Maroon Bells is an iconic Colorado landmark nestled near Snowmass and Aspen. There is no parking at all at the trailhead, only a dropoff point. Uber and Lyft also don’t service it, so from the village center it’s about a 10 mile walk. Shuttle reservations are available online but you have to book fairly far ahead. Unfortunately there was a ton of fire smoke that obscured the view, but at the very least the air was clean enough for a short hike.
Because they limit the number of shuttles and people in the park, it was plenty spacious. There were small groups of family members hiking together or posing for photos. However, it never looked or felt too packed or dangerous. Overall, very well done.
I tried digging up some info on the visitor’s center at Maroon Bells. So, there is a visitor center but it was closed when I visited. As for ADA accessibility, there are paved walkways that are more than wide enough for 2-3 wheelchairs across. It is quite accessible to a small vista point, around the visitor’s center, and the bathroom. There is a seating area around the visitor center and outside the restrooms if you have family members that will wait for you to take a quick jaunt on the trail for photos. I could not find that info anywhere on any website, so hopefully that is helpful for you.
My goal was to come out for the fall colors, but it had been so windy near the Bells that most of the leaves were close to falling off already. (Note to self: Facebook hiking groups and AllTrails provide a significant amount of conditions intel.) It was still a gorgeous hike! We stuck to the short lake view trail. There are some really intense hikes if you keep going out, along with some hike-in campsites. I will have to save that for when summer rolls back around next year. Or maybe a 14er. Who knows? 🙂
Being in nature is truly restorative. With winter rolling around, I hope to find some inspiration to safely wander and explore.
I hope to come back in the summer!
Amara in Training 