Snowmass Lake is located 8.5 miles from Maroon Lake in a massive cirque ringed by Snowmass Peak, Hagerman Peak and Snowmass Mountain. It’s among the largest alpine lakes in the Wilderness, and one of many highlights on the 4-Pass Loop. This diverse trail scales Buckskin Pass (12,462') and drops through expansive alpine meadows to the lake basin.

The Maroon Snowmass Trail climbs over 700' in just one mile from the Willow Lake Trail split to Buckskin Pass

The Elk Range is considered the westernmost range in the Colorado Rocky Mountains-proper

View from Buckskin Pass over the top of Minnehaha Gulch toward Pyramid Peak (14,018')

Sunflowers are in the genus Helianthus, which comprises the Greek word 'Helios' (sun), and 'Anthos' (flower)

Over 100 miles of trail pass through the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness

Mountain goats are not actually goats at all, but rather members of the antelope family

Asters' etymology is rooted in the Latin word for 'star'

Looking northwest from Buckskin Pass at Snowmass Peak, Snowmass Mountain and the Snowmass Lake cirque

The Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness was established in 1964 and covers over 183,000 acres

The Maroon Bells and neighboring peaks are distinguished by interbedded shale, siltstones and sandstones from the youngest period of the Paleozoic Era (Permian)

A well-defined trail leads over treeline on a sinuous path to Buckskin Pass

A recent study found that 3 of every 5 campsites in the Wilderness were located within 100' of a trail, lake or stream, in violation of posted regulations

Crater Lake formed as glaciers retreated and left flat areas in the valley (glacial benching) that collected water

Red hues in the rock come from weathering of hematite, an iron-bearing mineral; color variations can be traced to the source sediment and heat at the time of deposition

The N-S route to Snowmass Lake sees lighter traffic, but lacks the grandeur and high alpine landscapes of the Maroon Lake - Buckskin route

The trail skirts marshes and slow moving oxbows before crossing Snowmass Creek on the final approach to Snowmass Lake