Route Description

Drive to Aspen and locate the start of to the Maroon Creek road at a roundabout just west of town. Measuring mileage from there, drive 3.2 miles where you'll pass a ranch - this is where the road is closed in winter. At 4.7 miles, reach the entrance station to the park. During summer, there are restrictions to general travel on the Maroon Creek road. The road is closed to cars during the day (people ride buses to reach the lake) unless you are an overnight hiker. Overnight hikers are allowed to proceed any time of the day. Continue to the end of the road at 9 miles. If you're hiking in for a high camp, there's an overnight parking area on the left. The Crater Lake trail starts near Maroon Lake.

Details:

Follow the Crater Lake trail along the right (north) side of the lake where it enters the forest - Photo #1. Continue into the forest and follow the good trail for nearly 1.5 miles as you ascend into Maroon Creek. Photo #2, Photo #3 and Photo #4 are views of Pyramid from the Crater Lake trail. The trail goes to Crater Lake but you don't need to hike all the way to the lake. Locate and turn left onto the Pyramid trail in a flat area just below 10,200' - Photo #5. If you are camping, your best bet is to pitch a tent closer to Crater Lake.

Start up the Pyramid trail. Hike southeast across a flat, rocky area to reach a small talus field. You are now faced with a 1,000-foot climb up a steep slope. In the summers of 2005 and 2006, the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI) constructed a sustainable trail on this slope. Climb the new CFI trail toward the amphitheater above. Photo #6 looks back down over Maroon Lake, to the north. Just below 11,400', reach the entrance to the amphitheater near some large cairns at the end of the trail.

Without a trail, continue south into the amphitheater along the right side of a large rock glacier in the center - Photo #7 and Photo #8. Hike less than 1/2 mile toward the North Face and turn left (east) to begin crossing the center of the amphitheater - Photo #9. Hop across talus to the base of the steep slope that leads up to Pyramid's Northeast Ridge. Taken near the middle of the amphitheater, Photo #10 shows the location of the trail up the slope. At the base of the slope (Photo #11), locate the start of the trail.

You must now climb 1,000' to reach an elevation of 13,000' on the Northeast Ridge. There is a trail all the way up but portions are loose and covered with scree. Photo #12 shows the upper half of the climb to the ridge and Photo #13 looks down from approximately 12,600’. Reach the 13,000-foot saddle on Pyramid's Northeast Ridge. Portions of the remaining climb are now visible (Photo #14), including terrain near the summit. Photo #15 looks down on the saddle from a bit higher on the ridge. Turn right (southwest) and follow a smaller trail along the right side of a gendarme and over to another saddle that may have a snow cornice (approx. 13,100') - Photo #16. From this point, the route has plenty of Class 3 and Class 4 climbing. The hiking is over.

The remainder of this description was assembled from detailed notes taken during a recent, summer climb. The terrain is complex but should have a lot of helpful cairns. You are 1,000' from the summit but it will likely take more than an hour unless you are super fast or have climbed this route before. The next 500' stays well below the ridge crest on the left, and the final 500' has a few sections where you will climb near the ridge crest.

From the saddle, briefly follow cairns up along the right side of the ridge until the terrain gets more difficult. Climb left onto the ridge (Photo #17) and then over to the south side - Photo #18. Below the ridge, follow cairns over a couple of small rock ribs to reach a narrow ledge (often called the "cliff traverse") that crosses above some steep terrain - Photo #20. Photo #21 and Photo #22 look back on the ledge and Photo #23 is a broad look back at the area from a bit higher on the route. It's an easy cross but care must be taken while crossing a narrow section in the middle. After the ledge, stay below the ridge and follow cairns along the slope, over a small gully (Photo #24), and left (south) to another rock rib. Climb around this rock to encounter the first major pitch - a steep wall of light-colored rock - Photo #25 and Photo #26. This is the beginning of some tougher climbing and rock-fall is again a concern. Climb a few hundred feet up the semi-stable rock, left of the actual ridge crest. Photo #27 and Photo #28 look down on the route. You do not have to follow this rock all the way to the crest of the ridge. Look for cairns about 2/3 up the light-colored rock that exit to the left. Photo #29 and Photo #30 show some of the steep terrain above the light-colored rock.

The remaining 500' to the summit is complex, but usually well-cairned. Stay left of the ridge crest and zigzag up loose, red rock. You will likely encounter a few short, Class 4 pitches on the last few hundred feet below the summit. Photo #31, Photo #32 and Photo #33 show some of the terrain. Continue with tedious route finding above 13,800' while staying left of the ridge. Near 13,900', if you have followed the most direct route, the slope eases near the summit - Photo #34. There are several ways to gain the summit so don't be alarmed if you get there without locating the features seen in this photo. Photo #35 looks back on the ridge and Photo #36 looks south from the summit. Photo #37 and Photo #38 look west to the Maroon Bells.

Your descent to 13,000' will again require careful route finding. Hopefully, you took some mental photos along the way. When descending the light-colored rock section, don't forget to exit on the left where you entered on the ascent. It's easy to miss this exit.