Four Pass Loop Trail Run Guide
Four Pass loop is a classic Colorado backpacking and trail running trail located in Aspen. The name comes from the four mountain passes that the trail works through: Buckskin Pass, Trail Rider Pass, Frigid Air Pass and West Maroon Pass. This 27 mile loop gains almost 8,000ft and stays above 10,500ft for almost the entire day. I don’t say this lightly, but the Four Pass loop is a destination hike and worthy of a trip to Colorado on its own right.
Four Pass Loop Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: Four Pass Loop
Four Pass Loop Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars) *CLASSIC Hike*
Distance: 27.2 Miles RT
Elevation Start: 9,580ft
High Point: Buckskin Pass: 12,461ft, Trail Rider Pass: 12,415ft, Frigid Air Pass: 12,400ft, West Maroon Pass: 12,468ft
Total Elevation Gain: 7,925ft
Estimated Time to Complete:10-12 Hours (Day) Or Up to 4 Days Backpacking
Difficulty: Strenuous What does this mean?
Class: Class 1 What does this mean?
Season: June – October (Expect snow outside of this period)
Check the Weather Forecast – Having good weather is essential for a one day attempt of this
Directions to Four Pass Loop
Trailhead: Loveland Pass
Getting Here: From the roundabout in Aspen, follow Maroon Creek Road until you reach the entrance station of the park. As of 2020 and through at least 2021, reservations will be required for both overnight and day trips to the entire Maroon Bells scenic area. More about that below…
Reservation System: Due to heavy traffic, increasing popularity and COVID-19, the Maroon Bells Traverse and all hiking in the area now requires a reservation between May 14- October 24. There are four options for reservations: day (12AM – 4:30PM), evening (5PM – 12AM), 24 hour (Midnight -Midnight) or two days (6AM -6PM [60 hours]). You can read more about and make a reservation here. If you want to hike without a reservation, you can get dropped off between 6AM and 8AM but you will either need to walk, run, bike or get a one way shuttle ticket out of the park.
Fee: $10 as of 2022
Summary
Dogs: If attempting in a day, leave the pup at home. If stretching to multiple days – this is a great one just be sure to keep your dog on a leash as the entire hike is in a wilderness area.
Camping: The Four Pass loop has so many places to camp it’s kind of crazy. Crater Lake, Snowmass Lake, after Trail Rider Pass, before Frigid Air Pass – you get my point. You do need to fill out a permit if camping but no advanced reservation is required. Read more information about camping in the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness here.
Hike Xfactor(s): Clockwise or Counter Clockwise
When hiking the Four Pass loop, you have two options: start at Buckskin Pass (counter clockwise) or start at West Maroon Pass (clockwise). The most common variation is to start at Buckskin Pass. Although this is a steep climb to start your hike, it’s nice because you get about half of your elevation gain out of the way in the first 4ish miles. If you were to start at at West Maroon Pass, it’s a longer distance (about 6 miles) to the first pass and you do leave quite a bit of elevation gain on the 2nd half of the loop which your tired legs might not enjoy.
Hike Tip(s): So many tips for the Four Pass Loop:
- Bring a water filter – water is abundant (good sources every 4 or 5 miles) and carrying enough for 27 miles is absurd. The one I use is linked in the gear below, it’s great.
- Pick a day(s) with good weather. 90% of this hike is exposed to the elements and very high in elevation. Dealing with inclement weather or electric storms would not be fun.
- If you DO NOT want to deal with the reservation system, you can easily hike the Four Pass Loop from two alternative points: The West Maroon Trailhead in Crested Butte or the Maroon Snowmass TH in Snowmass. By doing either of these options you are adding at least 6 miles and thousands of extra feet of elevation gain. But they are a great option for those who like to suffer and don’t want to deal with logistics.
- Save your legs
Best Views: I mean this with my entire heart – this is one of the most beautiful trails I have ever done in my life. The Four Pass loop is a destination hike and worthy of a trip to Colorado JUST to hike this.
Four Pass Loop Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Running Hat
- Running Vest
- Long Sleeve
- T Shirt
- Running Shorts
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- Alternate Trail Runners
- Running Nutrition
- Water Filter
- Water Pouch
- Watch
- Heart Rate Monitor
- Hiking Poles – 120CM
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, GoPro 360
- Optional: Drone
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Our Trip to the Four Pass Loop: September 2022
The Four Pass Loop had been on my list for SO long and in September of 2022, I finally checked it off. At first, my friend Rick and I had planned to start on the Crested Butte side and deal with the extra miles since we didn’t have a reservation. However, a week before we planned to head to Aspen, I snagged a day use permit at Maroon Lake and it was on!
We camped up in Glenwood Springs the night before and headed down to Aspen early on Saturday morning. At the trailhead, the weather was moody: fog and drizzle filled skies with lingering snow from the night before up in higher elevations. Not a hot start. The plan was to hit Buckskin Pass first to knock out one pass and a lot of climbing in the first 4 miles.
The day was full of a lot of hiking but we were able to run about 50% of the trail. Snowmass Lake was stunning and the views from all of the Four Passes were absolutely ridiculous. We arrived back to the car after our permit time had allowed (oops) but no one seemed to care which was amazing. The Four Pass loop is a classic and a hike or trail run that I would HIGHLY encourage all Colorado residents to tackle and for those looking for a reason to make a trip out to Colorado, look no further.
