to Maroon Creek Road. Then you can pick up the bus back to the town of Aspen.
6 Best B&Bs in Denver, Colorado
