North Maroon Peak

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/9/2025, By: 5meodimte
Info: Complete summer conditions. 8hrs TH to TH. The small pile of ice/snow at the bottom of the chimney descending N. Maroon impacts nothing. Witnessed a SAR operation extracting a dude off the last 200 feet of the South Maroon route. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/6/2025, By: Pcypher
Info: Near summer conditions. We were able to avoid most snow except to cross the precipice once (very easy, no traction) and the bottom of the chimney still has snow about 2+ feet (which is helpful going up and super slippery going down). We otherwise had a couple steps in snow here and there which will likely be gone in a day or two. Left the axes, glad we did. Had microspikes but never used them. Didn’t get a great view of the class 3 bypass but it looked like there was a bit of snow at the bottom of it. Happy climbing! 

Route: The North Face + Bells Traverse
Posted On: 7/6/2025, By: WillRobnett
Info: Ice melted quickly, north face has a sea of runoff spanning most of the cliffs after heavy storm last week... Can filter water above 13k. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/30/2025, By: Caitlin123
Info: South Ridge to South Maroon is snow free. The traverse is almost entirely snow free and the couple of isolated patches presented no issues. The second spire was spicer than I was expecting: I found Cables on Longs and the standard route on the Third Flatiron easier and less committing scrambles/solos than the second spire (flagging in case, like me, you think of "5th class" as meaning "5-easy" rather than something that might warrant a specifc, higher grade). The rock is loose, but not as bad as I was expecting it to be from descriptions. There are still snow patches descending from North Maroon Peak that last until about the point where the route leaves the ridge as you descend from the summit. The snow fields weren't large and could be bypassed if you wanted to avoid them. I had spikes and an axe with me and didn't end up using them. Someone else who went up that way mentioned he'd used spikes on the ascent, so could still be worth taking depending on your preferences. 

Route: The North Face + Bells Traverse
Posted On: 6/29/2025, By: WillRobnett
Info: The North Face... Approached from it's semi-glacial corner near Sleeping Sexton. At climber's right is an overhanging gulley and obvious no go. Just left of that got through and kept finding ways to get through.. left and up... rinse and repeat. Lots of water ice between snow bands and quite a bit of sugary snow. Bells Traverse N-S was an hour and twenty minutes from the summit of North Maroon to the summit Maroon Peak. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/27/2025, By: notidealbutfine
Info: Still needs a couple of weeks for full summer conditions most likely. There were some small snowfields to climb on the rock glacier, then the route was generally snow free until the precipice at ~13,800'. Snow covered the majority of the route from the precipice on. Spikes were generally fine to climb, but in retrospect, having an axe would have been really good as the run outs were fatal. We had to get creative with the route on the final 300' due to snow covering most of the route, with the exception of the crux. Summit views were outstanding. I'd say bring an axe along with your spikes or just wait a couple weeks. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/25/2025, By: dakotasmama
Info: Trail from parking lot to Crater Lake was pristine, if you have reservations at one of the 11 campsites bear in mind that it is 1.5 miles to campsites 1&2 - the rest of the sites are very spread out all the way around the lake and tucked at least 0.1 miles back up in the trees, so by the time you get to 10&11 it is easily 2 miles from the parking lot, if not more (I stayed at campsite 9 which is on the way to Maroon Peak, but it’s 1/2 mile past the trail for North Maroon and 1 mile past the trail for Pyramid). There is still a decent amount of snow starting around 11,000 feet - large snowfields that were mostly stable on both ascent and descent but still made staying on route more difficult. The gullies are switchbacked but still steep and quite a slog of elevation gain. The Class 3 and 4 climbing at the top of the second gully was ~very~ spicy, lots of options but not a lot of stable hand or footholds. The chimney was terrifying. There was a rope that didn’t ~quite~ reach all the way to the bottom but it WAS secure and did help us starting about halfway up. The snow became much more of a problem after that point - starting at the precipice (13,800 feet) it covered the trail until just below the summit and though it was mostly stable, it was still unnerving to walk across the precipice next to sheer cliffs and not know if you were walking on snow on top of rocks or snow hanging off a cliff edge waiting to collapse (once we got higher I could see it’s definitely on top of rocks but I still wouldn’t get too close to the edge, it’s melting quickly). We were able to use a few patches of exposed rocks to help navigate the final 300 feet but most were loose and I’m not sure if they made it better or worse. We were both wearing microspikes and I would say that’s a MINIMUM until the snow melts - crampons and ice picks would have made us feel much more secure. The view from the summit, as on Maroon Peak, was mind-blowing - we could see the southern half of the Sawatch Range. The descent wasn’t ~as~ terrifying and since we knew the stability of the snow we were able to stay more on-route, but I still think the Elks are dangerous enough without adding the complication of losing the route in the snow, and it would likely be much safer to wait until more of it melts. 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 6/23/2025, By: KS_Teacher11
Info: Trip Report – Maroon Bells Traverse (June 23, 2025)
Kansas dad here—flatlander with a healthy respect for gravity. Maroon Peak is nearly in summer conditions. A couple of snowfields linger in the boulder field but are totally avoidable—microspikes stayed in the pack. Rock was dry and route-finding was straightforward. The traverse is clear of snow and just as exposed and sketchy as advertised. Take that for what it’s worth from a midwestern dad, but we roped up for a few sections just to play it safe. Rock is dry, holds are solid, and the commitment is real. North Maroon still has snow under the chimney, which made that section the crux for us. Having a rope and some gear was definitely the right call. Epic route, wild exposure, and a great day in the Bells 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/24/2025, By: jfm3
Info: Here is a zoom on the upper face of North Maroon, seen from Snowmass Mountain on June 22. I climbed North Maroon in similar conditions 2 years ago. Crampons and an ice axe are a good idea. Those snowfields can be steep and exposed. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/22/2025, By: WillRobnett
Info: Stream crossing looks good with recent logs added. Rock glacier has a few snow fields with plenty of water to filter near 11,500. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/30/2025, By: Jonathan Deffenbaugh
Info: Descended via the Northeast Ridge after completing the Bells Traverse. To note from the route crux (13,500') to the summit has snow conditions that require ice axe/crampons for traction, don't skimp with just having microspikes and not having a means to stop yourself sliding. Other than that all gully sections below were snowfree with a couple snowfields you can use as a shortcut glissade down the boulderfield. Route was better marked as I kept descending back to the main trail(s). 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 10/9/2024, By: Thmpsn_
Info: My wife and I did standard route 10/8. 100% summer conditions until 30 feet before class 4 chimney crux. Snow and ice below and immediately above the chimney made things a little more spicy. I used spikes for chimney, she did not. Patchy snow on the easier terrain above chimney toward summit. Dry after precipice. Opted to descend chimney again instead of class 3 bypass. Saw 1 other person, great day! 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 10/7/2024, By: awestra
Info: Did the Bells Traverse yesterday (maroon -> north maroon), the way up maroon peak was dry. Going down from maroon peak summit to the top of the bell cord coulouir had spots of snow (see picture)--we did not use/bring microspikes. Past the bell cord couloir the traverse was dry. Some patches of snow coming down north maroon (see picture of chimney) 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 10/1/2024, By: montysep
Info: Turned back down at the chimney. The walked on & compressed snow below the chimney was frozen crust and very slick. Would think microspikes there and above required in your pack at a minimum. Since my partner overlooked their microspikes there was no way we were going beyond the chimney. Would've fooled around and done an up and down the chimney for old times sake but the overall vibe was not inviting to me and stopped after climbing to eye level. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 10/1/2024, By: DiamondCutter
Info: It was icy and slick along the ridge leading to the crux but it was somewhat manageable without spikes. I tried to find a bypass around and only saw a feasible option to the left of the crux which was dry but steep and exposed low-mid class 5 climbing. I also ventured right of the crux for about 50 yards or more but didn't see any good options and it was only getting snowier and icier the further right I went. So returned to the crux, but once I got to the top I encountered more snow and ice. I opted to turn back. The mantle move to get on top of the chimney seemed a little sketchy and a fall there would be a pretty bad situation. I assume above the crux has a little more snow and ice but maybe it could still be manageable (not ideal) without spikes. Since I didn't make it past the top of the chimney, I'm not sure how rigging an anchor would go but another post mentioned they rigged one with paracord this weekend and left it there. FWIW, I spoke with someone who went up after me, and he took a steep low class 5 bypass to the left of the chimney and turned back on the ridge as he was just put for a scouting mission. He explained there a couple of options to the left of the chimney, one options is climbing the headwall arete, which is what I think he took, and the other option is briefly going down and back up the gulleys facing south/southeast (each are located at the notch just left the chimney) but when I was looking at those options I didn't like them, this is where YMMV.