Maroon Bells, Maroon Lake, Aspen, Colorado

Maroon mountain majesties

Gaze across Colorado's Maroon Lake at the peaks of the Maroon Bells rising in the distance. The two mountains known as the Maroon Bells—Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak—are 'fourteeners,' members of a class of mountains higher than 14,000 feet. But climbers should note: The US Forest Service calls the Maroon Bells the 'Deadly Bells.' Unlike other mountains in the Rockies which are granite and limestone, both Maroon peaks are hardened mudstone. It's less stable and can fracture easily, causing hazardous situations when the loose rock sloughs off. And it's that mudstone's maroon hue that inspired the mountains' colorful names. Located roughly 12 miles from Aspen, Colorado, the Maroon Bells are located within the wider Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness.