July 7, 2021

By Tim Briese

9.3 miles, 2200’ elevation gain, 8:30 roundtrip time

Crested Butte, the acclaimed "wildflower capital of Colorado", has become an almost annual destination for my wife Teresa and I to see the wildflowers in July. Our favorite trail to view the flowers is the West Maroon Trail and we went there again this year.

Early in the morning we drove up the Gothic Road north of Crested Butte and over Schofield Pass and down to the West Maroon Trailhead on the other side. This road becomes narrow and requires high clearance for the last few miles. There were a number of other hikers here today as usual. Many were doing the popular hike from here over West Maroon Pass to Maroon Lake, and riding a shuttle from Aspen back to Crested Butte. We headed up the trail along the east fork of the Crystal River and after a half mile emerged from the woods and climbed up into seemingly endless meadows filled with glorious wildflowers, many of which were waist to shoulder high. Every year the display is a little different depending on the various stages of bloom of each species. We strolled along in the golden morning sunlight snapping photos of the beautiful flowers.

After a couple of miles we turned left onto the much less used Hasley Pass Trail and climbed to the slopes above, still strolling through endless green vegetation and flowers.

glorious green covered the mountainsides; west maroon pass is at the upper right

on the hasley pass trail

We did not go all the way to Hasley Pass today but cut off and bushwhacked across the rolling green slopes toward Frigid Air Pass (12,415’), one of the four high passes on the popular four pass loop hike in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area.

approaching frigid air pass, which is the saddle in the top center of the photo

We intersected the North Fork Trail just below the pass and proceeded to make the steep ascent on the trail up to the pass.

on the trail up to the pass

The view from the pass is stunning – the Maroon Bells, Snowmass Mountain, Hagerman Peak, Fravert Basin, and much more. It was a gorgeous warm and calm day to be here too. There were several other hikers at and near the pass, mostly young backpackers doing the loop hike.

the view back down into the valley that we hiked up

the view toward hasley pass with treasury mountain beyond in the distance

hikers coming up the steep trail to the pass

view on the other side of the pass of fravert basin, and snowmass mountain and hagerman peak in the distance

maroon peak across the valley

belleview mountain at the right, and upper fravert basin

After enjoying this magnificent spot for a while we went back down the trail and continued south on the North Fork Trail, which traverses across a slope high above the beautiful Crystal River Valley below.

the valley of the east fork of the crystal river

Upon reaching the West Maroon Trail we took it back down the valley and retraced our steps back to the trailhead on this splendid afternoon.

on the trail back down the valley

This gorgeous hike never disappoints!