Hiking From Aspen to Crested Butte

After years of thinking about it and talking about it, I finally did the Aspen to Crested Butte hike. This hike is like a rite of passage, if you are an Aspen local you have to do this hike eventually. But even if you are not a local it is so worth it. I had been told it was fun, and I had been told it was beautiful, but I had no idea it would be as amazing as it was.

What you will need:

• A day-pack with enough food for 5-8 hours of hiking.
• Lots of water 3 liters a person to be safe.
• Good hiking shoes
• A Camera
• Warm Clothing (it gets a little chilly at the top) and a raincoat.
• Money
• Many people bring camping gear to be safe, you never know when you might get stuck and it its a long hike, we did not. We even ran into a man that had a satellite phone, i guess you can never be too safe in the back country...

Maroon Bells at the start of the hike.

We started on the Aspen side and parked over night at the Maroon Bells ($15 for overnight parking) and then headed to the West Maroon Pass. We did this hike August 11th and the wildflowers were spectacular, apparently the peak was the week before (August 4th). To be safe a few members of our group booked seats on a shuttle to get to Crested Butte on the other side of the pass and a few of us decided to wing it and try to hitchhike. The shuttle is $15 a person and takes about 45 mins, it must be booked in advance and fills up quickly.

We left early (7AM) which is generally thought to be a good plan to avoid afternoon thunderstorms. The hike took us about 6 hours (5 on the way back as it was easier) and was relatively strenuous at parts (it is a 12 mile hike). The views were absolutely breathtaking and the wildflowers were getting oo's and ahh's even from the most manly men on our trip! We got lucky and met someone on the trail that we could hitchhike with, so we hopped in with our new friend and were also able to check out the reservoir nearby to the trail head before heading to town. Our friends that took the shuttle arrived just about the same time as we did.

 Upon arrival (after gorging on food and beer) we found accommodations at the Forrest Queen Hotel which was decently priced for a bunch of smelly hikers at $100 a room. Plus it was right downtown, and despite being very tired from the hike, we managed to go to every single bar. But there is also a hostel and numerous other hotels so just do some research.

I highly suggest checking out this hike, it was life changing!

We took the shuttle back as it was the most reliable way to get there early for another $15. The hike back is much easier but just as lovely!

Pictures can not do the wildflowers justice!