The photograph was taken at ‘first light’ on October 26th after an early season snow storm. The Maroon Bells are two peaks in the Elk Mountains, Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak, separated by about a third of a mile. The mountain is about 12 miles (19km) southwest of Aspen.
Both peaks are counted as ‘fourteeners’, with Maroon Peak at 14,156 feet and North Maroon Peak at 14,014 feet. The view of the Maroon Bells to the southwest from the Maroon Creek valley is one of the most famous scenes in Colorado and is reputed to be the “most-photographed spot in the state” and one of Colorado’s premier scenic overlooks.
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. The mudstone is responsible for the Bells’ distinctive maroon colour.
