- Maroon Bells
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Maroon Peak 
Maroon Bells With Aspens, September 2003Elevation 14,163 ft (4,317 m) NAVD 88[1] Prominence 2316 [2] Listing Colorado Fourteener Location Colorado
Maroon PeakLocation Gunnison / Pitkin counties, Colorado, USA Range Rocky Mountains Coordinates 39°04′15″N 106°59′20″W / 39.07083°N 106.98889°WCoordinates: 39°04′15″N 106°59′20″W / 39.07083°N 106.98889°W[1] Topo map USGS Maroon Bells Climbing First ascent 1890's by C. Wilson North Maroon Peak Elevation 14,014 ft (4,271 m) NGVD 29[3] Prominence 214 ft (65 m) [3] Parent peak Maroon Peak Location Topo map USGS Maroon Bells The Maroon Bells are two peaks in the Elk Mountains, Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak, separated by about a third of a mile. The mountain is on the border between Pitkin County and Gunnison County, Colorado, United States, about 12 miles southwest of Aspen. Both peaks are counted as fourteeners. Maroon Peak, at 14,156 feet, is the 27th highest peak in Colorado; North Maroon Peak, at 14,014 feet, is the 50th highest. The view of the Maroon Bells to the southwest from the Maroon Creek valley is one of the most famous scenes in Colorado, and is reputed to be the "most-photographed spot in Colorado" and one of Colorado's premier scenic overlooks.
A US Forest Service sign on the access trail refers to these mountains as "The Deadly Bells" and warns would-be climbers of "downsloping, loose, rotten and unstable" rock that "kills without warning". Unlike other mountains in the Rockies that are composed of granite and limestone, the Bells are composed of metamorphic sedimentary mudstone that has hardened into rock over millions of years. Mudstone is weak and fractures readily, giving rise to dangerously loose rock along almost any route. The mudstone is responsible for the Bells' distinctive maroon color. The Bells got their "deadly" name in 1965 when eight people died in five separate accidents.
Their proximity to Aspen makes the Maroon Bells an accessible tourist destination. Although motorized vehicle access is limited, bus tours operate throughout summer.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Maroon Peak". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=KL0805. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
- ^ "Maroon Peakl, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=5547. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
- ^ a b "North Maroon Peakl, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=5699. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
- ^ Stay Aspen Snowmass Maroon Bells Information
- Seasons of the Maroon Bells
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Maroon Bells, November 2005
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Maroon Bells, July 2004
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Maroon Bells, July 2004
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Maroon Bells, July 2011
Maroon Lake (9,580') provides one of the most memorable scenes in the Rockies. The lake occupies a basin that was sculpted by Ice-Age glaciers and later dammed by landslide and rockfall debris from the steep slopes above the valley floor.External links
Categories:- Fourteeners of Colorado
- Geography of Gunnison County, Colorado
- Geography of Pitkin County, Colorado
- White River National Forest
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