Beautiful Place Maroon Bells

The Maroon Bells were entirely worth the 4 hour trip from Denver.

The Maroon Bells were entirely worth the 4 hour trip from Denver. We were a little confused about the parking and we were glad when we figured it out. Once we got to the sign that said no motor vehicles to Maroon Bells, the parking and bus were behind us to the right. It looked like a ski lodge, not marked very well for parking or bus. The bus was $6, but you didn't have to pay for parking or any other fees to get into the park.

Once on the bus the ride was about 15 minutes to the Bells. The bus dropped us off near bathrooms and a water fountain. We walked down to the water and the view was great. Even with a full bus, it did not seem crowded. We were a little dissapointed having arrived after the leaves fell this season, but it was still beautiful. We hiked to Crater Lake, which was a nice hike but we were dissapointed to find out there was no water in Crater "Lake." It was still nice, but it would have been much nicer without the mud crater where the water was supposed to be. We are slow hikers and it took about 45 minutes to get there.

We walked back to the Scenic Nature Trail and hung out around the river. The river was really pretty. By the time we got the the river the sun was really high so our pictures were a little bleached out. I would try to arrive in the morning or near the last bus because the sun was right in the middle of our pictures by around 3pm. We left Denver around 8:30 am, so you would have to either leave earlier or stay the night before in Aspen which is a little expensive. Although we will probably spend the night in Aspen next time. We are planning on coming back in spring and hopefully the trees will have leaves again and there will be water in Crater Lake. The snowy pictures look really pretty too, but the drive from Denver in snow would probably be a mess, so I'm not sure if I would make that drive during the winter. Also I'm not sure if the bus goes to Maroon Bells year round. We caught the bus back and then had a nice dinner in Aspen. Fun day trip, now we know how to plan it better for next time!

spectacular, magical view. A perfect place to experience nature, whether you want a long hike, or just a short stroll. The lake and surrounding mountains are not to be missed and its easy to see why they are the most photographed mountains in North America. The only drawback is that you have to get there by bus and finding space and parking on a popular w/e can be challenging. We also brought our dog, which the website reported was allowed on the buses, but apparently only the buses that charge for the tour. The cost is well worth the trip, however