North Maroon Peak

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/13/2026, By: 40isthenew20
Info: Very small snowpatch at the base of the chimney - not really an issue but I did have to step one foot on the snow. One other very avoidable small snowpatch above the precipice. There's a rap anchor at the top that looks very new, but there was no hand line hanging down. Also - I e-biked up at 3:30am from the Buttermilk lot, couldn't get the e-bike entry kiosk to work. Beautiful day - smoke was not an issue at all. FWIW, years ago, I did the Bell Cord Couloir and over (South) Maroon, and I remember places where holding onto loose blocks was unavoidable (or I could have been off route). This was my first time up N. Maroon, and I found there was solid rock everywhere you needed it on steeper ledges, etc. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/12/2026, By: MaryinColorado
Info: Of note, the chimney still has a decent pile of snow at the base. It gets the boots a little wet and slick for the first moves, and on down climb lowering onto the snow was its own adventure because of how slick it became baking in the heat. So just be extra careful. 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 6/28/2026, By: ajtrezco
Info: Only snowfield on the way up south (before ridge) has melted enough to make it treacherous—footsteps are almost gone, snow is bulletproof in the early AM. Bring spikes if you don’t want to hike down and around. Smoke is also really bad in the area; worst I’ve probably seen in the last 20 years. Blew away by the time the sun came up this morning with the high winds, but was moving back in by about 5pm, just as bad as the evening before. Otherwise, traverse is still perfect conditions, descent down North has about the same amount of snow in the chimney, which wasn’t enough to cause any problems. 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 6/22/2026, By: calhack7
Info: Traverse was clear. There was a snow patch along the ridge that had good tracks across it, and there was some snow at the base of the chimney. There is also a fixed hand-line in the chimney 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 6/13/2026, By: macg91
Info: There is snow from the summit to the notch entering the second gully. Ice axe was helpful; the snow was soft enough descending at 10:30am that traction was not necessary, but probably would be necessary if ascending earlier in the morning while it's still frozen. Minimal snow in both gullies was entirely avoidable. There were several easy snow crossings between the bottom of the first gully and the trail back to the lake.

Ridge on the traverse is entirely snow-free. 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 6/9/2026, By: Connor1
Info: Started the hike at 0545 was moving pretty slow for myself. Went up the Maroon Peak South ridge route. There was a few sections of snow on the way up. The weather was 50 degrees at the base when I started so the snow was not to firm. Snow climbing was easily boot packable and wet but good enough. It was not to much easier than just walking up nest to the snow but it still had mandatory snow crossings. From the ridge to the summit it was dry. Route finding was not the easiest. I kept climbing to high and making my own route. Through out the climb up Maroon it was constantly loose especially in the gullies.


The traverse was fun. Many options for different routes with variations. I picked whatever line looked the most fun to just spice it up a little. I kept the major difficulties to mid class 5. Although you could take some time to find the easiest line over or around them. The traverse was almost completely snow free. I think there was just 1 section that had some snow but it was easy to navigate through.

From the summit of North Maroon it was very snowy for the first few hundred feet of the down climb over steep class 4 with cliffs below. Once the trail banks east it was snow free again for most of the down climb. Then snow again much lower as the trail traversed the lower north slopes. Then snow free after a large creek crossing for the last few miles back to the car.

In total 11.8 miles and 5755 ft elevation gain. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/7/2026, By: shelly o
Info: Snowier than we anticipated but also melting quickly. At least one required snowfield crossing. Other, smaller patches could be bypassed. I had microspikes and an axe and would have been happier with crampons. Wet/muddy in gully 1. Gully 2 looked relatively clear. Did not see route beyond that. 

Route: view from the hills
Posted On: 3/30/2026, By: WillRobnett
Info: Bells are starting to show consolidations and wet slides up high already.

Y Couloir left chute: 2025 went up one of the last days it was still connected, July 12th.
Y Couloir right chute: disconnected on July 12th 2025 and recently consolidated.
Bell Cord: recently consolidated down to the apron snow field below. Climbed it a few times in 2025, last climbed July 19th.
Maroon Bells Standard Routes: after the lake, looks like there's still a good amount of approach snow.
The North Face of North Maroon: climbed the face 4x times last year. Spring conditions held to July 5th. 

Route: Gunsight Couloir from Snowmass Creek TH
Posted On: 2/12/2026, By: jacolc
Info: Changed my plan from Snowmass to NMaroon after seeing avy/weather forecast (green, low wind). I trenched alone to Camp at 11000' for 8 miles above trail split. Next day no alpine start, so reaching Gunsight Couloir (2miles 2k') in soft snow take me 5h. Above Notch to summit and back to notch, 4h. Down to camp 2h. One short section bypassing Gunsight Tower was almost snow free and really NO Fall, front pointing on moss with no real handholds.
Hope I generate my first TR soon 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 12/25/2025, By: paulbarish
Info: After summiting Maroon and returning back to the top of the bell cord I started the traverse. I was nervous having never done it before but conditions were spectacular with actually usable snow and all 3 of the cruxes were dry. Overall I was feeling a lot stronger than expected but I thought crux 2 was the trickiest and gave me some pause to figure it out. The exposure was magnificent and getting to the summit was the realization of a climb I had wanted to do since I was 15! The summit was glorious but I didn’t stay long. I didn’t bring any ropes or anything so I could be lighter and the downclimbing went well, maybe easier than the way up. Once back in the bell cord, I plunge stepped and glissaded back to my camp. Round trip from camp was 10 hours flat. When I got down I made some delicious ramen with chicken in it and had a good laugh when I realized I was cooking where I had been peeing out of my tent. I didn’t care at all lol I was so unbelievably excited and proud! By far my favorite winter solo of this project for me! 

Route: The North Face
Posted On: 10/21/2025, By: WillRobnett
Info: Light snow covers the rock glacier and as it's beginning to fill in Bergschrund gaps at head of the snowfields. Freeze thaw surface goes to about 13k on the north aspect. There's about a half foot of fresh snow throughout the north face with deeper sections along in the snow bands near the summit, 1-2 feet. No signs of sugar or hoar however there was a lot of windblown surfaces in the week since the storm. Most of the Water Ice above 13k is getting constant spindrift and sluff right now. Water Ice sections at 12,500ft to 13k were in better condition than above 13k. 

Route: Scouting Below Sleeping Sexton
Posted On: 10/5/2025, By: WillRobnett
Info: Last few weeks the north face of North Maroon keeps holding snow, even with a lot of sunny days. Went up the standard route to the main creek crossing, from there up the first gulley under Sleeping Sexton and into the amphitheater below Sleeping Sexton. 11,500ft had free flowing water, no signs of ice. A little snow up there from the day. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/29/2025, By: maylemay1
Info: Sadly what was going to be my finisher ends up being the first 14er that I had to turn around on. There was a lot of snow after climbing out of the 2nd gully. We put on spikes to ascend to the chimney but were only able to make it halfway up the chimney. The snow and ice made it too tricky. We might've been able to make it up if we pushed it, but the downclimb would've been pretty bad. Still a great day out and the aspens are incredible right now. 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 9/28/2025, By: andy_schlichting
Info: After the summer conditions heading up Maroon Peak, the conditions immediately changed on the descent down to the saddle between Maroon and North Maroon. The north side of Maroon is full of snow and this would be very difficult without traction. Microspikes worked for us. The lower class 3 part was dry, fortunately.

From the saddle, most of the route up North Maroon was in the sun and dry. There were a few spots that were north facing that spikes helped, but this was all easy terrain. All of the class 5 spots were in great shape. I also forgot how challenging and exposed the second spire was with both of its climbing sections. Super fun day!

The top part of the descent off North Maroon was full of snow, just like the descent off Maroon. The class 4 crux and the class 3 bypass were both completely full of snow. I fortunately had a rope to belay my friend and sister up the class 5 sections on the traverse and this really came in handy here. I lowered them and then rappelled down from an anchor that someone recently set around a boulder at the top of the chimney. This would be a really dangerous downclimb right now with the snow and ice in the chimney so I can't stress enough the importance of having a rope to descend the class 4 chimney on North Maroon with the current conditions.

Once into the gullies, they were completely dry. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/28/2025, By: Bear_Barky
Info: Gullies are clear of snow. However, once you gain the ridge there is quite a bit of snow which makes summiting unsafe unless you are well adept at mixed climbing. Beautiful time to climb the gullies just for a view of the valley though.