Hike Colorado: Crested Butte to Aspen via West Maroon Pass

Every summer, a small group of my girlfriends and I plan a weekend get-away centered around whatever epic hike we have been eye-balling for the year. This annual tradition started in 2018 when we decided to hike over West Maroon Pass (elevation 12,500’) from Crested Butte, CO to Aspen, Colorado, ending our 13-mile hike at the iconic Maroon Bells Lake.

In this blog, I’ll share the logistics of our planning, the experience of the hike itself, and the realities of some of our miscalculations. In all, we had an amazing time and it’s a hike that I highly recommend!

The Logistics
- Lodging
- Transportation To/From Trailheads
- When to Hike
- What to Pack
The Experience
- Photos included
The Miscalculations
- Mileage/Time
- Maroon Bells Hikers
- Maroon Bells RFTA Buses

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The Logistics

Although this hike can be made from different starting points, we decided to start in Crested Butte for logistical reasons (limited time and free lodging through a friend). Further, we had a three-day weekend to work with, including our travel to/from the area, so we decided on a one-way hike, rather than round-trip. I have read about people hiking to Aspen and then staying the night and hiking back the next day. Although tempting, that was just not feasible for us due to our time restrictions. It is noted in several reviews that the hike from Aspen to Crested Butte, should you choose to go that way, is considerably harder.

Lodging

I have visited Crested Butte with family and friends several times over the years. We have stayed at hotels, Airbnb’s, and private residences on our trips to Crested Butte. Be prepared to pay quite a bit for lodging if you plan to visit in the summer. Lodging in Crested Butte can be very expensive, especially during busy seasons when the demand is high. The most inexpensive option is usually a hotel, but we typically stay at Airbnb’s.

Why? 1) The hotels that we have stayed at in Crested Butte do not have air conditioning. 2) The Airbnb kitchens are much larger and we bring groceries with us or stop in Gunnison to stock up on our way in. (Eating out and/or grocery shopping in Crested Butte is expensive.) 3) You don’t usually have to pay extra for parking with an Airbnb. (Watch out for those extra fees with a hotel booking.)

Just to drop an additional note here: There are tons of places to camp in Crested Butte and it’s a very popular option. We have not opted to camp here yet, but you cannot pick a bad view when camping in this part of the state!

Transportation To/From Trailhead

I cannot rave enough about the top-notch service that we received with Dolly’s Mountain Shuttle. They transported us to the trailhead in Crested Butte, then picked us up in Aspen, CO and transported us back to Crested Butte. It was seamless and they were extremely polite, accommodating, and helpful! Need their website…click here: https://www.crestedbutteshuttle.com/. You’ll want to follow up with them to make sure that you are up-to-date on their services, prices, and logistics, but let me share with you our experience:

Our biggest concern with the transportation shuttle is that it’s a “shared expense,” meaning that the shuttle cost “x” dollars per trip. The more people that ride it, the less you pay for your share. But it has to be booked well in advance on weekends, so there’s no guarantee how much you’ll pay until when/if they fill the shuttle. We hiked on a Saturday, so we had a full shuttle both ways and our share was minimal. Weekdays may be a bit riskier as far as your shared portion being higher. Either way, the shuttle service was worth every penny for us!

On the morning of our hike, they met us at a Crested Butte public parking lot and shuttled us to the West Maroon trailhead. During our booking, they discussed options with us regarding when and where we would like to be picked up on the Aspen side. Given the mileage and the fact that we were traveling in a group, we made guesses about when we would be down the mountain. *We were wrong* We missed our shuttle and had to call to arrange pickup closer to the trailhead rather than downtown Aspen, as originally planned. See more about this under “The Realities of our Miscalculations” (further down). The good news is that the driver was delightful and incredibly accommodating! He found us, picked us up, and cheerfully provided us with information and stories about the area all the way back to Crested Butte! Top-notch, my friends! Our experience with Dolly’s Mountain Shuttle was top-notch!

When to Hike

I can’t tell you the best time to hike this pass, but I can share information regarding our trip. We planned our hike for a weekend in mid-August. The tricky thing about summer and early fall in Colorado is that the weather can be somewhat unpredictable and it’s typical to get mid-day monsoon rains and thunderstorms. Since much of this hike is exposed or above tree-level, that can be dangerous due to lightning storms. We came very close to canceling our hike because of impending storms, but ultimately decided to go for it. This is the trickiest part of planning, especially since Dolly’s Mountain Shuttle has to be booked well in advance.

The other thing to consider is the busyness of the trail. This is a very popular trail, especially on the weekends. In fact, we met other hikers quite often on the trail. The mountain summit was very crowded and people were trying to pass each other and take pictures…it was a happening place, for sure. It really didn’t bother me, but some hikers tend to enjoy more solitude. So, if you are like that, plan for a weekday.

We try to plan our hikes in August due to the slightly cooler temps and the wildflowers…and Mother Nature did not disappoint on this hike! But we were definitely in and out of layers, as the temperature was significantly warmer at lower elevations than it was at the summit, and obviously cooler at the start of the day than it was midday.

What to Bring

Make sure you pack gear and clothes for varying temps and weather. We encountered very warm weather on the Aspen side, very cold weather at the summit, and rain, sleet, and grapple on the Crested Butte side.
Really good hiking shoes! One of our hikers had a new pair that wasn’t quite broken in and she was experiencing quite a bit of discomfort and pain by the end of the hike. (I love my Merrell’s!)
Lots and lots of water! We brought enough water for the day…and then a lot more!
Snacks/Lunch… the hike definitely builds an appetite and we didn’t even have time to catch dinner on the Aspen side, so we were glad to have extra snacks with us for the shuttle ride back.
Camera – Oh my gosh! The scenery was breathtaking and always changing.
Cellphone – We were grateful to have a cellphone because when we missed our shuttle, it gave us a way to reach out and let our shuttle driver know where he could meet us.
Always carry a first-aid kit, of course! Many hikers also recommend a whistle and flashlight.
With some water crossings, slick spots, and just overall incline/decline challenges, you may want to consider bringing hiking poles. I have used these for the last few years and they have served me well: Click here.
A tripod. I carry mine on every hike so that we can get group shots and nobody is left out. You can get a cell phone adaptor like mine here: Click here.
…anything else you or your companions may need during a long hike.

The Experience

This hike was incredible, and much easier than any of us expected. Truly, the only parts that we found “difficult” were the final summit and the last two miles (I’ll explain below). It was overall an easy-to-follow, well-trafficked trail from beginning to end.

The first four miles of the hike were so gradual and beautiful. We were passing by rivers, wildflowers, and beautiful mountainous terrain. The pictures truly speak for themselves.

Once you get within sight of the summit, the real climbing begins. It’s truly not that difficult of a climb, since it tops out at around 12,500, but there are steep switchbacks during the last part of the ascent. When you reach the top, the views in every direction are indescribable. Truly majestic. Because we encountered rain, sleet, and grapple during our hike, we found the Aspen side of the summit to be quite muddy and slick, and a bit dangerous. The summit was also very crowded. So, we snapped a couple of pics and headed about ½ a mile down the trail to pull out our lunch and take a break.

The hike from the summit to Maroon Bells Lake was easy-going, although the terrain was not quite as enchanting as the Crested Butte side. We did have some fun wildlife sightings, like marmots and pikas. We even passed some llamas and had a few chats with fellow hikers that we met on the trails. As we dipped down into the Maroon Bells viewing area, we were surrounded by beautiful aspens and watching for moose (no luck).

As we approached the Maroon Bells Lake area, we started to feel some fatigue and aches, but we knew that we were almost there. Well, at least we thought we were….

The Miscalculations

Although this is a very popular hike, there isn’t a lot on the web about logistics and it can be easy to overlook some details when you plan this hike. So, I’ll share our miscalculations and missteps and maybe it will help you in your planning:

Trail Mileage

If you’ve researched this hike at all, you know that the one inconsistency is the trail mileage. Reviewers have reported all different numbers for mileage, but online trail guides usually list the mileage as around “11 miles from trailhead to trailhead.” This fact is very deceiving because if you are hiking from CB to Aspen, you don’t end your hike at the trailhead on the Aspen side. Let me explain… The shuttle dropped us off at the trailhead on the Crested Butte side and we hiked up and over, but we hit mile #11 on our GPS devices long before we hit the Maroon Bells parking lot where we would board the bus. In fact, our total hiked mileage was 13.2 miles before we reached our bus. Why? Because the trailhead on the Aspen side is not in Maroon Bells parking lot. You actually reach the trailhead and have to continue hiking (a ways..) to reach the parking lot and bus area. Why does this matter? Time. You see, we missed our shuttle bus meet-up time because we didn’t calculate the amount of time needed for those two additional miles. Missing our shuttle bus meetup time also meant that we were left with no time to get anything to eat before our ride back to Crested Butte. Knowing the mileage going in helps (a lot!) with time management throughout your day! Further, if hiking with a group, always plan for extra time. We stopped to take pictures, eat lunch, potty, and take in the views!

Maroon Bells Hikers

We didn’t realize that there would be so many hikers on the Maroon Bells trails around the lake. I would be willing to bet that we shared the trail with dozens of hikers during our last mile. To be frank, you’re pretty exhausted and your feet just want to walk in a straight line, so dodging tourist can be a bit exhausting, but if you know ahead of time to expect it, that can help.

Maroon Bells Buses

Once you drop down into the Maroon Bells Lake area, you’ll make your way to the parking lot and bus pickup area. These are not the Dolly’s shuttle buses (unless you have arranged that). These are Roaring Fork Transportation Authority buses and they shuttle visitors from the Aspen Highlands Ski Area to Maroon Bells parking lot and back. We had scheduled to be picked up by our Dolly’s driver in downtown Aspen, after our planned dinner at a restaurant, but after the unexpected two miles, we were running short on time and just needed to get to our meet-up spot asap. Insert our next miscalculation… the RFTA bus lines were looooooong. Remember, we visited on a Saturday, so the Maroon Bells viewing area was packed! We probably waited through the line for at least 3-4 buses before we were able to load onto one. That cost us some precious time as well. (Lesson: When calculating time, plan for crowds and bus lines at Maroon Bells.) They did not request a ticket or a fee for us to ride the bus. I’m assuming that’s because passengers pay and present a ticket on their ride to Maroon Bells and the ride back requires no proof of purchase. Having said that, this was an unexpected part of our trip that if I did it over, I would call RFTA and make sure that I know the logistics of catching the bus on the Maroon Bells side. You can find more information here: https://www.rfta.com/routes/maroon-bells/

Aspen Highlands Ski Area is where our adventure ended because we had to call our Dolly’s Mountain Shuttle driver to pick us up there since, by this point, we had missed our meetup time/location. So, my big note here would be … make absolutely sure that you bring your shuttle driver’s phone number and your cell phone on the hike. You may need it more than you know!

Luckily, even with our missteps and miscalculations, we had a fabulous time and made it back to Crested Butte to celebrate our accomplishment! Not to mention that it was an epic girl’s weekend!

In Closing

I loved this hike! So much about this hike! It was breathtakingly beautiful from beginning to end. It was filled with happy outdoorsy people sharing a beautiful moment in God’s creation! From the Crested Butte side, it was a slow and steady break-in, with a beautiful, switchback-filled summit, a descension into aspens and wildlife, and ended with a view of the ever-iconic Maroon Bells!

Dolly’s Mountain Shuttle service was seamless, helpful, friendly, and amazing! They made the experience so much better for all of us!

And lastly, if you want to know our favorite dining place during the trip – drop by The Secret Stash and order their Notorious F.I.G! << I’m serious…it’s AH-mazing!!!!

If you’re considering the hike from Crested Butte, CO to Aspen, CO (Maroon Bells) via West Maroon Pass, DO IT! You won’t regret it! Cheers!

Blessings, from our family to yours!