Capitol Lake (11,597’) is located 6.6 miles from Capitol Creek Trailhead in the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness. It fills a steep-walled bowl framed by Capitol Peak (14,130’), Mount Daly (13,305’) and Capitol Pass (12,078’). This mostly-moderate trail follows Capitol Creek through long intervals of aspen, meadows and open alpine landscapes to the lake, and continues over Capitol Pass into the Avalanche Creek drainage.

The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative restored eroded slopes on Capitol Peak and finished constructing a trail to the Mount Daly - Capitol Peak saddle in 2002

Long, open meadows speed travel and offer good places to camp if not aiming for the lakes

Capitol Lake (11,597') is framed by the steep flank of Capitol Peak (14,130') and the unnamed 12,751' peak shown here

The Capitol Creek Trail continues up the west side of the lake to Capitol Pass and crosses some short sections of very steep, loose rock

Capitol Pass (12,078') is located .8 miles and 510' up from the lake access spur

The Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness is one of 8 wilderness areas in the White River National Forest

The Rocky Mountain Columbine was named the official state flower of Colorado in 1899 after winning a vote by Colorado school children

Aerial views of the basin reveal the distinct north lip of the lake, which is a low wall of steep talus

The Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness is Colorado's fourth largest wilderness area, with 100 miles of trail and 9 passes over 12,000'

Paintbrush belongs to a genus of 200 species of partially or fully parasitic plants that derive nourishment from the roots of other plants

The Capitol Creek Trail continues down the south side of Capitol Pass into the Avalanche Creek drainage

Golden Banner, a member of the pea family, is abundant across sunny mid-elevation slopes and is among the first flowers to bloom each season

Distinct red hues and striations in the Elk Mountains come from dissolved traces of iron and the rock's sedimentary origin

A typical marmot family group consists of one dominant adult couple and several subordinate adults, juveniles and pups

Capitol Creek runs from its origin at Capitol Lake into the Roaring Fork River, which accounts for ~54% of the entire watershed flow

Arguably the most challenging part of reaching Capitol Pass is negotiating very steep sections of loose rock around the lake