GUNUNG · United States

Maroon Peak

Maroon Peak (South Maroon Peak)

Puncak kembar Maroon Bells memantul di Maroon Lake — Maroon Peak (South Maroon) adalah puncak yang lebih tinggi (foto kawasan Maroon Bells, bukan hanya puncak spesifik).. Photo: source

Information

Elevation: 4.317 m
Country: United States (US)
Location / Range: Elk Mountains (Rocky Mountains)
Mountain type: Gunung (batuan sedimen — mudstone Formasi Maroon, non-vulkanik)
Volcanic?: No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates: 39.0708, -106.9892
Difficulty: Berat (kelas 3, eksposur tinggi, batuan lepas & rapuh)
Best Season: Pertengahan Juli–September (salju musim panas sudah surut)
Permits & Rules: Berada di Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness (White River National Forest). Tidak ada izin mendaki khusus, tetapi akses kendaraan/shuttle ke Maroon Lake & kepala jalur wajib reservasi lewat visitmaroonbells.com pada musim ramai.
Hazards: Batuan mudstone yang sangat lepas & 'busuk'—pegangan kerap runtuh dan risiko rockfall/longsor batu tinggi, ditambah eksposur besar, jalur turun yang membingungkan, dan badai petir siang hari yang datang cepat.

Description

Maroon Peak (4,317 m), also called South Maroon Peak, is the higher of the twin Maroon Bells in Colorado's Elk Mountains, about 19 km southwest of Aspen. Its distinctive maroon walls come from the sedimentary mudstone of the Maroon Formation, not from volcanism. Although it is the most-photographed scene in North America, climbing it is a very different affair: the standard South Ridge is only class 3 yet is regarded as one of the most dangerous fourteener routes because its rock is loose and rotten, so holds and footing crumble readily. The local nickname 'Deadly Bells' stems from its accident history. Most climbers start well before dawn from Maroon Lake, follow West Maroon Creek, then tackle the steep pull onto the south ridge before afternoon storms roll in.

Routes

Bells Traverse (Maroon Peak ↔ North Maroon Peak)

Sangat Berat (kelas 4–5, eksposur ekstrem)

The classic ridge traverse linking Maroon Peak (South) and North Maroon Peak — one of Colorado's 'Four Great Traverses'. It requires class 4–5 climbing on loose rock with extreme exposure along a narrow ridge, suitable only for experienced climbers comfortable with technical terrain and high rockfall risk.

Source

South Ridge (rute standar)

Berat (kelas 3; salah satu rute fourteener paling berbahaya)

19.30 km +1463 m 1 hari panjang, umumnya 9–11 jam

Standard route to Maroon Peak (4,317 m). From Maroon Lake the trail follows the lake's west shore and climbs toward Crater Lake for about 1.75 miles to the West Maroon Creek junction. After crossing a talus field, climbers reach a cairned junction at 10,400 ft, then begin a steep ~2,800-foot pull (in about 1.5 miles) up the east slopes onto the south ridge. The upper section is sustained class-3 scrambling on loose, rotten mudstone with major exposure. Total is about 12 miles and ~4,800 ft (≈1,463 m) of gain.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Climbers describe Maroon Peak as a long, nerve-testing Colorado fourteener: the standard South Ridge (class 3) demands a pre-dawn start from Maroon Lake, a steep 2,800-foot pull onto the south ridge, and careful route-finding on loose, crumbly mudstone. Many stress the rockfall danger, the exposure, and the need to descend before afternoon thunderstorms. Round trips typically run 9–11 hours over about 19 km.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.