Despite full parking lot, Maroon Bells reservation system helps quell issues from high visitation

The Maroon Bells reservation system disperses visitation as tourism to the scenic area heightens during leaf-peeping season, a step toward managing increased traffic to the valley with limited local infrastructure. 

But even with the reservation system in place, visitors were directed to Buttermilk parking as Highlands parking, where guests normally park if not at Maroon Bells, hit capacity on Sept. 28 and Sept. 29.

The Highlands lot is also under construction, causing the number of available slots to fluctuate.

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Despite the packed lot last weekend, Ken Murphy, CEO of H2O Venture — the company that developed the reservation system — said Highlands parking system was successful and overflow to Buttermilk is rare.

“The reservation system and survey results over the last three years have given us wonderful data that shows the amount of time the guest will spend at the Bells on average,” Murphy said. “This has allowed us to be very efficient with the parking at Highlands.”

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First put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the reservation system requires visitors to sign up for time slots to park at the Maroon Bells parking lot. If sold out, guests can book a Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) shuttle from Highlands Parking. 

Before the reservation system, the U.S. Forest Service would start refusing entry to people between 5-6 a.m. because the Maroon Bells lot was already full, said Kevin Warner, District Ranger for the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District.

“Many days, by 7, 7:30 in the morning, the parking at Highlands was also full,” he added. 

With the reservation system in place, visitors can buy private Maroon Bells trailhead parking permits for $10 per vehicle between May 15 and Oct. 31, either during the day, in the evening, for 24 or 60 hours. Visitors can also purchase a $16 RFTA roundtrip shuttle reservation or a $10 downhill shuttle, taking them between Highlands Parking and the Maroon Bells Trailhead. 

Warner estimated visitation to the Maroon Bells doubled between 2014 and 2018, peaking at 300,000 annual visitors. In the years since COVID-19, visitation plateaued between 177,000 to 193,000 annual visitors. But with the reservation system active, use during high visitation periods is more spread out. 

“What we used to see is bigger spikes on the weekends,” he said. “By having a reservation system, throughout the majority of the year, there are the same amount of buses going up on a Saturday as there are on a Wednesday.” 

Speaking on infrastructure, David Boyd, public affairs officer at White River National Forest, emphasized the importance of partnering with RFTA and the Aspen Chamber Resort Association to manage peak tourist season to the Maroon Bells.

“We’re definitely relying on partnerships,” he said. “It’s a huge challenge for us, for sure, when we (see) this level of recreation.”

From 2021 to 2023, RFTA provided people with between 205,000 and 220,000 summer and fall Maroon Bells shuttles.

Murphy said they implemented the reservation system to protect the resources of the scenic area and the experience of visitors. He added that it helps manage traffic to and from the area.

“If we didn’t have the reservation system in place, imagine the impact to (Colorado Highway) 82 between the hours of nine and eleven with everybody wanting to get there for the peak time,” he said. “The reservation system spreads that use up 82 or down Independence Pass for the day visitor that comes to Bells because only 30% of the visitors visiting Maroon Bells are residing in Aspen or Snowmass.”

Warner said they don’t necessarily want to meet peak demand during leaf-peeping season to preserve the area.

“To be honest with you, to meet the peak demand in the middle of the fall leaf-peeping season, I’m not sure that should be our goal,” he said. “Because at that point, we’re probably at a point where we’re starting to sacrifice some of that visitor experience, as well.”

He suggested alternative locations to visit for fall leaf-peeping if the scenic area is too busy.

“Taking a drive up Independence Pass, the colors up there and the amount of aspen up in Independence Pass is amazing,” he said. 

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.