Maroon Peak Trail

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Maroon Peak, AKA "South Maroon," is a fairly typical Elk Range 14er. It's steep, loose, and long. Make sure you have a good weather window, and bring all the necessities - warm clothes, rain gear, water, helmet, sun protection, food, etc. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have a partner on this one, as route finding is extremely difficult and the rock is some of the worst in Colorado. Done from the parking lot, this a big outing - 11 miles and 5,400 ft elevation gain!

Approximately 1.9 miles past the Buckskin Pass trail junction, find the trail to the right off of West Maroon Trail at 10,440 ft in a scree field. If you find yourself knee deep in a creek crossing, you've gone about 1/4 mile too far! After you've taken a right on the Maroon Peak Trail you'll begin the long grind up what locals call "The Green Monster." This is a fitting name, as it rises 2,800 vertical ft and much of it is up green grass tufts. The trail zigzags up Maroon's east slopes, which are - you guessed it - extremely steep and loose. While the going's class 2, it's just so incredibly steep at parts you may find yourself crawling. Look for cairns along loose dirt trails, crossing a few small talus fields. It may be tempting to climb directly up to the ridge - don't! You'll get both lost and cliffed-out, as will become apparent once you're closer to the summit.

Near 13,250 ft, come to the south ridge. Continue along some dirt and rocks for a few hundred ft before reaching the scrambling. From here the route finding can be difficult, but makes for some fun climbing. Scramble over the ridge proper briefly before dropping down and to the left slightly. Follow some cairns along an exposed section before coming to a rock chimney (pictured). Climb up 20 ft or so and then immediately turn left and continue traversing on the west side of the peak. Drop back down to the left and continue toward a gully. Climb up the gully on some talus. Staying on the left side will give you some handholds and make it easier to find the cairns about halfway up the gully. Exit the gully at these cairns and traverse further towards the north until at the base of a massive, lower angle gully.

Ascend this gully (staying on the right side makes for slightly easier travel) until you are nearly at the saddle (this is the top of the "Y Couloir" which ascends the east side of the peak). There are multiple routes from here. In general, you'll want to follow the trend of "up and left", using ramps and weaknesses in the rock to stay somewhat close to the ridgeline. Cairns abound marking many, many different options. Even seasoned locals who have climbed this peak dozens of times will admit they've never taken the same route twice. When you reach the top, take in the views of Capitol Peak and Snowmass Mountain to the northwest, North Maroon Peak to the north, Pyramid Peak to the east, and Castle/Conundrum Peak beyond that. And don't forget to wave to the hundreds of tourists at Maroon Lake who are surely watching you with binoculars!

The golden rule of climbing in the mountains is that if you accidentally dislodge a rock, it is imperative that you yell "rock!" many times as loud as you possibly can to warn others who may be below you to get into a protective position. The Maroon Bells, and Elk Mountains in general, are notorious for crummy rock, so please do your best to avoid dislodging loose rocks in the first place, and if you do, follow this golden rule.

Mountain goats have been known to kick rocks at climbers. Be careful and bring a helmet.