July 3, 2012
July 3, 2012
The primary reason we came to Aspen is to see and photograph the Maroon Bells. They are the iconic image of the Colorado Rockies, as the Matterhorn is to the Alps. Since they are only nine miles from a major resort, the Bells are very popular, and access is limited. The road up to the Scenic Area is restricted to busses only from 9am-5pm. Since parking an RV in Aspen is near impossible our options were limited. Our plan was to get to the Maroon Bells just after dawn, find the best RV parking spot, and stay there till the road reopens after 5pm.
We left our campsite at 5:15am but with a 25mph speed limit throughout Aspen, we didn’t arrive at the scenic area till almost six. That was still early enough to easily park the motorhome. It also turned out we could leave anytime during the day. There were no restrictions on exiting.
Even though we were early, I was still the last tripod-toting photographer to show up. Even that didn’t matter. My best shots were a couple hours later when the sun was up but hiding behind a cloud, and the water became smooth as a mirror. The Maroon Bells were spectacular but the photographs don’t do them justice.
Since the Scenic Area is far more beautiful than our overgrown campground (and cooler), we spent most of the day there. After our morning photography, we hiked around Maroon Lake and then another mile or so uphill to Crater Lake. Both lakes were formed when glaciers scoured the local terrain.
Despite our worst fears, our visit was a no-brainer and the scenery awesome. Both of us are surprised it took us so many years of extensive traveling in the West to stumble upon this gem.
The primary reason we came to Aspen is to see and photograph the Maroon Bells. They are the iconic image of the Colorado Rockies, as the Matterhorn is to the Alps. Since they are only nine miles from a major resort, the Bells are very popular, and access is limited. The road up to the Scenic Area is restricted to busses only from 9am-5pm. Since parking an RV in Aspen is near impossible our options were limited. Our plan was to get to the Maroon Bells just after dawn, find the best RV parking spot, and stay there till the road reopens after 5pm.
We left our campsite at 5:15am but with a 25mph speed limit throughout Aspen, we didn’t arrive at the scenic area till almost six. That was still early enough to easily park the motorhome. It also turned out we could leave anytime during the day. There were no restrictions on exiting.
Since the Scenic Area is far more beautiful than our overgrown campground (and cooler), we spent most of the day there. After our morning photography, we hiked around Maroon Lake and then another mile or so uphill to Crater Lake. Both lakes were formed when glaciers scoured the local terrain.
Despite our worst fears, our visit was a no-brainer and the scenery awesome. Both of us are surprised it took us so many years of extensive traveling in the West to stumble upon this gem.
posted by Mike and Aimee at 5:41 PM
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