Maroon Peak

Route: Bell Cord Couloir
Posted On: 2023-05-19, By: 14ercooper
Info: Bit of an interesting day in the mountains. Left the trailhead at 2am, base of the cliffs belom the couloir right around the time I switched my headlamp off, and then an hour and a half up and down (was definitely pushing the pace to get out of there before it got too slushy). Lots of snow still, and quite a bit of avalanche debris over the route. It was pretty rock solid on the way up (I front pointed most of the way since I couldn't kick steps), and about half way down as well. At that point , all it took was a 5-minute water break below the couloir proper to go from rock solid snow to fairly soft and slushy. Definitely wouldn't want to be up there when it's soft looking at all the avalanche debris, that's for sure. Super pretty climb, interesting snow conditions (as expected). 

Route: Area
Posted On: 2023-05-15, By: WillRobnett
Info: Bells holding a lot of snow up high. Trail by Maroon Lake mostly melted out. 

Route: View of S. Ridge from W. Maroon Trail/Pass
Posted On: 2022-10-14, By: HikesInGeologicTime
Info: Didn't climb it, did get something of a view in the morning while approaching West Maroon Pass. 2800' of Suck is probably dry based on what I could see just above the S. Maroon cut-off. Appearance of stubborn snow in the gullies and along some ledges above 13k' as viewed from the pass made my low risk tolerance glad I was doing the Four Pass Loop instead of attempting this particular peak at this particular time. 

Route: South Ridge
Posted On: 2022-09-20, By: kristin_palumbo
Info: My 14er finisher! Summer conditions today. Route is totally dry. Biggest hazard of the day - getting charged by a mountain lion at 630 am just before Crater Lake (called and left message at ranger station when back to cell service). My partner and I went full caveman to scare him off and he darted into the trees - scariest part of the day! Be viglient for wildlife, heard there is a mama bear and cub in the area too. We did not partake but someone made it across the traverse today and we saw people on the summit of North. There is definitely still snow on north facing aspects of the mountains. Aspens are starting to peak! Give it a week more and it will be prime! 

Route: South Ridge
Posted On: 2022-09-20, By: Alexarcher
Info: Turned around because of a black bear and her cub right before hitting the South Ridge. I was about 50 yards from them before noticing them. They were basically on the trail. 

Route: South Ridge
Posted On: 2022-09-15, By: semitrueskerm
Info: Photo from 6:30 PM on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. 

Route: South Ridge
Posted On: 2022-09-12, By: E_A_Marcus_949
Info: Beautiful day. Crater lake super low. Don't miss the turnoff at 10,400' (if you do, it's easy quick backtracking...) No snow, water, etc. to contend with. Route-finding not too bad if you studied the route. Plenty of cairns to assist. 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 2022-09-05, By: MMAfightingClimber
Info: No snow at all the whole day, going up maroon is steep and slick with gravel and loose rock, be sure to study the pics going up maroon and down north maroon so you can stay on route and hop into the next gullys at the right time. There's some loose rock on the traverse but not bad. I felt the exposure was slightly worse on the Crestone treaverse and the climbing was more difficult on the bells compared to crestones. The main importance I think is route finding, it can make your day easier or extremely hard if you have poor route finding. Cairns were pretty accurate going down north maroon but don't rely on them! 

Route: South Ridge
Posted On: 2022-08-28, By: Cygnus X1
Info: Trail from the parking lot to the Maroon Peak turnoff is sloppy in quite a few areas from recent rains. Mostly dry from the turnoff to the top of the ridge. On the west side of the ridge there is some occasional ice and verglas starting from about the first chimney to the summit. Still safe but extra caution is warranted. 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 2022-08-13, By: EndWillows
Info: Bells Traverse completely snow free only a bit of snow visible on the north face of North Maroon, nowhere on the route Went up the Dihedral on Spire 1 off to the left (Class 4) Went straight up Spire 2 from the front (One easy class 5 move) For spire 3, off to the left there are two gullies, we took the first one which is less exposed harder climbing (Low to mid class 5) . The second gully is more exposed with easier climbing, possibly class 4 if you try. The descent off north maroon was a long slog, seemed to go on forever. Overall fun route, I've never done any of the great traverses and felt comfortable on 98% of the route. Traverse route finding wasn't too difficult, and when descending north maroon make sure to watch for the crossover to the second gully. 

Route: South Ridge
Posted On: 2022-07-27, By: goldenrad
Info: Biked in from the gate and started at the day use parking lot at 5:20am. Summited at 11:00am. Definitely a steep east face. Found the route past the chimney to be challenging but was able to generally follow some good cairns to the top. I took Gully 2 and used the left wall which allowed me to ascend and descend without dislodging any rocks although it was a bit more time consuming. It took me a little more than 1.5 hours from the notch to the top and 1 hour from back to the notch. 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 2022-07-25, By: Msbaker
Info: Started at 5:30 AM from the overnight parking lot. Take note of the pictures on this app and do not miss the critical turn off at the Maroon Peak Trail Junction (it is not as obvious as you would think). The hike up the East Slope to gain the South Ridge is incredibly steep. From the top of the South Ridge it is smooth sailing through the chimney. However, the remaining route finding on South Maroon is the most difficult of any 14er I have experienced so far and I have now finished the Elk Range. Not only is the route finding incredibly challenging, but the rock is loose and a fall/slide into either of the two gullies near Point 13,753 would likely result in serious injury or worse. The third gully, after robot rock, isn't as steep but contains the same loose screen as the ones before. We summited by 10:30 AM and opted for the Traverse to avoid having to come back down South Maroon. Again, I cannot stress enough that South Maroon is not an easy 14er just because it is class 3. Onto the traverse. Totally dry and snow free. Rock was solid. We checked every hold and were constantly scanning to ensure we were on the correct route. The initial descent and then ascent through Spire #1 was fine. Spire #2 was a different story. The hardest move I have ever done and I now understand why many people bring ropes for this traverse. This was the first time on a 14er that I have felt like I was no longer hiking and was legitimately rock climbing. In fact, this move was so challenging that I don't see how it is possible to do the traverse from North Maroon to South Maroon without ropes. Fortunately, once past this it was much more straightforward. However, I cannot stress enough that the exposure is constant throughout the traverse and so any slip up even a minor one in one of the more "straightforward" sections could easily be fatal. Traverse time = 2 hours. We descended North Maroon fairly quickly because of some darker clouds forming nearby. The class four move near the top was a bit dicey and requires agility and confidence in foot/hand holds. The second gully is incredibly steep. While the rock in this gully isn't nearly as bad as the rock on Maroon Peak, a rock was kicked down inadvertently while we were descending this section and required two of us to dive out of the way. We got lucky and came out unscathed but it is a crucial reminder to be alert and communicate for the safety of those around you. The remaining gully didn't feel as steep and the rest of the hike was relatively straightforward. We were back down to Maroon Lake by 3:30 PM. One final note, and it should go without saying, but don't step foot on either of these mountains without a helmet. 

Route: South Ridge
Posted On: 2022-07-22, By: Maricopa Mountaineer
Info: The south ridge route was actually marked pretty well with cairns. I don't think it deserves an extreme route finding rating. That said though there were a few misleading cairns in some places, potentially making the route a lot harder technically. The climbing sections weren't as bad as I had heard regarding loose rock, the rock was solid for the most part but had loose dirt/small rocks on a lot of hand holds and foot holds. The hardest part was scrambling down the gullies and the 2800 ft of suck section (my knees aren't forgiving me for a while). If you feel comfortable doing the traverse it might be more beneficial to cross over to North Maroon and head down its standard route. 

Route: West Ridge/ Face
Posted On: 2022-07-12, By: mtbforlife4
Info: Was looking for some extra adventure, so I decided to climb S Maroon from the west. Would I do it again? No. Does it go? Yes. Lots of bushwacking? Yes. Endless choss? Yes. Approached from Fravert basin, route is snow free. Found an old and sketchy rap anchor, presumably to drop down the headwall to the Col w/ the rest of the W ridge. 

Route: South Ridge
Posted On: 2022-07-09, By: MichiganBrian
Info: Summer conditions the whole way. Everyone crossed two snowfields on the way up that were small and had good steps kicked, and the actual trail we took on the way down avoided them so they can be avoided. Overall perfect day and no condition related items to worry about. 

Route: South Ridge
Posted On: 2022-06-24, By: Aardvark
Info: NOT summer conditions. Lots of snow in the couloirs leading up to the ridge. Micro spikes or crampons with an ice axe recommended or you will spend a lot of time trying to get around the couloirs. Snow conditions change throughout the day from ice hard to soft and slippery. 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 2022-06-22, By: timewarp01
Info: Some marshy areas on the trail around Crater Lake, and a few tricky stream crossings where you need to bushwhack up the creek a bit if you want to stay dry. One or two persistent snowfields on the slog up to gain the south ridge after leaving the West Maroon Trail. The snow was steep and very hard, and one party member had a bad slide. The crossings are short, but crampons/axe should be used. From the ridge to the summit there is zero snow on the standard route. The traverse was entirely dry until a short snowbank after the third crux, between the Leap of Faith and N Maroon. It required an annoying bypass on ledges below and to the east (right) of the saddle. The descent off N Maroon is almost entirely dry, but the base of the 4th class chimney feature has a cone of snow about 5 feet deep. On the one hand, it makes the downclimb shorter, but it was steep enough that an axe helped a lot. You'll probably get your feet wet on the stream crossing after the rock glacier. We met a guy during the traverse who had ascended the Bell Cord. He said the couloir was still in, but very soft by the time he topped out. 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 2022-06-16, By: WillyGoat
Info: Did the traverse on 6/15/2022 from South to North. Ascended the Southeast Couloir to Maroon and descended the Northeast Ridge on N. Maroon. On the ascent snow was mostly continuous once you gain it above the trail, but there a couple of short sections of scree. Not much snow or ice on the traverse. I used my axe on a couple of sections and my crampons once for about 30'. Could probably safely make the traverse without an axe and crampons, but I preferred the security on the exposed sections. I found it relatively easy to stay on Class 4 terrain. I did not bring a rope and was happy with that decision. Whenever I hit an obstacle I stopped and looked around, in most instances there is an obvious trail to circumvent the challenge. Most obstacles were turned to the left (West). I found the descent trail surprisingly enjoyable and mostly snow free. Follow the ridge down to about 13,300' and then descend the gully, bear left to contour over to the next gully and repeat. There are frequent cairns and the trail gets more and more defined as you go. 

Route: Y Couloir
Posted On: 2022-05-30, By: AlessiaAscent
Info: We summited Maroon Peak on 05/29/2022 via the Y Couloir. We were trying for the Bell Cord, but decided once there that the Bell Cord was too melted out and had too high a risk of rockfall. Instead, we took the Y Couloir, which is above the garbage chute. It's steeper than the Bell Cord, but the snow felt solid. There's a snow field starting around 10,100, with mild postholing towards the start of the Y Couloir. Ridge around 13,700 was windy, with lots of hail. It feels like mixed climbing, lots of snow and some loose rock. We took a route down and around, following cairns from the standard route. We had crampons and ice axes, as well as short roping from 12,000 feet on. All was necessary- it's easy to slip, and the ridge feels exposed. There's a cornice at the summit, and we stayed on climber's left. At the summit, we heard thunder, so we got off the ridge at quickly as possible. We downclimbed while being lowered on a rope about 200 feet on a time, kicking steps down the Couloir. The garbage chute has some avalanche debris, so be aware of that. We didn't need crampons as of around 12,000 feet, but stay to the climber's right- you'll get cliffed out of you go too far to either side. The trail from the bottom of the snowfield past crater lake is good- well established and no issues there. Overall, we chose a rough weather day, but the snow is solid and it's definitely possible right now! 

Route: Bell Cord Couloir
Posted On: 2022-05-16, By: aksean22
Info: Climbed and skied the Bell Cord on Friday. Still good coverage but snow quality was not great for skiing. Lots of avy debris in the lower couloir and dirty, sun-cupped snow the rest of the way up. There is a great booter traversing out of the Bell Cord and up the East Face to the summit.