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North Maroon Peak

 Northeast Ridge
Difficulty Class 4 
Risk FactorsExposure: High
Rockfall Potential: High  
Route-Finding: High  
Commitment: High  
 
TrailheadMaroon Lake
Start9,590 feet
Summit14,022 feet
Total Gain4,600 feet
RT Length9.25 miles
AuthorBillMiddlebrook
Last UpdatedSep 2023
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Are You Ready For This?

North Maroon Peak is one of the most-difficult of the standard 14er routes; Don't take it lightly, don't go if you don't have solid Class 3/4 climb skills and don't go just to check this mountain off your list. If you are unsure of whether or not you have the necessary skills and partners for this climb, consider using a professional guide with proper certifications, at Aspen Expeditions. Watch out for phonies on social media who claim to be a guide but are not affiliated with a guide company. Call the pros.

Trailhead

Drive to Aspen and locate the start of the Maroon Creek road at a roundabout just west of town. Measuring mileage from there, drive 3.2 miles where you'll pass a ranch. At 4.7 miles, reach the U.S. Forest Service entrance station. Reach the trailhead at 9.5 miles. During summer, the road past the entrance station is closed to cars between 8am and 5pm so if you have a parking permit or getting dropped off, make sure it's outside these hours.

Route

Much of the route up North Maroon can be seen from Maroon Lake - 1. Leave the trailhead, walk past the lake start up the Crater Lake trail - 2. Walk approximately 1.75 miles to a signed trail junction and turn right onto the Maroon-Snowmass trail - 3. Continue over 0.75 miles to the trail junction for North Maroon - 4. Turn left and descend to the creek in Minnehaha Gulch - 5 and 6. Cross the stream and follow the well-defined trail as it zig zags up through talus fields - 7 and 8. Near 11,100', turn left beneath cliffs and continue to another talus field - 9. Near 11,500', reach an open, grassy area where North Maroon comes back into view - 10. Continue to the rock glacier below the north face - 11.

Follow cairns and trail segments onto the rock glacier and cross it while aiming for a break in the cliffs on the other side - 12. Keeping looking for cairns and you should not lose or gain much elevation as you cross. Beyond the rocks, locate a more-defined trail and follow it south around a corner - 13. Shortly past the corner, turn right and climb 200 feet below cliffs - 14. At 11,950', reach a corner where you get your first look at the next portion of the route - a broad gully that extends to the northeast ridge - 15 and 16. For the remainder of this route description, this gully will be referred to as the 1ST GULLY . Follow the trail into the gully and begin climbing the left side - 17. You'll climb 600 feet before exiting on the left side, below the white cliffs seen in 16. Much of this area is steep Class 2 hiking but as you ascend, the terrain becomes a bit more difficult - 17. Above 12,600', follow the trail left and exit the gully - 18. Turn another corner and traverse across ledges to reach the entrance to the 2nd GULLY near 12,700' - 19.

The route now becomes more difficult and time consuming. If the weather is deteriorating, turn back! This gully is steeper than the 1st and has plenty of loose rock and scrambling near the top. Descend slightly to reach the center of the gully and begin climbing - 20 and 21. Above 12,900', the gully gets steeper - 22. Follow the faint trail along the left side of the gully as you aim for a notch in the ridge, left of a hump of rock - 23. At the notch, turn left and climb through cliff bands ( 24 and 25) to gain the ridge crest near 13,300' - 26.

Continue a short distance to reach a rock band, near 13,500' - 27. Climbing the band direct is the crux of the route and involves a short, Class 4 chimney. There's a Class 3 way around to the right but it's longer and forces you into more loose rock so most people climb the rock band directly. If you're having trouble identifying the chimney, look for the two leaning blocks just above it - 28. Walk up to the pitch and carefully begin climbing - 29 and 30. At the top, turn right and follow easier terrain before turning left to climb back toward the ridge crest - 31 and 32. Climb onto a precipice where you can see the remaining 300 feet to the summit - 33 and 34. Leave the precipice, ascend the edge of the ridge and climb the last steep, exposed Class 3/4 ledges - 35. Back on easy ground, walk a short Class 2 section to reach the summit - 36, 37 and 38. Taken from Pyramid Peak, 39 shows the east side of North Maroon and the route between the 1st and 2nd gullies.

Notes

IMPORTANT: This route enters the Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness area. Wilderness areas have special regulations and restrictions for party size, dispersed camping, campfires, etc. Also, dog owners should read the wilderness information carefully because some wilderness areas prohibit dogs to be off-leash and/or limit how close dogs can be to lakes and streams. If you have questions about the wilderness area, please contact a U.S. Forest Service office for the National Forest(s) listed above.
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