Holiday weekend activities limited at Maroon Lake

ASPEN – Maroon Creek Road will open as planned Friday, but the Aspen Ranger District is warning potential visitors that activities will be extremely limited because of all the snow.

The main bathroom as well as the amphitheater at the Maroon Bells Scenic Area are “buried” in snow that is up to 14 feet deep in places, said Aurora Palmer, Maroon Bells program manager with the U.S. Forest Service. Only one toilet will open in the area, and there will be no running water.

Crews from Pitkin County and the Forest Service are working to get some parking cleared. Hiking on trails in the Maroon Lake area will be next to impossible because of the snow depth, Palmer said, so only on-snow travel by skis and snowshoes is advised. Signs will be posted in the area that warns travelers that winter conditions exist once they venture out of the parking lot. That means avalanches are possible in the backcountry, she said.

Given the limited possibilities, the Forest Service is subtly urging people to check out other activities in the area during Memorial Day weekend, like skiing on Aspen Mountain. Nevertheless, the agency wanted to get the Maroon Bells area at least partially opened for the holiday crowds.

“Historically, this has been one of the busiest times up there,” Palmer said.