Willow Lake (11,795') is located 6.2 miles from Maroon Lake, just east of Willow Pass (12,572'). The hike begins on the Maroon Snowmass Trail with iconic backdrops to the meadows under Buckskin Pass, where the Willow Lake Trail splits for Willow Pass and a memorable descent to the lake. Visitors will enjoy high alpine landscapes, abundant wildflowers and light crowds on the hike to Willow Lake.

The Maroon Bells and neighboring peaks are distinguished by interbedded shale, siltstones and sandstones

Indian Paintbrush belongs to a genus of 200 species of partially or fully parasitic plants that derive nourishment from the roots of other plants

Willow Lake is surrounded by thick alpine grasses such as Alpine Blue Grass, Skyline Blue Grass, Spike Trisetum, Spreading Wheatgrass, Kobresia and Pyrennian Sedge

The Willow Lake Trail drops 777' in 1.5 miles from Willow Pass to Willow Lake

Long spurs between the sepals of Columbine contain nectar, which attract butterflies and long tongued bees

Crater Lake formed as glaciers retreated and left flat areas in the valley (glacial benching) that collected water

Alpine Bistort (Polygonum viviparum) roots have a starchy root system that provides valuable nutrients to alpine birds and mammals

Several large ponds near Willow Lake are easy to reach and explore

Glacial retreat carved the large U-shaped valleys we see today

Red hues in the rock come from weathering of hematite, an iron-bearing mineral; color variations can be traced to the source sediments and heat at the time of deposition

Sedimentary rock of the iconic Maroon Bells is actually quite brittle

Scale grassy slopes over Willow Lake to the headwall, which can be safely traversed for some distance

The Hayden Survey originally named it 'Maroon Mountain' for its distinct color; the 'Bells' were added later by locals, and the combined names stuck

Alpine phacelia - or Sky Pilot - can accumulate small traces of gold in its tissues

The return hike back to Willow Pass is moderate but exposed; manage time wisely to avoid afternoon storms

Crater Lake contains brook, rainbow and brown trout

Elephants Head, a member of the figwort family (which also includes foxglove and snapdragons), favors damp alpine meadows

View down Willow Creek valley from meadows on the edge of Willow Lake

View over Crater Lake as the Maroon Snowmass Trail bends northwest up Minnehaha Gulch