A quick heads up about the lower section of the Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop right now

I was out there last week and the snowmelt has turned the trail into a real mess. The part between Buckskin Pass and Snowmass Lake is basically a river, with water over the trail for about a mile. My boots were soaked through in ten minutes, and I saw a few people slip trying to rock hop. Has anyone else been through there recently and found a better way around that stretch?

3 comments

3 Comments

ninasanchez3mo ago

Honestly, I always thought hiking poles were extra gear for old people. Tried them last month in mud like that and they saved me from falling a bunch. Now I won't go without them.

the_mia3mo ago

Oh man, my friend said the same thing! He laughed at my poles until a steep, rocky section last fall. He borrowed one of mine and said it totally changed his balance. Never teases me about them now.

stone.thomas1mo ago

First time I tried poles was on a 14-mile loop in the Smokies with a 30-pound pack. I was slipping all over wet rocks until I broke down and grabbed sticks from the trail. Next trip I bought a cheap pair of aluminum ones and they saved my knees on the downhill sections. Now I feel weird without them even on short walks. You don't realize how much your legs brace against every little stumble until you take that load off.