We had the good fortune of booking the only two camper sites in the Silver Bells campground near the Maroon Bells outside Aspen. Aside from the nearly 4 hour drive, there is nothing but good to say about this spot. The campground is beautiful. Check out the views.
The bells, super famous and very beautiful aren’t far from the campsite. We parked nearby and took a short hike to view the bells.
Then we hiked to crater lake, about 2 mile away. The water is so clear you can see to the bottom of the water from all the way up on the trail.
Ben, our most novice hiker, did a great job, hiking almost the whole way without too much whining.
Loki probably enjoyed the hike more than anyone. He went swimming in Crater Lake, chasing sticks for about 30 minutes. Just wish it had helped out his spring shedding!
The area is named for the beautiful aspen trees that are found everywhere. Aspens are the largest organisms in the world as a whole grove is linked by roots underground. This accounts for them all changing color at once.
We went into the town of Aspen a couple of times … once by car. We walked around and got ice cream and firewood and checked out the scene. It’s a pretty town. There are a bunch of pretty older homes and it’s been kept up well. We also got a nice bike ride with the kids in on Sunday just before we left.
We’d love to go back and next time we’d love to stay a little longer.
