The year was 2020, and we had big plans. We were going to get married while surrounded by our family and friends, partake in pre-wedding festivities, fly overseas for our honeymoon, and travel all over the U.S…but then the COVID pandemic hit, and all of our plans went out the window. We postponed our wedding, and then spent the next several months holed up at home wearing sweatpants and becoming cheeseball-fingered PC gamers. Talk about whiplash.
Five months into quarantine, our would-have-been wedding date was approaching. Although we had to reschedule our wedding due to COVID, we still wanted to do something special to celebrate on the original 2020 date. Why wait a year to celebrate when we can do something now?
We brainstormed ideas on how to celebrate our 2020 wedding date and came up with the most romantic idea possible…a backpacking trip! Nothing says romance like not bathing, sleeping on the ground, being tired and hungry, and carrying heavy backpacks over mountains through the wilderness!
Although unconventional for a wedding day, a backpacking trip is right up our alley. We enjoy the outdoors, challenging ourselves, and going on adventures together, so backpacking felt like the perfect way to celebrate our would-have-been wedding date and make memories that would last a lifetime.
After researching many trail options, we decided to backpack Colorado’s Four Pass Loop, a ~30-mile hike with stunning alpine scenery, including the iconic Maroon Bells. In preparation for the trip, we planned out our 4 day hiking itinerary and picked up some new supplies. We purchased our first DSLR camera to document our trip. Another fun purchase was a bear canister for storing food because the Four Pass Loop is in bear country. Who doesn’t love the thrill of large wildlife on their romantic getaway!
In August 2020, we finally ventured out of our home, left our sweatpants and PC games behind (we brought the cheeseballs obviously), and hit the road to begin our would-have-been wedding day backpacking adventure!
Backpacking the Four Pass Loop for our Wedding Day
Day 1: Maroon Lake Trailhead to West Maroon Pass
5.6 miles with ~2,300 ft with elevation gain
After a 15 hour road trip from our home in Fort Worth, Texas, we made it to the Maroon Bells trailhead of the Four Pass Loop in Aspen, Colorado. Our would-have-been wedding day began with the magical pink glow of the iconic Maroon Bells at sunrise. We exchanged love letters to celebrate the day, to celebrate us.
After the morning glow of the Maroon Bells subsided, we walked back to our car to gear up and eat breakfast. We savored our Panera bagels smothered with peanut butter and fully appreciated the running water of the parking lot bathrooms. These were luxuries we would be without over the next few days. At 8AM, we strapped on our backpacks, and our Four Pass Loop journey began.
The hike from Maroon Bells trailhead is mostly uphill, though we didn’t find the steepness to be too intense. We were energized and thrilled to be starting our 4 day adventure in the wilderness. We were able to keep a steady clip without needing to take breaks for breathers, though we often paused to take a look around, soak in the wonderful scenery, and listen to the chorus of pikas calling.
Around noon, we reached our first stop for the night just below West Maroon Pass. From here, we had views of the valley we had just hiked and views of the next day’s steep climb.
Jordan went to a nearby stream to collect water for cooking while I set up the tent. Little did we know, it was a good thing we arrived early and started setting up right away. The wind began to pick up and the sky was turning dark. At around 230PM, heavy rain began. We took shelter in our tent to wait for the storm to pass, but the rain was just the beginning. It hailed. Then it sleeted. Then it snowed! It was August and the forecast had called for clear skies, but forget that – we got hit with ALL the elements!
The storming continued for the remainder of the day and through the night. We woefully contemplated turning back to the trailhead in the morning if the weather didn’t clear up.
Day 2: West Maroon to Geneva Lake
10.2 miles with ~2,700 ft in elevation gain
After 14 hours inside our tent taking cover from the storm, it was finally morning. The storming had stopped, and the air was still. When we unzipped our tent door, we were stunned to see a winter wonderland. The snow-covered valley glittered with the rising sun. It was absolutely beautiful.
With clear skies and only a few inches of snow on the ground, we were ready to keep on hiking. The journey continued!
After breakfast and shaking the snow off our gear, we set out around 8AM to finish the climb over our first pass, West Maroon Pass. The snow was quickly melting off the trail so footing wasn’t bad, however, as lowlanders from Texas, breathing was tough! We took several short breaks along the way to catch our breath. When we finally reached the top, we were treated to a 360-degree, snow dusted view. 1 pass down, 3 to go!
While hiking down West Maroon Pass, our surroundings changed from snow-covered red rocks to fields of green. The downhill section was short lived. Frigid Air Pass is less than 3 miles from West Maroon Pass, so soon enough we were trekking up our 2nd pass. From Frigid Air Pass, we had views of the striped Maroon Peaks accentuated with streaks of snow and the lush Fravert Basin we were about to hike down into.
We continued hiking from Frigid Air Pass down to Fravert Basin. We had read about campsites near a large waterfall in the basin so we planned to camp there for the night, but when we got to the campsite, we still felt like we could keep hiking. It was around 2PM, the weather was gorgeous, and we still had some fuel left in the tank, so we decided to continue on to the campsites at Geneva Lake about 3.5 miles away.
The hike to Geneva Lake from Fravert Basin was all downhill…until it brutally wasn’t. To reach Geneva Lake, we had to partially climb up another pass. After hiking 8 miles and up two passes already, climbing up towards the third pass was very tough. We took breaks every few steps to catch our breath, and because it was taking so long for us to hike up the trail, we had plenty of time to contemplate the weight of every item in our packs…how much do food wrappers weigh? Why did we pack that full-size deodorant? Deodorant can’t hide this stench anyways!
Many regrets later, we made it to Geneva Lake! We were worn out and hungry, so we stopped at the first campsite we saw, cooked dinner, and ate lakeside. The mirror-like lake views were a great reward for a hard day of climbing.
Day 3: Geneva Lake to Snowmass Lake
4.4 miles with ~1,600 feet in elevation gain
As the morning sun crept in, we ate breakfast while watching wispy fog drift across the Geneva Lake. We were excited for the day ahead – there was only one pass and 4.4 miles between us and Snowmass Lake.
When we set off for our hike, the trek began with a steep uphill section that generously led to a flatter segment just before the last push to the saddle of Trailrider Pass. The pass was steep, but with only one pass to climb for the day, we quickly ascended and caught our first glimpse of Snowmass Lake. It was all downhill from here, and we enjoyed the birds eye views of the lake along the way.
As we approached the lake, there was a rockfall along the route that obscured the trail. We meandered along slippery scree and climbed over a steep wall of unstable boulders. This didn’t feel like the right way to go at all. Looking up the rocky slide, we spotted a trail cairn and realized we had strayed from the path! We carefully clambered up the rocky slide to get back on the trail. We were very glad to have more steady footing on the established path. Once we were on the path, we quickly made it through the rock slide and back on the dirt trail heading towards the lake.
When we arrived at Snowmass Lake, we were amazed to find that all of the campsites were empty. We quickly snagged an incredible campsite that was only a few steps away from stunning lake scenery!
It was only noon when we settled into our campsite for the night, so we had a lot of time to enjoy Snowmass Lake. We cooked a big lunch, explored the shoreline, and went for an exhilarating cold swim! But mostly, we just sat on the sitting log near our campsite and took in the magnificent views of the glittering turquoise water.
As the sun was setting, a woman lounging on the opposite lake shore serenaded us with soft banjo music. She played Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” a fitting choice given we started our journey in the “snow covered hills” of Aspen, the place where Stevie Nicks wrote her iconic song. We watched as Snowmass Mountain changed colors in the fading light. Once the sun was down, we stargazed from the lakeside sitting log. The beauty and peacefulness of that day is one I’ll never forget.
Day 4: Snowmass Lake to Maroon Lake Trailhead
8.5 miles with ~1,700 feet in elevation gain
At sunrise, Snowmass Lake was a glassy mirror. We stayed by the water until the breeze ruffled the mountain’s reflection, then we packed up camp for the last time and started our hike back to the trailhead.
The trail was downhill for a short while, then the uphill climb began for our 4th and final pass. Buckskin Pass felt more gradual than the other passes, especially the last few hundred yards where the trail gently zig zags to the saddle. Maybe we were finally accustomed to the climbing, or maybe we had eaten enough of our food to lighten our packs!
From the top of Buckskin Pass, we could see Snowmass Lake in the distance behind us and the beautiful greenery of Minnehaha Gulch ahead. This was our last pass, and the remaining 4.5 miles to the trailhead were all downhill!
Soon enough, we were at the base of the beautiful Maroon Bells again. Another beautiful sight was just ahead – our car and the bathroom! The little comforts of normal day to day life mean so much more after a backpacking trip. We hopped in the car and headed straight to town to grab a well-deserved beer, burger, and french fries.
Our Four Pass Loop backpacking trip left us feeling grateful, not only for civilized luxuries like non-dehydrated food, chairs, and flush toilets, but for so much more. We were grateful for the spectacular adventure we were fortunate enough to have. We were grateful for experience we would remember forever. And most of all, we were grateful for each other.
Our would-have-been wedding day on the trail was a reflection of this life we have chosen to spend together. For all the ups and downs, whether on the trail or in life, we always have each other.
To see more information about the Four Pass Loop, check out our detailed 4 day itinerary and packing list.
For more Colorado trip ideas, head to our Colorado travel guide.