Class 3 11.9 miles 5200 gain 7-10 hrs Out + Back Sep 10, 2018
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Maroon Peak GPX Track

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The Maroon Bells are super gorgeous from below, and stunning from atop, but crumbly and annoying in between. My first of the peaks was Pyramid Peak a couple years ago, and I wanted to return to do more in this absurdly scenic area.

From Maroon Lake, head to Crater Lake and follow the West Maroon Trail that hugs Crater Lake's west bank before slowly ascending up the canyon. The trail ascends for a bit, nice views north toward Maroon Lake, before descending to West Maroon Creek. Keep your eyes peeled for a short rock wall and a cairn on the right, marking the turn-off for the Maroon Peak approach. The trail ascends steeply up Maroon Peak's east face for a long time, and is easy to follow, up the south ridge of the peak.

The "fun" begins here, once you get to the ridge. A social trail and cairns mark the way all the way to the summit. However, if you find yourself doing anything scary on crumbly rock and there aren't cairns nearby, definitely backtrack and find the true route. People die in the "deadly bells" because of the terribly quality of the rock, and I can see how easy it would be to lose track of the intended route.

Anyway, from the southernmost section of the ridge, you can see the ridgeline to the true Maroon Peak summit, what you'd assume would be the route. The trail instead pretty much avoids the true ridge, opting to instead follow the west side, so don't be alarmed like I was when you find yourself descending occasionally. A couple of short Class 3 moves along the initial ridgeline leads you to start descending along the west side for a bit, and into a short and awful gully. Take this gully about a hundred feet and keep looking to the left, where the route leaves the gully and follows the west side again. Don't miss this turn-out.

Follow the trail on the west face some more until you reach another awful gully, this one much longer and gaining a fair amount of elevation. From the top of this gully, you can try to locate a route to the summit, but there's so much loose rock everywhere that it all blends together. I took one cairned route up to the summit, and a different one back down. Just make sure to stay on Class 2+ stuff, and nothing harder.

From the Maroon Peak summit, you can see Pyramid Peak and Maroon Lake, as well as the Class 5 ridge to North Maroon Peak. I was super tempted, but the rock quality was so poor on the ascent and I could imagine it being similar along the ridge, plus I was alone and had never done a Class 5 ridgeline before, so I opted to come back (maybe) another time. North Maroon isn't an official 14er, and the route seems dangerous. We'll see.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Maroon Peak
14156 ft
2316 rise

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Maroon Lake.
Maroon Lake.
Image 1 from gallery
Maroon Peak, beautiful and distinctive.
Maroon Peak, beautiful and distinctive.
Image 3 from gallery
Approaching Crater Lake, Pyramid Peak back there somewhere.
Approaching Crater Lake, Pyramid Peak back there somewhere.
Crater Lake on the left, Maroon Peak on the right.
Crater Lake on the left, Maroon Peak on the right.
Image 6 from gallery
Continuing past Crater Lake.
Continuing past Crater Lake.
Looking back toward Crater Lake.
Looking back toward Crater Lake.
Image 9 from gallery
The spot to leave the trail and follow a social trail to Maroon Peak.
The spot to leave the trail and follow a social trail to Maroon Peak.
It's pretty steep the whole way up.
It's pretty steep the whole way up.
Maroon Peak is up there somewhere.
Maroon Peak is up there somewhere.
Image 13 from gallery
Looking down toward the valley I came from, west Maroon Creek.
Looking down toward the valley I came from, west Maroon Creek.
Image 15 from gallery
Image 16 from gallery
Image 17 from gallery
View south on the way up.
View south on the way up.
Approaching the ridgeline where the scramnling will start.
Approaching the ridgeline where the scramnling will start.
Maroon Peak ahead, only a crumbly scramble away.
Maroon Peak ahead, only a crumbly scramble away.
The route basically follow the white rock ridgeline and then traverses to the left along the maroon-ish rock before ascending a few gullies to the summit.
The route basically follow the white rock ridgeline and then traverses to the left along the maroon-ish rock before ascending a few gullies to the summit.
Some obstacles along the ridgeline.
Some obstacles along the ridgeline.
Image 23 from gallery
More obstacles along the ridgeline.
More obstacles along the ridgeline.
Looking back along the ridgeline toward the way I came.
Looking back along the ridgeline toward the way I came.
A social trail marks the route. Follow it as best as you can.
A social trail marks the route. Follow it as best as you can.
Image 27 from gallery
The first gully to ascend.
The first gully to ascend.
Looking down the first gully, the ridgeline you came in on in the center.
Looking down the first gully, the ridgeline you came in on in the center.
Looking back toward the ridgeline so far, after leaving the gully.
Looking back toward the ridgeline so far, after leaving the gully.
Traverse along the maroon-ish rock.
Traverse along the maroon-ish rock.
Approaching the second, steep and loose, gully.
Approaching the second, steep and loose, gully.
Looking down the gully.
Looking down the gully.
Approaching the top of the gully.
Approaching the top of the gully.
Looking back down from the top of the gully.
Looking back down from the top of the gully.
Class 2+ scrambling from the top of the gully.
Class 2+ scrambling from the top of the gully.
Looking back the way I came.
Looking back the way I came.
Social trail leads you through most of this mess.
Social trail leads you through most of this mess.
Looking back along some semblance of a social trail.
Looking back along some semblance of a social trail.
A preview of the summit view on the way up.
A preview of the summit view on the way up.
The last bit of ridgeline coming up.
The last bit of ridgeline coming up.
Image 42 from gallery
Image 43 from gallery
Errrr.... yeah it looks like a mess because it is a mess. I went up one way and down another. Just keep your route-finding thinking cap on and don't make any difficult moves. The last bit to the summit goes at Class 2+ max.
Errrr.... yeah it looks like a mess because it is a mess. I went up one way and down another. Just keep your route-finding thinking cap on and don't make any difficult moves. The last bit to the summit goes at Class 2+ max.
Image 45 from gallery
Nearing the Maroon Peak summit, looking south toward the way I came.
Nearing the Maroon Peak summit, looking south toward the way I came.
Image 47 from gallery
Nearing the Maroon Peak summit looking west.
Nearing the Maroon Peak summit looking west.
Nearing the Maroon Peak summit looking north toward Maroon Lake.
Nearing the Maroon Peak summit looking north toward Maroon Lake.
Close-up of the ridgeline to North Maroon Peak.
Close-up of the ridgeline to North Maroon Peak.
Mountain goats spotted on the way down, Pyramid Peak in the background.
Mountain goats spotted on the way down, Pyramid Peak in the background.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!