West Maroon Trail: Aspen to Crested Butte
Walk between two of Colorado's favorite ski towns.
Moderate Hiking
- Distance
- 17 km
- Ascent
- 951 m
- Descent
- 693 m
Crested Butte claims to be Colorado's Wildflower Capital... and after one trip here you'll see why!
Hiking Easy, Moderate, Difficult, Severe
Crested Butte isn’t close to… well, really anything else. As you drive north from Gunnison, the paved highway winds up a beautiful valley, with the mountains getting progressively taller and more majestic along the way. And suddenly—you’re in the town of Crested Butte, surrounded by soaring mountain peaks on all sides! The paved road continues a little further up to the resort, but then the pavement simply ends. From here, you’ll only find dirt roads heading further up and into the mountains.
Dirt roads... and hundreds upon hundreds of miles of fantastic trails!
Thanks to the remoteness of this entire region, it’s easy to reach a middle-of-nowhere feeling within minutes of stepping on one of the hundreds of hiking trails. These trails provide access to stunning alpine peaks, deep aspen groves with golden leaves in the fall, tumbling waterfalls, and the wide-open meadows filled with wildflowers that Crested Butte is famous for.
Whatever type of hiking you enjoy, you’re guaranteed to find your next favorite hike here in Crested Butte!
Walk between two of Colorado's favorite ski towns.
Moderate Hiking
Crested Butte's newest trail is an instant classic!
Difficult Hiking
A steep climb directly from downtown Crested Butte leads to a scenic alpine lake.
Difficult Hiking
A flat, easy, but incredibly scenic hike directly from downtown Crested Butte.
Easy Hiking
A $20 chairlift ride and a quick 0.75-mile hike will get you to this epic mountain summit.
Severe Hiking
Hike through a stunning aspen grove and beautiful meadows.
Moderate Hiking
One of the best bang-for-your-buck alpine hikes in Colorado.
Moderate Hiking
Climb to the Trail 403 overlook the hard way.
Difficult Hiking
One of the most spectacular wildflower hikes in Crested Butte!
Moderate Hiking
One of the most popular, easy hikes in Crested Butte.
Moderate Hiking
Difficult hike to the summit of one of the most iconic mountains in the region.
Severe Hiking
A scenic loop route on the Crested Butte classic Teocalli Ridge.
Difficult Hiking
Traverse a stunning alpine ridge to reach the summit of 12,401-foot Mount Emmons, the Red Lady.
Difficult Hiking
Hike to an overlook of The Castles, one of the most beautiful rock formations in Colorado!
Difficult Hiking
One of the best fall color hikes in Crested Butte.
Moderate Hiking
A stunning hike into the alpine along a knife-edge mountain ridge.
Difficult Hiking
10 routes · Alpine Climbing · Hiking
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6 routes · Hiking
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7 routes · Alpine Climbing · Hiking
11 routes · Alpine Climbing · Hiking
6 routes · Hiking
7 routes · Hiking
5 routes · Alpine Climbing · Hiking