I've been hearing about how beautiful the hike is from Aspen to Crested Butte in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness since I moved to Colorado, and I finally checked it off the list. It did not disappoint - it was absolutely spectacular! In this video, I show you the sites and talk you through the logistics in case you wanna plan your own hike!
On the way over from Aspen to Crested Butte, I took East Maroon Pass. On the way back, I took West Maroon Pass. Learn about the two trails here: www.aspensnowmass.com/discove....
I must apologize. I didn't say how long the hike is! I got too tangled up in the logistics. The route via East Maroon Pass is about 16 miles. It's longer but the incline is more gradual than the west route. The West Maroon Pass is about 12 miles IF the road to the trailhead on the Crested Butte side is open (it was closed due to snow while we were there so added an extra mile or so), and then once we got to the West Maroon trailhead on the Aspen side, we had three additional miles to get back to our car at the East Maroon Portal trailhead. However, some really kind campers from Denver picked us up about a mile down the road so we did not have to walk that entire extra three miles. All in all, our hike ended up being about 30 miles over two days. And it was TOUGH! I was wiped at the end!
Get a parking pass to park in Maroon Bells on the Aspen side, or a bus ticket into the wilderness area from the Buttermilk ski area via the Aspen Chamber of Commerce: aspenchamber.org/plan-trip/tr....
Find the schedule for the bus from Mt. Crested Butte to Crested Butte: www.mtnexp.org/.
We booked the Alpine Express to pick us up at the trailhead and take us into Crested Butte, then take us back to the trailhead the next morning: letsride.co/locations/crested....
Thanks to my friend Paul for coming along on this adventure!
Learn about the Four Pass Loop, another spectacular hike in this same area: • What to know before yo... .
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My backpacking gear list:
Backpack: Gossamer Gear Mariposa (bit.ly/3uwYyLg)
Sleeping bag: Western Mountaineering Ultralite 20 F Down (bit.ly/2XtIjkk)
Sleeping bag liner: Sea to Summit sleeping bag liner (amzn.to/2OsJ1WX)
Tent: Zpacks plexamid (zpacks.com/products/plexamid-...)
Sleeping pad: Thermarest NeoAir Xlite Women’s (amzn.to/3h4zH7E)
Emergency GPS device: Garmin inReach mini (bit.ly/3sIH1gp)
Rain jacket: Marmot PreCip (bit.ly/3BYy9qM)
Stove: MSR Pocket Rocket (amzn.to/32jbIxz)
Cookware. Titanium pot (amzn.to/3j8r0v2), cup (amzn.to/3jaKK0S), and long-handled spork (amzn.to/38YR2wd)
Water filter: Sawyer Squeeze (amzn.to/32l1EUC) and Evernew water carry system (amzn.to/3fxNlA5)
Bear bag: Ursack Major XL bear sack (bit.ly/3bi6aa0)
Dry bags: Sea to Summit (amzn.to/3j9K643)
Hiking boots: Oboz Sawtooth Lows (amzn.to/38ZkKRC)
Trowel: Tentlab Deuce of Spades (amzn.to/2Wo74dH)
Kula cloth (pee cloth) (bit.ly/2ZqrbMQ)
Portable phone battery charger: Anker (amzn.to/3jeZqwn)
Trekking poles: Black Diamonds (amzn.to/3ezC0OD)
Headlamp: Black Diamond Astro (amzn.to/32odEVl
Socks: Darn Toughs (amzn.to/390oZMD)
Underwear: Ex Officios (amzn.to/3etg8UR)
Puffy coat: Patagonia Nano Puff (bit.ly/3vTKXwd) and Patagonia Micro Puff (bit.ly/3Gsnkjm)
Camp shoes: Teva Women’s Original Universal Sandals (amzn.to/3CKqvkL)
Other: Clothes (quick drying/ layers!), pillow (amzn.to/2ZxW5AE), sunglasses, hand sanitizer, bug spray, sun hat, sunscreen, personal hygiene items, small sponge, knife, trail map, gloves, hat, etc.
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