nunns wrote: ↑Thu Jun 08, 2023 8:31 am
CheapCigarMan wrote: ↑Wed Jun 07, 2023 3:44 pm
Also, there are two different zones for camping near the Maroon Bells, under the MAROON BELLS-SNOWMASS WILDERNESS area, on the recreation site.
Crater Zone - covers the 11 different campsites near Crater Lake. Crater Lake sites 1 - 11.
Maroon Zone - covers dispersed camping in that area. Maroon Zone small group (1-4 people) and Maroon Zone large group (5-10 people).
Refer to the map for these zones. However, by looking at the map it's not clear where the exact boundary lines are for these two zones. I am assuming that the Crater Zone is for camping in the reserved campsite spots. And the Maroon Zone is anywhere outside those sites.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 083862.pdf
OK, so if I am reading ALL of this right, and I want to attempt the Elks next summer, I either need to:
Spend a ton of time, energy, and money attempting to acquire the necessary permits, or:
Have someone drop me off on day 1 at a trailhead, hike into the area, and set up camp somewhere in the blue zone on the above referenced map.
Is that correct, or did I miss something?
Sean Nunn
Raytown MO
Crater Zone and Maroon Zone are referring to camping permits. These give access to Maroon Peak, North Maroon, Thunder, Lightning (Unnamed 13,722 now LiDAR unranked), and Len Shoemaker (Unnamed 13,631). Perhaps others but these are the Cents & Bi-Cents in that area.
The camping permits are $10 a night per person plus $6 fee. Once you reserve a camping spot you will get a confirmation email from them and in that email there will be a link to reserve parking. Which you will need to purchase for $10 (unless you have a parks pass, then it's $0, not free because you've already paid for the pass).
In "off-season"
after the road opens and
before the shuttle busses begin. You may enter and park any time,
you still need to purchase a parking pass during this time.
However, when the season opens, when the road is open and the shuttles begin, you are not allowed to park between 8am and 5pm. During this season you will need to arrive before 8am or after 5pm to park, and of course will need to purchase a parking pass.
The camping reservation system is separate from the Maroon Bells Parking reservation system. I think camping is federal and parking is local.
Camping reservations open up differently then parking. I'm not sure when they open etc. but you could book camping spots months before in advance and you could book well into the future. However, the Bells parking opens up on a rolling wave schedule. So be mindful of that.
And yes, both camping and parking book out very quickly.
For camping reservations you can only book two reservations at a time. Some people will book several different dates to anticipate weather windows. But you can only have two open reservations at a time with camping.
Yes, it's complicated. Yes, you need to be a lawyer to understand it. Yes, you should have a dedicated paid sys admin to book your Bells reservations. And when you talk to the folks there, these systems are in place because we are loving the area too much.
It's taken many many hours of reading, phone calls, and emails to decipher the process and to be able to put it into a concise format.
I hope it is helpful for you and others as you plan.