Music • Photography • Writing
I first visited the Maroon Bells area of Central Colorado with my parents when I was a young boy. In those days, there was just a gravel road up to the lake and we were able to park our little trailer alongside the road to camp for the night. I first hiked in the area over twenty years ago and saw my first wild mountain goats.
While the view--one of the best and most famous in the country--hasn't changed in the intervening years, the human component of the area has changed dramatically. Most visitors are now required to take a bus up to the parking lot and there is now a large restroom facility that is so well camouflaged that signs are required so people will be able to find it. I haven't included this area in the National Parks portion of my website because it's not a national park. Instead, it's a wilderness area and a featured portion of the National Forest Service.
While this is one of the most photographed views anywhere, I've decided to stick my own small oar in these chilly waters, because I've got some views of the area that few people ever see.