OTHER Trip Report 07/29/2009

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop - 12500
Date Posted	07/29/2009
Modified	11/28/2011
Date Climbed	07/28/2009
Author	Tory Wells

One Tough Marathon...The Four Pass Loop
Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop ~27 miles ~8700' ascent Partner: Zion the Plott Perhaps the best trail run in the state. Words can not accurately describe how beautiful the Four Pass Loop is. The Bells in the predawn glow: Zion and I started at about 6am. We ran the route counter-clockwise. There are pros and cons to direction of travel on this route; I think next time I'll run it clockwise for variety but I also think I will enjoy the route better in that direction. More on that later. The Bells in the morning light: For the counter-clockwise loop, Buckskin Pass is the first of the four passes. Perhaps I have good memories of Buckskin because of the comfort that fresh legs provides, but I enjoyed climbing it immensely. The Bells and the Sleeping Sexton are on your left as you ascend: Cornice remnant at the top of Buckskin, and the Bells. I filled my hand bottle with snow here: Pyramid from the top of Buckskin: My favorite view of the day, Snowmass and Capitol from Buckskin: A pan of Snowmass and Capitol and friends: The descent from Buckskin was nice and fast on good trail. When it reaches treeline the good trail gets even better as the pines provide a nice, soft layer of pine needles to cushion the impact of downhill running. The trail soon crosses Snowmass Creek. I had read that this creek crossing was problematic in the past; however there is now a nice log bridge spanning it to make the crossing very easy. Shortly thereafter you pass the junction for the trail to Snowmass Lake. It is only about a 1/4 mile to the lake so I made the side trip: The trail then begins to ascend the second pass, Trailrider. Snowmass Mt and Lake are beside you the whole way up: The view from the top of Trailrider Pass. The Crystal River is way down there, the low point of the descent: Zion cooling off in the Crystal River (I enjoyed it too): The trail then passes through cool and shaded forest enroute to the Fravert Basin. On the way you pass King Falls: The Fravert Basin is the most gorgeous place, so green as to make Ireland envious. The wildflowers were incredible: A pan of the entire Fravert Basin: > The rare view of the backside of the Bells: Looking toward West Maroon Pass (the final pass) from Frigid Air Pass: On the way up West Maroon Pass I found a nice spring bubbling out of a rock face. As it appeared the water had been traveling underground for a while, I assumed it was safe to drink. So nice not having to filter water for a change! It was here, on top of West Maroon Pass, that the wheels fell off for me. I had been very tired climbing the last two passes and looked forward to a nice gradual descent back to Crater Lake. Unfortunately the trail from West Maroon Pass is a horribly rock-strewn mess, as I guess should be expected for any trail that lives beneath the crumbling Maroon Bells. I had expected to run it in nice and easy from here, instead I walked the last 5 miles, cursing the sharp rocks attacking my sore feet. A run of the Four Pass Loop in the clockwise direction would result in an initial ascent of West Maroon Pass, something I think I would enjoy more. It would also take advantage of the very long descent of Frigid Air Pass down the Fravert Basin, a definite bonus time wise. However, most of the time gained would be lost on the very long and steep ascent of Trail Rider Pass, so it balances out I guess. A descent of Buckskin Pass (homeward bound), I feel, is more desirable than a descent of West Maroon Pass, so most likely my next trip here will be in the clockwise direction. A look at the Bell Chord, for anyone interested: At the top of West Maroon Pass, my total time was about 8.5 hrs. I thought getting in before 10 hrs was just fine, but the long walk back to the car was just that....long....and I clocked in 11 hrs and 15 minutes after leaving. My GPS logged a total distance of 27.2 miles. Without the side trips to Snowmass Lake and another to get water, this loop would be about 26 miles. (I did utilize the cutoff trail between Trail Rider Pass and the Crystal River crossing, eliminating the trip around Lake Geneva). Final view of the Bells: Thanks for reading!

One Tough Marathon...The Four Pass Loop

Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop
~27 miles
~8700' ascent
Partner: Zion the Plott

Perhaps the best trail run in the state. Words can not accurately describe how beautiful the Four Pass Loop is.
The Bells in the predawn glow:

Zion and I started at about 6am. We ran the route counter-clockwise. There are pros and cons to direction of travel on this route; I think next time I'll run it clockwise for variety but I also think I will enjoy the route better in that direction. More on that later.
The Bells in the morning light:

For the counter-clockwise loop, Buckskin Pass is the first of the four passes. Perhaps I have good memories of Buckskin because of the comfort that fresh legs provides, but I enjoyed climbing it immensely.
The Bells and the Sleeping Sexton are on your left as you ascend:

Cornice remnant at the top of Buckskin, and the Bells. I filled my hand bottle with snow here:

Pyramid from the top of Buckskin:

My favorite view of the day, Snowmass and Capitol from Buckskin:

A pan of Snowmass and Capitol and friends:

The descent from Buckskin was nice and fast on good trail. When it reaches treeline the good trail gets even better as the pines provide a nice, soft layer of pine needles to cushion the impact of downhill running.

The trail soon crosses Snowmass Creek. I had read that this creek crossing was problematic in the past; however there is now a nice log bridge spanning it to make the crossing very easy.

Shortly thereafter you pass the junction for the trail to Snowmass Lake. It is only about a 1/4 mile to the lake so I made the side trip:

The trail then begins to ascend the second pass, Trailrider. Snowmass Mt and Lake are beside you the whole way up:

The view from the top of Trailrider Pass. The Crystal River is way down there, the low point of the descent:

Zion cooling off in the Crystal River (I enjoyed it too):

The trail then passes through cool and shaded forest enroute to the Fravert Basin. On the way you pass King Falls:

The Fravert Basin is the most gorgeous place, so green as to make Ireland envious. The wildflowers were incredible:

A pan of the entire Fravert Basin:
5533_1197250455807_1364860254_532004_5849875_n.jpg<br

>

The rare view of the backside of the Bells:

Looking toward West Maroon Pass (the final pass) from Frigid Air Pass:

On the way up West Maroon Pass I found a nice spring bubbling out of a rock face. As it appeared the water had been traveling underground for a while, I assumed it was safe to drink. So nice not having to filter water for a change!

It was here, on top of West Maroon Pass, that the wheels fell off for me. I had been very tired climbing the last two passes and looked forward to a nice gradual descent back to Crater Lake. Unfortunately the trail from West Maroon Pass is a horribly rock-strewn mess, as I guess should be expected for any trail that lives beneath the crumbling Maroon Bells. I had expected to run it in nice and easy from here, instead I walked the last 5 miles, cursing the sharp rocks attacking my sore feet.

A run of the Four Pass Loop in the clockwise direction would result in an initial ascent of West Maroon Pass, something I think I would enjoy more. It would also take advantage of the very long descent of Frigid Air Pass down the Fravert Basin, a definite bonus time wise. However, most of the time gained would be lost on the very long and steep ascent of Trail Rider Pass, so it balances out I guess. A descent of Buckskin Pass (homeward bound), I feel, is more desirable than a descent of West Maroon Pass, so most likely my next trip here will be in the clockwise direction.

A look at the Bell Chord, for anyone interested:

At the top of West Maroon Pass, my total time was about 8.5 hrs. I thought getting in before 10 hrs was just fine, but the long walk back to the car was just that....long....and I clocked in 11 hrs and 15 minutes after leaving.

My GPS logged a total distance of 27.2 miles. Without the side trips to Snowmass Lake and another to get water, this loop would be about 26 miles. (I did utilize the cutoff trail between Trail Rider Pass and the Crystal River crossing, eliminating the trip around Lake Geneva).

Final view of the Bells:

Thanks for reading!

Comments or Questions

Presto	You‘re faster than me ... 7/29/2009 7:12pm To say the least :lol: . Beautiful pictures, Tory. Thanks for posting. Happy trails! :D
TomPierce	Wow! 7/29/2009 7:25pm I‘m impressed! I love trail running but your route is out of my league. A very impressive accomplishment and well done report, I really enjoyed reading it. -Tom
Shad	One of my favs! 7/29/2009 8:02pm This is one of my favorite runs in the state. Good work!
cheeseburglar	Best spring in Colorado? 7/30/2009 1:28am I drank out of that same spring last summer. No ill effects although my mental condition is still in question. It took me a long time down from W. Maroon as well. Nasty rocky thing that it is! I think that might be why clockwise is better?
uwe	How Did You Manage To Focus 7/31/2009 1:37pm on taking all those great shots while running? Very cool. I am hiking it next week with a group. Could not imagine running it. Kudos to you!
mtgirl	Thanks ! 11/30/2010 5:28pm Thanks for posting this report. Makes me even more excited for my upcoming trip (backpack and climb of Snowmass). And thanks for the perspective on doing the loop clock-wise compared to counter clock-wise. Something tells me Zion was probably still bounding with energy at the end of the loop. Sometimes I wish I had my dog's energy !
Tory Wells	For perspective.... 9/3/2011 2:45pm Anton Krupicka recently ran this loop in about 4 hrs and 47 mins...the fastest known time. My 11 hours is downright pedestrian in comparison.
Tory Wells	Bounding with energy..... 9/3/2011 2:45pm all the way to the car. Then it was lights out in the backseat!
Tory Wells	To be fair.... 9/3/2011 2:45pm I only ran about half, the rest was fast hiking. And stopping to take pictures was a nice way to catch my breath!

Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.

Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.

14ers.com

Social

Mobile App