Partly cloudy. High 72F. You all know I love the San Juans (my home mountains) but I'm tempted to give the Elk Mountains the crown for most beautiful mountains in Colorado! Low 57F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Lunar alpenglow light on Snowmass Peak, reflected in Snowmass Lake. Use up and down arrows to change selection. Partly cloudy. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Highs near 50. Lows in the mid 30s. Dogs: Capitol Peak is not dog friendly. A few passing clouds, otherwise generally sunny. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Tough, steep, and breathtaking. Mainly sunny. Capitol Peak (14,130 ft.) towers over its surroundings in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. Afternoon sunlight filters through haze from a wildfire near Grand Junction, reflected in Snowmass Lake. Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. Partly cloudy in the Evening, then mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain after midnight. On the fourth day we crossed over the fourth pass of our trek - a pass shared by the famous Four Pass Loop - and for the first time in several days we started seeing other hikers again. Partly cloudy skies early. Highs near 50. Intervals of clouds and sunshine. Low near 40F. Around 30 million years ago large volumes of granite magma were injected through the sedimentary rock, visible today in the white/gray colored peaks of Snowmass Mountain, Capitol Peak, and Mount Sopris. Capitol Peak, a 14,137-foot (4,309-meter) mountain, lies in the western Elk Range west of Aspen and southeast of Glenwood Springs and Interstate 70.Capitol Peak, considered one of Colorado’s most difficult Fourteeners, is an impressive mountain, much more so than anthill peaks like Mount Sherman on the Front Range.Instead, Capitol is a soaring granite peak with airy ridges, steep rock … High 86F. Partly cloudy skies. Low 43F. High 73F. High 71F. Expect cold and snowy weather at any time during this season, but under clear skies during an Indian summer day Capitol can be a very enjoyable climb. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. The high winds also forced the closure of Utah schools and the state Capitol building Tuesday morning. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. A few clouds. While it was tempting to stop for the night in the glorious Capitol Creek basin, the area is overrun with 14er campers, plus we still had mileage to burn for the day to keep on track, so we continued on. Powerful Quake Triggered Tsunami Warning for Part of Alaska, Tropical Storm Epsilon Likely to Intensify Into a Hurricane, The Meteor Shower You Definitely Shouldn't Miss, Giant Cat Went Unnoticed for Thousands of Years, Regularly Seeing Severe Weather? Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. At the beginning of August we ventured into the beautiful Elk Mountains near Aspen, Colorado, for a 5-day backpack trek in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness circumnavigating Capitol Peak and Snowmass Mountain. Light wind. Continue on the trail to Capitol Lake. Areas of frost in the Evening, then widespread frost after midnight. After leaving the trail and crossing over an unmarked pass, we descended into another glorious wildflower-filled basin where we set up camp at treeline just in time before dark clouds started rumbling with thunder. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Partly cloudy skies. Lots of other hikers. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. In person the scene was nearly completely dark, but the camera's high sensitivity sensor and long exposure brought out all the colors of the moonrise light not visible to the naked eye. Mostly sunny with a slight chance of rain. Trail, White River National Forest - Maroon Bells. Expect dry conditions over the next six hours. A few clouds. Thousands of Webcams from all around the World at Webcam Galore - with previws and archive images. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Lows in the mid to upper 30s. Higher wind gusts possible. A few rain showers early mixing with snow showers late. Hiking over a talus-filled pass in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. Sunset reflection in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. These mountains have such a variety of colors I think they should have been named the "Rainbow Mountains"! Cloudy skies late. Mostly clear. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Current conditions, warnings and historical records Moonrise light at a remote lake in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. This part of the trek offered all of this in spades! all my photos from the Elk Mountains here, ← Previous: Columbines and Comets - San Juan Mountains, Colorado, Next: Glacier Peak Loop Trek - Washington Cascades →. Indeed, camping here is no wilderness experience; it's a full-on backcountry campground (minus any much-needed pit toilets). Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. Low 37F. Palmer Lake Weather Reports updated live along the Colorado State Highway 105 Near Palmer Lake ezeRoad CO-105 Colorado Colorado State Highway 105 Live Traffic, Construction and Accident Report Arctic Village, Arctic Village Airport, AK. To reach the pass and Avalanche Creek Trail, follow the trail along the west side of the lake. Wildlife, Create Recommended Route or All of this was later uplifted again in the last 5 million years like other Colorado ranges. Capitol Peak Weather (Days 0-3): The weather forecast for Capitol Peak is: Mostly dryFreeze-thaw conditions (max 1°C on Mon afternoon, min -4°C on Sat morning)Winds decreasing (near gales from the WNW on Sat afternoon, fresh winds from the W by Mon night). Mostly clear. Low 64F. Intervals of clouds and sunshine. What I love most about backpacking is the solitude of wild pristine places where we can lounge around in peace and quiet, "zenning out" while soaking in the beauty and purity of nature. It fills a steep-walled bowl framed by Capitol Peak (14,130’), Mount Daly (13,305’) and Capitol Pass (12,078’). Mainly sunny. Campsites may be found just past these crossings. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Snowmass Mountain (14,092 ft.) and Hagerman Peak bathed in sunset light. ENE winds shifting to S at 10 to 15 mph. Capitol Lake weather forecast updated daily. Camping is not allowed in the meadows or within 200 feet of Capitol Lake. Consider a Safe Room, Preparing For Inclement Weather on Halloween, Check Our Interactive Map and Informational Hub, Democratic Republic of the Congo | Français, State of Vatican City (Holy See) | Italiano. After the previous three nights of quiet solitude, it was jarring to camp at Snowmass Lake which nowadays is essentially a trampled tent city with dozens of groups camped in every single possible flat site around the lake (even right next to signs saying "closed for restoration"). Be prepared with the most accurate 10-day forecast for Colorado City, TX with highs, lows, chance of precipitation from The Weather Channel and Weather.com Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Hourly weather forecast in Grand Lake for the next 15 days: temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, rain, snow, wind, humidity, pressure, fog, sun, thunder, uv index. Partly cloudy skies. Dark clouds over rugged unnamed peaks deep in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. Wildlife, Create Recommended Route or High 71F. Lows near 40. Low around 45F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Lows near 30. Rain and snow showers in the morning. A few clouds from time to time. High 71F. Mainly clear skies. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Capitol Lake - 13.2 Miles Round-Trip Capitol Lake (11,597’) is located 6.6 miles from Capitol Creek Trailhead in the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness. Low near 65F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. The first option will be automatically selected. Chance of precip 60%. Hourly Long Term Weather Forecast. A slight chance of rain in the morning. High around 70F. Low 59F. Capitol Lake has about 10 marked campsites and if those are full you are able to camp at least 100 feet away from the trail or any sources of water. These uplifted sedimentary rock layers form the picturesque striations and red color visible in the famous Maroon Bells, Pyramid Peak, and Castle Peak. Highs in the upper 40s. As an added bonus, I also of course enjoy discovering new and unique scenes and perspectives to photograph, hopefully with interesting light and weather conditions. Patchy fog late in the morning. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. A few clouds. Scattered thunderstorms in the morning. Once we left Capitol Lake behind, we enjoyed complete solitude for the next two days! So for this trip I was excited to map out my own "different" four pass loop route through an alternative part of the range, complete with several off-trail days. For the geology nerds out there, most of the Elk Mountains are composed of sedimentary rocks (sandstone, shale, and limestone) deposited in shallow ancient seas that once covered most of Colorado during the Paleozoic Era around 300 million years ago, and also during the Cretaceous Era about 100 million years ago. Sunshine and clouds mixed. Low 46F. Our third day was yet another day of ecstatic hiking with miles of trail above treeline traversing gorgeous tundra meadows with expansive views the entire way. A strenuous first day of bushwhacking trying to follow a faint and intermittent unmarked trail brought us to a little hidden lake where we spent our first evening in solitude. Trail, White River National Forest - Maroon Bells. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Lows in the mid 30s. Be prepared with the most accurate 10-day forecast for Birmingham, AL with highs, lows, chance of precipitation from The Weather Channel and Weather.com So while the more famous Four Pass Loop circumnavigates the red colored ancient seabed sedimentary rock of the Maroon Bells, on this trip we hiked amongst the mostly gray colored granite mountains near Capitol Peak and Snowmass Mountain. Not only is Snowmass Lake extremely attractive in its own right, but it also serves as an obligatory stop on the ultra-popular Four Pass Loop as well as a basecamp for 14er hikers - a triple-whammy recipe for crushing overuse in Colorado. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Looking up at the rugged west face of Capitol Peak. High 66F. Scattered thunderstorms developing later at night. Capitol Peak is up and to the left of its massive namesake, just before the lake. Patchy fog and frost after midnight. High 88F. Recently searched locations will be displayed if there is no search query. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Areas of frost and patchy fog in the morning. Low 49F. High 48F. © Copyright TWC Product and Technology LLC 2014, 2020. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. We were thrilled to find a perfectly flat rock "island" along the lake shore where we sat with our camp chairs, cooked dinner, and enjoyed the quiet evening as the sun set and the moon rose. Capitol Creek may be one of the best fall hikes in Colorado. NOAA weather radar, satellite and synoptic charts.