If time is limited, but you still want to fit in a hike that gives you some hint of Aspen's famed backcountry, wander down this popular path. It is only 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometers) long, but offers some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country. The trail, which gains less than 500 feet (153 meters) in elevation, begins at Maroon Lake and winds through stands of aspens and pines before dropping down to Crater Lake which glistens at the foot of the famed Maroon Bells.