Willow Lake Trail

Willow Lake is the quiet lake on the far side of Willow Pass from the Maroon Bells, reached from Maroon Lake by the Buckskin Pass trail and a 12,580-foot pass of its own. The round trip is about 12 miles with 3,800 feet of climbing, the crowds fall away at the Willow Pass junction, and the lake sits in a granite basin that looks nothing like the maroon rock around the Bells. It is a long day or an easy overnight with a permit.

From Maroon Lake, take the Maroon-Snowmass trail past Crater Lake at 1.8 miles and up Minnehaha Gulch, climbing through aspen and then open meadow with the Bells to the south. At about 4 miles the Willow Pass trail leaves right, just before the final climb to Buckskin Pass.

The Willow Pass trail climbs through a high basin to the pass at 12,580 feet, the day's high point, with a view north over the Willow Creek drainage and the granite peaks of the Snowmass Creek divide. From the pass the trail drops about 800 feet on switchbacks to Willow Lake at 11,795 feet, a long lake with meadow at its outlet and cliffs behind. Return over the pass; the climb back up is the hard part of the afternoon.

Maroon Lake, at the end of Maroon Creek Road, under the reservation system: a shuttle seat from Aspen Highlands or a parking reservation for arrival before 8 AM, required from mid-May through October and booked at visitmaroonbells.com. A day hike needs no wilderness permit; camping at Willow Lake needs an overnight permit for its zone from Recreation.gov, which sells out for summer weekends but is easier to get than Snowmass Lake or Crater Lake. Toilets at the lake; no water.

Dogs are allowed on leash in the scenic area and the wilderness, but pets cannot ride the shuttle, so bringing one means a parking reservation; the record lists the trail as not dog-friendly for that reason and for the distance. Not a kid hike. Carry a filter; the creek in Minnehaha Gulch and the lake are the water. Camp 100 feet from the lake, no fires, bear canister required. The listing here reflects the Maroon Lake approach over Willow Pass; the East Snowmass trail from Snowmass Village reaches the same lake by a longer, rougher valley. Aspen is 30 minutes away. The Maroon Bells visitor guide covers the shuttle, and the Aspen hikes page lists the rest.