Maroon Bells

Maroon Peak

Maroon Bells With Aspen, September 2003
Elevation 14,163 ft (4,317 m)[1][2]
Prominence 2,336 ft (712 m)[3]
Isolation 8.06 mi (12.97 km)[3]
Listing Colorado Fourteener
Colorado 4000 meter summits
Location
Maroon Peak

Colorado

Location Gunnison and Pitkin counties, Colorado, United States[1]
Range Elk Mountains[4]
Coordinates 39°04′15″N 106°59′20″W / 39.0708492°N 106.9889921°WCoordinates: 39°04′15″N 106°59′20″W / 39.0708492°N 106.9889921°W[1]
Topo map USGS 7.5' topographic map
Maroon Bells, Colorado[1]
Climbing
First ascent 1890's by C. Wilson
Easiest route Exposed scramble, class 4
North Maroon Peak
Elevation 14,019 ft (4,273 m)[5][6]
Prominence 234 ft (71 m)[7]
Isolation 0.37 mi (0.60 km)[7]
Parent peak Maroon Peak[7]
Location
Coordinates 39°04′34″N 106°59′14″W / 39.0759989°N 106.9871498°W[5]
Topo map USGS 7.5' topographic map
Maroon Bells, Colorado[8]
Climbing
Easiest route Exposed scramble, class 4

The Maroon Bells are two peaks in the Elk Mountains, Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak, separated by about a third of a mile. The mountains are on the border between Pitkin County and Gunnison County, Colorado, United States, about 12 miles southwest of Aspen. Both peaks are fourteeners. Maroon Peak, at 14,163 feet, is the 27th highest peak in Colorado; North Maroon Peak, at 14,019 feet, is the 50th highest. The view of the Maroon Bells to the southwest from the Maroon Creek valley is one of the most famous scenes in Colorado, and is reputed to be the "most-photographed spot in Colorado" and one of Colorado's premier scenic overlooks. The peaks are located in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness of White River National Forest.[9][10]

A US Forest Service sign on the access trail refers to these mountains as "The Deadly Bells" and warns would-be climbers of "downsloping, loose, rotten and unstable" rock that "kills without warning". Unlike other mountains in the Rockies that are composed of granite and limestone, the Bells are composed of metamorphic sedimentary mudstone that has hardened into rock over millions of years. Mudstone is weak and fractures readily, giving rise to dangerously loose rock along almost any route. The mudstone is responsible for the Bells' distinctive maroon color. The Bells got their "deadly" name in 1965 when eight people died in five separate accidents.

Their proximity to Aspen makes the Maroon Bells an accessible tourist destination. Although motorized vehicle access is limited, bus tours operate throughout summer.[11]

Maroon Lake (9,580') occupies a basin that was sculpted by Ice-Age glaciers and later dammed by landslide and rockfall debris from the steep slopes above the valley floor.

Maroon Lake and Maroon Bells, pre-dawn photo, 19 September 2012.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "MAROON PEAK". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  2. ↑ The elevation of Maroon Peak includes an adjustment of +2.048 m (+6.72 ft) from NGVD 29 to NAVD 88.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Maroon Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Maroon Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "MAROON BELL". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  6. ↑ The elevation of North Maroon Peak includes an adjustment of +2.038 m (+6.69 ft) from NGVD 29 to NAVD 88.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "North Maroon Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  8. ↑ "North Maroon Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness". Wilderness.net. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area". Colorado Wilderness. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  11. ↑ Stay Aspen Snowmass Maroon Bells Information

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maroon Bells.