CO > Maroon Bells & Lost Creek Wilderness > ~ August 17-25 > Trip Planning

[WaffleBox]

Howdy y'all! I've been trying to decide where to go on a long hike for a while, and I think I've settled on an approximate plan. I've got a wedding in Laramie, WY on August 15, then I have to drop somebody off at the Denver airport on August 16, 17, or 18 (plane ticket yet to be booked, so date unsure). After that, I'd like to do Maroon Bells and the Lost Creek Wilderness. Neither one alone is long enough to satisfy my need for 6-10 days on the trail, and I can't carry 6-10 days worth of food in my pack all at once, so I figure doing one loop, restocking, and doing the other loop sounds like a great plan.

I'd appreciate any input from folks who have done one or both of these trails. I'm trying to decide what order to do them in. It seems like it would make sense to do Lost Creek Wilderness first, since its elevations are a little lower and it would give me time to acclimate. On the other hand, everything I've read about Maroon Bells says the trail is obnoxiously crowded on the weekends, and most of my weekday hiking days will be at the very beginning of the window. Any thoughts?

I also need to figure out the logistics of getting to and from the trailheads. I'll have a rental car for part of the time, but I'd really like to turn it in before I start hiking so that I don't have to pay for a rental car that just sits in a parking lot for days at a time. I know there are shuttles to the Maroon Bells trailheads from Aspen. Are there shuttles to the Lost Creek trailheads from anywhere?

Also as of right now I'll be doing the hike alone. If anybody feels like tagging along, you're more than welcome!

Any gear related restrictions I should know about? I know bear canisters are required for Maroon Bells. How about Lost Creek? And are alcohol stoves allowed in both places? Anything else I need to know? Anybody know what kind of temps to expect in those places at that time of year? What's my likelihood of encountering snow still on the ground?

[SemoBushman]

If I can get things worked out for those dates I'll be there. I'll only have about 4 days but could accompany you on one loop. Maybe my son can go if his college classes haven't started by then.

Semo

[WaffleBox]

That sounds great! I hope you guys can make it.

[WaffleBox]

Anybody have any tips/tricks/suggestions/experiences to share on these trails?

[MattK]

This sounds like an awesome trip!

I assume when you say "Maroon Bells" you are talking specifically about doing the Four Pass Loop, yes? This is one of the more beautiful loops in all of Colorado. You will have a blast. It will however, be pretty busy on the weekend. Though it does calm down quite a bit once you get past Crater Lake. If you are really looking for solitude, I would shoot for doing the Four Pass Loop during the week. Lost Creek tends to be significantly less busy in my experience, even on weekends. That being said, Four Pass Loop will be a big hike at high altitude with little acclimation time. Not sure how much time you have spent at altitude or how quickly you acclimate, but that is definitely worth taking into account. You could always look at staying a night in the Aspen area before you start actually hiking, to give yourself a chance to acclimate.

There are indeed shuttles from Aspen to the Marroon Bells/Crater Lake trail head. However, you will need a car to get between the two hikes, no public transit goes between, and they are pretty far apart. There is no shuttle service to any Lost Creek trailheads that I am aware of.

No restrictions I know of for either area, besides your already mentioned bear can for Aspen. Alcohol stoves are permitted in both areas (this is what I use).

Disclaimer on weather info: Colorado weather is notoriously unpredictable and will change fast and violently at times, at high elevations in particular. I suggest planning to be on your way down the high passes by noon at the latest. Afternoon thunderstorms with heavy (though relatively brief) rain, lightning, wind, and sometimes hail/snow are the norm. That said, hiking through the alpine is my preferred terrain. Just gotta be smart about it.

Temps for Four Pass Loop: Highs of low 80s at lower elevations, lows of high 30s and low 40s at higher elevations. You will encounter little to no snow on the ground. My recent 14er trips have encountered only sporadic patches at very high elevations (13,000ft+).

Temps for Lost Creek Loop: Highs in the 80s, lows in the mid to low 40s. Unless there is a freak storm, no snow at all.

(I recommend checking out caltopo.com. It is what I use for planning all my trips. You can lay out your route, get approximate mileages and elevations, print off topo maps for free, and, in this context, select any specific point and get a detailed weather forecast from NOAA for that location. Extremely helpful in creating gear lists etc.)

Well, I think that is everything! I would love to join you for the weekend portion of your trip, whatever it ends up being. I will have to play it by ear because I am talking to my brother about hiking a section of the CDT that same weekend.

Keep us updated!

[WaffleBox]

Awesome, thanks for all the info! Yes I meant the 4 pass loop.

I haven't spent much time at altitude - just one 4 day trip around Red Feather Lakes and didn't get any higher than 10k and that was a year ago. In the days leading up to the hike, I'll likely spend a few days in Boulder but probably not much higher than that.

I'm not specifically looking for solitude, though I'd like to avoid national park level crowds. Is it as crowded as, say, the trail to Nymph lake in RMNP? Or not that bad? It'd probably be better that the trail not be totally deserted since there is a reasonable chance I will be alone, in case anything happens.

[MattK]

Well, it might be wise to start with the the Lost Creek loop. Except for the very beginning and the very end of Four Pass, it will all be ABOVE 10k. Time in Boulder will help, but doing a 12k pass every day four days in a row is challenging. Though, if you go in with good conditioning, you could do just fine.

You will likely hit Nymph Lake level crowds until you get beyond Crater Lake. After that, things will drop off significantly. It might get busy when you are near Snowmass too, just from the 14er crowds. I was out there in the fall, so I don't know what peak season is like further into the back country.

[Nodust]

I would contact the ranger station about the need for bear canisters. According to this trail guide they are not needed anymore.

I had this hike all planned out for this summer. But things changed and we couldn't make it. Take good notes because maybe next summer I'll make it.

Have fun..

[SteinThompson]

Take good notes because maybe next summer I'll make it.

Ditto on that for me. I had made tentative plans to do the four pass loop this year, but it is looking unlikely now. I'm doing the Chinese Wall/Devil's Causeway next week and then Yellowstone in late August. I may be able to do it in September, weather and job permitting.

[jbowers06]

Just finished Four Pass Loop this past weekend. We passed or were passed by 3 or 4 groups of backpackers each day, but we had no trouble at all finding campsites or anything and didn't feel like it was crowded really. Bear canisters ARE required as of about a week and a half ago as they've had a few bear problems as of late. We were asked if we had them about 4 or 5 times before we even made it to Crater Lake. We had lunch each day on top of the summits but if the weather had not cooperated, I wouldn't have wanted to be on the steeper part of the trails (close to the top of each summit) in the rain. We had to be careful with our footing while it was dry so I would hate to negotiate the ground with wet conditions. The trail, though, is super easy to follow and extremely well maintained and absolutely beautiful.