West Maroon Creek, Colorado Photograph by Catherine Sherman

West Maroon Creek, Colorado

by Catherine Sherman

Canvas Print

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Framed Print

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Art Print

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Poster

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Metal Print

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Acrylic Print

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Wood Print

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Tapestry

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Throw Pillow

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Fleece Blanket

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Duvet Cover

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Shower Curtain

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Bath Towel

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Ornament

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Jigsaw Puzzle

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Tote Bag

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Weekender Tote Bag

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Zip Pouch

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Portable Battery Charger

$47

Yoga Mat

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Greeting Card

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Spiral Notebook

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Sticker

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iPhone Case

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Beach Towel

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Round Beach Towel

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Weekender Tote Bag

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Coffee Mug

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Men's Clothing

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Women's Clothing

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Youth Clothing

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Toddler Clothing

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Baby Clothing

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Title

West Maroon Creek, Colorado

Artist

Catherine Sherman

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

"West Maroon Creek, Maroon Bells, Colorado" by Catherine Sherman.

The Maroon Bells mountain peaks loom over West Maroon Creek as it tumbles into Maroon Lake.

Autumn touches the aspens with gold on the flanks of the Maroon Bells in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

The pair of mountains are magnificent at any time of year. It's no mystery why the Maroon Bells are considered the peaks that are most photographed throughout North America.

The Maroon Bells are two peaks in the Elk Mountains, Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak. The mountains are on the border between Pitkin County and Gunnison County, Colorado, United States, about 12 miles southwest of Aspen. Both peaks are "fourteeners."
In the mountaineering parlance of the Western United States, a fourteener is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet (4267 meters). There are 96 fourteeners in the United States, all west of the Mississippi River. Colorado has the most (53) of any single state; Alaska is in second place with 29.

Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness was one of five areas in Colorado designated as wilderness in the original Wilderness Act of 1964.

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. A US Forest Service sign on the access trail warns would-be climbers of "downsloping, loose, rotten and unstable" rock that "kills without warning". The mudstone is also responsible for the Bells' distinctive maroon color. The Bells got their "deadly" reputation in 1965 when eight people died in five separate accidents.

Maroon Lake elevation 9,580 ft (2,920 m) occupies a basin that was sculpted by Ice-Age glaciers and later dammed by a landslide and rockfall debris from the steep slopes above the valley floor.

FIRST PLACE: Rocky Mountain Scenery (July 2, 2020)

Featured in "All COLORADO" group (06/27/2020; "Your Very Best Photography" group (06/27/2020); "Glimpses of Autumn" group (06/28/20); "New FAA Uploads" group (06/28/2020); "USA Photographers Only" group (06/30/2020)