The Maroon Bells are two peaks in the Elk Mountains in Colorado. Just south of Aspen, they are Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak. From postcards to magnets, Maroon Bells is one of the most photographed places in Colorado.
There are a few ways to reach Maroon Bells in the winter. Hiking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, or by snowmobile. Evelyn and I visited Maroon Bells in January by way of T-Lazy-7 Ranch snowmobile tours.
Can You Drive to Maroon Bells in the Winter
In the winter, the road to Maroon Bells is snow covered and only accessible by foot, cross-country skis, snowshoes, and snowmobiles. In the summer, Maroon Bells can be accessed by vehicles on Maroon Creek Road that takes you up to an overlook of the most photographed mountains in North America.
Accessing Maroon Bells in the summer months does not require a pre-planned tour, but it’s important to make reservations in advance. We have yet to visit Maroon Bells in the summer or mild months personally, but I’ve read Maroon Creek Road will take you very close to the scenic overlook.
The parking lot at T-Lazy-7 Ranch is where the winter road closure begins. This is also where our snowmobiling journey began, and is the route to Maroon Lake (the location of the overlook). Next, I’ll talk about how you can snowmobile to Maroon Bells, and what kind of experience we had being on a snowmobile for our first time.
Maroon Bells Snowmobiling
Accessing Maroon Bells via snowmobile immerses you in a snow covered winter oasis. We took the Maroon Bells snowmobile tour, the most scenic of the four available tours T-Lazy-7 Ranch offers. Descriptions of each tour and information about bookings can be found on their website.
Evelyn and I operated a two seater snowmobile. We took turns being the driver, and that made for a great all around experience. Going the speed you desire and steering the snowmobile is exhilarating. Being a passenger allows you to look around and take in all of the beauty while your partner rips it down the trail. We couldn’t have had a better experience for our first time!
The route to the scenic overlook took about 45 minutes each way with multiple stops in between. The first portion of our snowmobile tour took us off the beaten path through a forest of aspen trees. In my opinion, this was one of the highlights of the tour. Aside from that, the guides make designated stops at a couple of locations to describe the surrounding area and interesting geological features. Our group was about 10 people, not including the guides.
The guides, snow, and views are all world class! I highly recommend this tour if you’re checking out Maroon Bells in the wintertime. Did I mention Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak are over 14,000 feet (4267.2 meters)!? Check out A Guide to Your First 14er if you’re interested in hiking in Colorado’s high elevations. While snowmobiling amongst the snow covered peaks was amazing, there was actually another reason why I wanted to do this….
Engagement
As some of you may or may not know, Evelyn and I had been dating for about 3.5 years at this point, and I had asked her parents for their blessing to take her hand in marriage the year before. Born in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, I thought that Maroon Bells was the perfect location to propose to Evelyn.
We had taken a summer trip the previous year throughout portions of Colorado and Utah, where we had intended to make Maroon Bells one of our final stops. Unfortunately, we were both unaware that reservations were needed during the summertime and we were unable to visit at that time. Therefore, I thought that surprising Evelyn with a trip back to Maroon Bells would be ideal.
I noted my intentions when making our reservation at T-Lazy-7 Ranch, and their great team accommodated us. They also did a good job keeping everything a secret until we reached the scenic overlook. Our guides helped capture a video of the moment I got down on one knee and asked for Evelyn’s hand. The world around us was frozen in time, and all I could see and focus on was Evelyn. To my relief, she said yes and I am forever grateful for their help in making my dreams come true.
Fairytale Ending
Having a love for the mountains and snow, it was only fitting that we were in a blizzard for the majority of our trip. The swirling snow made for a fairytale scene, and even the fact that we couldn’t see the Maroon Bells peaks didn’t have a negative impact on our experience whatsoever.
Visibility was low until we climbed back on our snowmobile and started heading back to the ranch. Evelyn was the driver, and I did my best to get a picture of the sun breaking through the clouds behind us. It was amazing!
It’s difficult to put into words how amazing the Maroon Bells are in the winter. The snow covered peaks, hikers, cross country skiers, snowshoers, and other snowmobilers created an escape from reality for Evelyn and I for a moment in time.
Sweet story along with beautiful photos !
Thank you so much!