Maroon Bells, Colorado: The Photograph That Shaped My Childhood

Maroon Bells, Colorado:  The Photograph That Shaped My Childhood

Not THE photo I'm talking about... I took this photo.  Put it on your wall and let it inspire you!

Ok, maybe that sounds a little dramatic, but I swear it’s true. When I was a kid, probably in kindergarten or first or second grade, I had this wall calendar full of scenic photographs from around the United States. Every month showed a new, breathtaking landscape.

But out of all twelve pictures, I only remember one.

It was a photograph of the Maroon Bells near Aspen, Colorado, their peaks dusted with snow and reflecting in the still water of Maroon Lake.

I can't exactly tell you why that picture stuck with me. Maybe it sparked my love for mountains, or maybe I already had that in me. Either way, it hit something deep. I was growing up in Wisconsin, land of glaciers and flat horizons, where mountains seemed like they only existed in my imagination. I was already an avid rock collector, proudly stacking handfuls of granite in my backyard, building my own personal "mountain" one stone at a time.

Not long after, my family took a trip to Colorado. I finally saw real mountains for the first time.  They were jagged, full of snow, and impossibly huge. But we didn’t make it to the Maroon Bells.

The photograph stayed with me anyway. Over the years, I saw other pictures of the same symmetrical peaks mirrored in the lake, and every time it felt somehow familiar. The Maroon Bells became a kind of personal landmark on my mental map; a place I promised myself I would visit someday.

That “someday” didn’t come until I was in my 30's. I'd been working in Utah and needed to drive to Denver, Colorado. With a few spare hours on the road, I finally took that detour through Aspen. After decades of seeing that image in books, calendars, and screens, I was going to see it with my own eyes.

The Real Maroon Bells

The reflection in Maroon Lake is amazing!

No photograph, not even the one that started this whole thing, can capture what it feels like to stand there. 

The Maroon Bells rise dramatically over Maroon Lake with snow highlighting the layered rock surfaces.

Deep maroon hues in the peaks come from hematite, an iron oxide mineral that stains the ancient mudstone that makes up the mountains. This rock belongs to the Maroon Formation, which formed about 300 million years ago, long before the Rocky Mountains existed. Back then, this part of Colorado was a vast, low basin near the equator, where rivers and shallow lakes spread fine layers of mud and sand across the landscape. Over time, those sediments were buried, compacted, and turned into stone, giving the Bells their rich red tones and soft texture.

Roadside Geology of Colorado book is a great road trip companion!

Unlike the hard granite that makes up many of Colorado’s mountains, the Maroon Bells are built from relatively soft, brittle rock. It crumbles easily, which makes the peaks as dangerous as they are beautiful. Climbers often call them the “Deadly Bells” because the rock can break apart without warning.

The mountains themselves rose much later, about 70 to 40 million years ago, during a massive mountain-building event called the Laramide Orogeny. Enormous pressures from deep within the Earth pushed ancient rock layers upward, folding and tilting them into the towering shapes we see today.

Their sharp, sculpted look came from the work of ice. During the Ice Ages, glaciers filled these valleys, grinding away the soft rock and carving deep U-shaped canyons. When the glaciers melted about 12,000 years ago, they left behind ridges of debris that trapped meltwater and formed Maroon Lake. That perfect reflection you see at sunrise is the product of both time and ice.

Even now, the Maroon Bells are still changing. Freeze-thaw cycles, summer rains, and gravity continue to wear down the peaks. Rockslides and avalanches reshape the slopes year after year, and each season a little more of the soft red rock turns to dust.

If you look closely, you can see how the reddish mudstone of the Bells contrasts with the gray and white granite of nearby peaks like Pyramid and Snowmass. Those color differences tell the story of hundreds of millions of years of shifting environments, from tropical floodplains to glacial valleys.

The Maroon Bells may look timeless in photographs, but they are a living landscape, constantly evolving. Every layer of rock, every scar on the cliffs, and every ripple in the lake reflects a different chapter in the long, beautiful story of the Rocky Mountains.

It might need to be said that this is not a rockhounding destination! Please respect the natural beauty, and do not take any rocks from here.

Visiting the Maroon Bells

Let's go hiking!

Always take a picture of the trail map

Getting there is not difficult, but it might take a little planning. The Maroon Bells Scenic Area is about ten miles southwest of Aspen. During the summer and fall, private vehicles are restricted after the early morning, so most visitors take a shuttle bus from Aspen Highlands. The drive itself is beautiful, winding through aspen groves and alpine meadows before ending at Maroon Lake.  It was 2019 during my trip, and I was able to drive there and park in the lot.  I didn't see any restrictions.  Maybe I was just lucky, or maybe they were't happening yet?   

Dandelions in the meadow, Maroon Bells in the background

My research said, "if you can, go early to see the sunrise." They say that the first rays of light will turn the peaks a glowing crimson, and the reflection in the lake looks like something painted by hand at that time of day.  

They also say that autumn is especially spectacular, when the aspen trees blaze gold and contrast perfectly with the deep red cliffs and evergreen slopes.

Despite how beautiful that sounds, I saw neither of these.  However, that doesn't mean I was disappointed.  Afternoon was just as magical.  The peaks still reflected in Maroon Lake with crisp precision.  It was quiet and still and cool as I watched clouds roll in.  

The easy snowy trail. It's June, FYI.

Go ahead, wear your sandals.  I did!

There are easy walking trails around Maroon Lake, or you can hike farther into the wilderness toward for a closer look at the Bells. It's ok if you wore your sandals like I did, the trees won't judge you for it.  Honestly, I wear my Tevas everywhere.  They're so versatile and comfy, I even run in them!  

If you linger, you might hear pika calls echoing from the rocks and see trout breaking the lake’s glassy surface. Even when there are other people there, it still feels like a sacred, serene place.  

I continued to linger until there were no other people in sight.  Alone and chilly, I thought I might get eaten by a moose, or a bear... but I saw no big animals as it grew darker.

Portrait of the Maroon Bells Photograph

Standing there, looking up at those peaks reflected perfectly in the lake, I could not help but think back to that calendar on my childhood wall. The photograph that once seemed like a dream was suddenly a place I could see, hear, and touch.

It is funny how something so small, like a picture in a calendar, can shape a lifetime of curiosity. That image helped introduce me to the mountains, fueled my curiosity to learn more about rocks, and encouraged me to be intrigued the Earth itself. It is probably part of why I still find myself stopping at road cuts to examine layers of sandstone or stuffing yet another chunk of granite into my backpack.

The Maroon Bells are one of the most photographed spots in America, and it is easy to see why. But for me, they will always be more than a postcard-perfect scene. They are the image that started it all, the place where a kid from flat, glaciated Wisconsin first fell in love with the idea of mountains.

Leaving the Maroon Bells, on to more adventures!