| Trip Date | September 7-9, 2017 |
| Location | Four Pass Loop in the White River National Forest near Aspen, CO (Click for GEOPDF Map) |
| Special Regulations | Bear canisters are required; arriving via shuttle bus is required during most hours. |
| Distance | 28 Miles |
| Elevation Change | 16,000 feet total (8k up and 8k down) |
| Weather | Perfect – highs in the upper 50s, lows in the 40s |
| Water Sources | Not a problem for us – there were plenty of small creeks and springs to choose from throughout the route. |
| Group | Devin, Greg and Mat |
The popularity of this area has induced the Forest Service to mandate a shuttle ride from Aspen, Colorado if you arrive between 8AM and 5PM. We intentionally timed our arrival after hours, securing an overnight parking spot because we only had a couple of days to complete this bucket-list route. A short and relatively easy hike put us 3 or 4 miles along the route that evening.
The leaves were just starting to change colors. Two weeks later would be peak season, but would also be peak crowds. We hiked past Crater Lake (sounds cooler than it looked) and followed West Maroon Creek to our camping spot for the night. We took in a wonderful moonrise and were awakened in the night by enough rain to make us appreciate our tarps.
We started hiking Friday morning at 7:30AM and first worked our way up West Maroon Pass.
The trail drops down briefly after West Maroon Pass before climbing up Frigid Air Pass. Frigid Air has approximately zero switchbacks. It goes straight up the mountain, but results in some amazing scenery.
Following the pass, we enjoyed a relatively easy hike down North Fork Basin for several miles.
After a short stop for lunch, we started the long climb towards Trail Rider Pass.
On the way up Trail Rider, we envied this hawk, which was coasting easily on the air currents.
Remember that scene from Lord of the Rings – Return of the King where Frodo and Sam are almost to Mount Doom? They are thirsty, hungry, footsore, and feeling the burden of the load they carry. Yep – felt just like that making it over the third pass of the day.
We chilled for a bit on top before heading down to Snowmass Lake (yes, those are sandals on Devin – crazy man) and then headed on to Snowmass Lake.
We passed 4 or 5 groups that day, which was less than I expected, but Snowmass Lake was fairly busy. We set up our tarps and enjoyed the view of Snowmass Mountain.
The next morning we were on the trail again at 7:30AM. With fresher legs, we made good time over Buckskin Pass, the last of the four.
We passed about 50 to 100 day hikers and photographers on the mile or so closest to the trailhead, but with all the attractions this area brings that is understandable. By 11:30 we were back at the car and ready for the post-hike burger and shake. This is an amazing route through a beautiful place that merits all the attention it gets.
Planning and Preparation
For me, nothing stops a backpacking trip faster than trying to plan all the details before committing to the trip. Life tends to get in the way or the "burden" of working through the details takes the energy out of the whole deal and three months later I wonder why I haven't done anything. Instead, I now pick a date, figure out who can come (sometimes that results in a solo trip), and then we decide where the trip will be. After that, working out the associated details is easy and exciting. We did exactly that for this little adventure.
All my trips begin with Caltopo.com and I learned plenty from caltopo before this adventure. (See SectionHiker's post for more information about this great on-line mapping tool). Before we settled on the Four Pass Loop, we evaluated a lot of other routes in this area. Caltopo makes it easy to quickly determine mileage, elevation change, get ideas on likely sources of water (toggle between the various maps and aerial images to facilitate this) and to get point weather forecasts.
I started by turning on the Shared Maps option (use the drop down in the upper right hand corner). This displays routes that other users have made public. Since this is a popular area, there are a lot of routes that already exist and some are very detailed with campsites marked along the route. After getting a feel for what others have done and what was nearby, we decided on the Four Pass Loop. I traced out our route (use the Mapbuilder layer to make that really easy), shared a link to it with my hiking buddies, and printed hard copies for use on the trail.
I grabbed the URL to the weather forecast for a spot where I thought we would be camping as well as one of the passes (just right click on the map, select Point Info, then select NOAA Forecast) so I could keep an eye on expected conditions as the date of the trip approached. I also read through the Forest Service regulations for this area, which can be accessed here.
Gear Selection
Greg, Devin, and I go on a lot of trips together, so that makes sharing gear easy, which keeps weight and pack volume low. I'm a Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar fanboy and Devin and I shared that since he packed the BearVault bear cannister, which we all crammed our food into each night. Greg rolls with an A-frame style tarp and homemade alchohol stove and I like the TrailDesign's Sidewinder stove. We all made use of a 4-liter Platypus GravityWorks filter that I picked up for a large group trip I helped lead, and it was a relaxing change from the typical Sawyer Squeeze I often use.
The weather forecast had us all packing a bit warmer than we actually needed, but that was fine because the promised rain only appeared one night so we could enjoy the perfect fall weather during the day. Finally, the hit piece of gear for the trip was the Garmin inReach Explorer Plus because our wives could track our progress as we periodically pinged out our location via satellite throughout the trip (preset messages don't add to the monthly plan you choose and can include your location). I also used the weather forecast feature from the inReach, which is a nice feature in the ever-changing Colorado weather.
About the Author
Mat Fielding works 55 hours per week as a geotechnical engineer and relies on excursions like this one to relax, recharge, and thrive. His microadventures include leading youth group trips, backpacking with his family, and doing more intense two or three day adventures with friends. Check out https://microadventures.myportfolio.com/ for more trips/photos and inspiration for your own microadventures.
Written 2018.
Disclosure: SectionHiker.com receives affiliate compensation from retailers that sell the products we recommend or link to if you make a purchase through them. When reviewing products, we test each thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best. Our reputation for honesty is important to us, which is why we only review products that we've tested hands-on. Our mission is to help people, which is why we encourage readers to comment, ask questions, and share their experiences on our posts. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.The post Microadventure: Four Pass Loop – Maroon Bells appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog.
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