Electric Pass (13,485') is located 4.65 miles from Cathedral Lake Trailhead in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. It's considered the highest named pass accessible by trail in Colorado. The route shares the first 2.3 miles with Cathedral Lake, then breaks off on a methodical climb to the rim of a massive cirque that leads precariously on to the pass. Views are exceptional, as are wildflowers across vast alpine slopes between Cathedral Lake and the pass.

Cathedral Peak and the adjacent cliffs over Cathedral Lake are comprised of grey-green hornfels; with good lighting, their sedimentary-layered origin is readily apparent

The trail reaches a saddle at 4.25 miles on the cirque rim with great views over the top of the Devaney Creek drainage, which feeds American Lake

Elephants Head, a member of the figwort family (which also includes foxglove and snapdragons), favors damp alpine meadows

The Electric Pass Trail is well-conceived, with long, sweeping switchbacks that mitigate steep grades and high elevation

Looking NW from Electric Pass over the Conundrum Creek Valley and across the tops of the Maroon Bells, Pyramid Peak and Snowmass Mountain

Electric Pass is lauded for its amazing views, but wildflowers on the way up quietly rival any display in the Aspen area

The first stage in the formation of Cathedral Peak began 34M years ago as sedimentary layers of the Maroon Formation were thrust upward

View across the Cathedral Lake basin on the final (and potentially) precarious approach to Electric Pass

Aspen are among the first trees to reclaim disturbed areas, reproducing quickly from a shared root system

At 1.5 miles the forest opens on a long arc up the north wall with great views up-valley

Despite its ominous name and history behind it, Electric Pass is no more susceptible to lightning than any other point at this elevation

Bistort is in the Buckwheat family; it's sometimes jokingly referred to as 'miner's socks' for its pungent smell

Cathedral Lake fills a large cirque bound by Cathedral and Malamute peaks to the west, and a low-walled moraine on the east side

Paintbrush roots (Genus Castilleja) have specialized parts called haustoria, which attach to the roots of other plants and draw away nutrients

Looking east across the 'saddle' (13,160'), which is a good turnaround point if weather threatens, or launching point for reaching Leahy Peak (13,322')

Fireweed earns its name for being one of the first flowering plants to reclaim disturbed land, such as from a fire or avalanche

Old Man of the Mountain (Hymenoxys grandiflora) typically face east to capture early morning sunlight

Larkspur is a member of the delphinium family, a word derived from the Greek 'delphis', or dolphin

Though ridge traverses seem relatively easy once on the pass, unstable rock and technical gaps make further travel ill-advised for most hikers

Steep slopes susceptible to rockslides and avalanches characterize the Elk Range, creating frequent disturbances that perpetuate the dominance of aspen forests at lower elevations