Maroon Bells — Crater Lake Permit
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness · Colorado
Overnight permit for Crater Lake in Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, booked as designated campsites.
Get an alert when a night opens on your Crater Lake dates.
70% of the openings our scanner caught on Crater Lake were gone within 10 minutes.
Crater Lake reservation dates
- Season
- July (USFS names July-September as the best time to visit) to September
- daily quota
- 11groups
- max group size
- 10people
How to get a Crater Lake permit
As of September 2026, Crater Lake in Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, Colorado requires a permit issued via reservation. Crater Lake is a high-demand permit, rating 7/10 on PermitSnag's demand index. Cancelled Crater Lake permits are re-released on the booking system, and PermitSnag alerts you the moment one opens. The permit season for Crater Lake runs July (USFS names July-September as the best time to visit) through September.
- Type
- Overnight
- Location
- Elk Range, White River National Forest, Colorado, CO
Step 1: Create a U.S. Forest Service account
Sign up at U.S. Forest Service if you don't have an account. Have your payment info ready.
Step 2: Know the release schedule
Permits release on a rolling basis. Check the release time for your dates.
Step 3: Be ready when permits drop
Log in a few minutes early. Have your dates, group size, and payment ready to go.
Step 4: Monitor for cancellations
If your dates are sold out, people cancel all the time. Set up PermitSnag alerts to catch openings instantly.
Crater Lake pro tips
- Reserve a spot in the zone for every night of the trip. The permit is per zone per night, not per trip
- Permits are capped at two per person per calendar year, so do not burn one on a date you are unsure about
- Permits cannot be booked into a future release window: a trip that spans a month boundary has to wait for the later month to open
- If you are starting from the Maroon Scenic Area you also need a separate parking or bus reservation. The confirmation email links to it, and parking spaces are limited
- Once the permit is printed it cannot be changed or cancelled, so print it late
More on Crater Lake: Live availability activityWhen Crater Lake permits open upChance of an opening
How much a Crater Lake permit costs
Crater Lake permit fee: $10 per person, per night from May 1 to October 31 (children 16 and under free), plus a $6 non-refundable reservation fee.
The Crater Lake hike
- Route Type
- Out & Back
- Duration
- 1-7 nights
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Crater Lake landmarks
- 1Maroon Scenic Area
The usual start. Needs its own parking or bus reservation, linked from the permit confirmation email.
- 2Crater Lake campsites
USFS: ten campsites of 1-4 people, plus campsite #7 for 5-10. Camping is only permitted in the site you reserved.
Eleven groups a night sleep at Crater Lake, directly under the most photographed peaks in Colorado, and every one of them is in an assigned campsite.
About this permit
Crater Lake is one of nine Overnight Permit Zones in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, and one of only three where USFS assigns you a specific campsite rather than a zone to camp anywhere within. The zone quota is 11 groups per night.
The site inventory is published: ten campsites of 1-4 people, and campsite #7, which takes 5-10. Group size is limited to the maximum allowable at the campsite you booked, and if you reserve multiple campsites the total group is capped at 10 people.
Fees are $10 per person per night from May 1 to October 31, children 16 and under free, plus a $6 non-refundable reservation fee. USFS says 95% of the recreation fee goes back into stewardship of this wilderness. Permits are limited to two per person per calendar year, the maximum stay is seven nights, and you have to reserve a spot for every night of the trip in whichever zone you will be camping.
The route
This is a designated-campsite zone, which changes how you plan. In the Conundrum Hot Springs, Crater Lake and Capitol Lake zones the permit holder and group are required to camp in their reserved campsite, not just somewhere in the zone. You book the site, and that is where you sleep.
USFS lists ten campsites for 1-4 people plus campsite #7, which takes 5-10. The overall group ceiling is 10 whether you get there on one site or several. If you are starting at the Maroon Scenic Area you also need a separate parking or bus reservation, which arrives as a link in the confirmation email. There are a limited number of parking spaces and you may end up on the bus.
Why it matters
Crater Lake is the first water on the Maroon Lake trail and the closest designated-campsite zone to the Maroon Bells themselves. That proximity is the whole story: it is the shortest walk to a legal camp under the Bells, and USFS caps it at eleven groups a night to keep the shoreline from being loved flat.
The feeling
You arrive with the day-trippers and then they leave. By evening the Bells are lit and the shuttle buses have stopped running and there are ten other tents in the whole basin, all of them in spots the Forest Service picked.
Crater Lake hike highlights
- Eleven groups a night in the zone, in assigned campsites
- Campsites sized 1-4 people, with one 5-10 person site (#7)
- No campfires at any designated site in this zone
- No toilets anywhere in the wilderness
- A separate parking or bus reservation if you start from the Maroon Scenic Area
How hard the Crater Lake hike is
- Physical DemandFitness and endurance required2/5
- Technical SkillClimbing, scrambling, or specialized skills1/5
- Exposure RiskSteep dropoffs and fall potential2/5
- NavigationRoute finding and trail clarity1/5
- CommitmentDifficulty of bailing out mid-route2/5
Best for: Anyone who wants a night under the Maroon Bells without a multi-day itinerary. This is the shortest legal approach to a camp in the basin.
Recommended experience: One prior night out at altitude. Nothing technical.
Not recommended for: Parties over ten, and anyone hoping to pick their own spot. The campsite is assigned.
When to hike Crater Lake
Best time to visit
USFS names July through September as the best time to visit, and says outright that from early October to late June the campsites, trails and mountain passes are snow-covered and trailheads may be inaccessible. Inside that window, September brings the aspens and slightly better availability than midsummer.
- Peak
- July through September
- Shoulder
- Late June and early October
Spring
USFS is blunt: from early October to late June campsites, trails and mountain passes are snow-covered and trailheads may be inaccessible. Avalanche hazards exist and snow makes route finding difficult.
Crowd level · low
- Advantage: Permits are available
- Advantage: Real solitude
- Challenge: Snow camping
- Challenge: Avalanche hazard
- Challenge: Trailheads may not be drivable
Summer
July through September is the season USFS names as the best time to visit, and it is when the zone quota actually binds.
Crowd level · extreme
- Advantage: Passes clear
- Advantage: Wildflowers through July
- Advantage: Long days
- Challenge: Zone quota is the whole constraint
- Challenge: Daily afternoon storms
- Challenge: Maroon Scenic Area needs its own parking or bus reservation
Fall
Aspen colour in late September, then the season closes hard in early October when snow returns.
Crowd level · high
- Advantage: The aspens
- Advantage: Cool hiking
- Advantage: Fewer storms
- Challenge: Short window before snow
- Challenge: Cold nights
- Challenge: Early storms can close passes
Winter
Permits are required year round, but the wilderness is a snow-travel objective from October to June.
Crowd level · low
- Advantage: Permits available
- Advantage: Complete solitude
- Challenge: Avalanche terrain
- Challenge: Trailhead access
- Challenge: Winter camping at altitude
Weather Forecast
Trailhead (5,000 ft)
Today
57°
45°
Wed
54°
44°
57%
Thu
63°
41°
Fri
68°
43°
Sat
68°
46°
Sun
70°
45°
Mon
68°
47°
Crater Lake photography guide
Golden Hour
First light on the Bells from the Crater Lake shore, which is the shot the whole state knows and almost nobody sees from a camp.
Best Light
Late September, when the aspens below the lake turn and the light gets long.
Beat the Crowds
Day-trippers own the trail between about 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Camping here means you get the two ends of the day to yourself.
Classic Shots
- The Maroon Bells reflected in Crater Lake at dawn
- Aspen gold on the approach in late September
- Camp with the Bells behind it. No fire ring, because fires are banned here
- The Maroon Lake shoreline before the first shuttle arrives
Crater Lake rules, gear and safety
Gear checklist
Required- An IGBC-approved bear canister or Ursack. This is enforced, not encouraged
- A stove. Campfires are banned at every designated site in this zone
- A WAG bag or a trowel, because there are no toilets anywhere in this wilderness
- A printed permit and photo ID
- Water treatment
Recommended gear
- Trekking poles
- A tarp for the afternoon storms
- Warm layers: this is high country and the nights bite even in August
Rules & regulations
- 01Ten of the eleven Crater Lake campsites take 1-4 people; campsite #7 is the only one sized for 5-10
- 02Group size is limited to the maximum number of persons allowable at the campsite, with total group size limited to 10 if multiple campsites are reserved
- 03You must camp in your reserved campsite in the Crater Lake zone. This is one of the three zones where campsites are assigned, not chosen
- 04Permits are limited to two per person per calendar year, and two permits cannot overlap the same night
- 05Maximum length of stay per permit is seven nights
- 06Food, trash and any scented item must be stored in an IGBC-approved bear-resistant container. USFS states that visitors without one will be ticketed and required to leave
- 07There are no toilets in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. WAG bags are highly recommended but not required and must be packed out; otherwise dig a cat hole six to eight inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp and trails
- 08Campfires are prohibited at all designated sites at Conundrum Hot Springs, Crater Lake and Capitol Lake, and anywhere above 10,800 feet including Snowmass Lake
- 09Dogs must be on leash everywhere in the wilderness except the Conundrum Hot Springs Zone, where they are prohibited entirely
- 10Permits are only available through Recreation.gov. Ranger stations will not issue them
- 11The permit must be printed and carried with photo ID, and can be printed as early as 14 days before your date
Hazards & considerations
- Altitude. This is Colorado high country and the campsites sit well above most people's baseline
- Afternoon thunderstorms, which arrive on schedule in July and August and have nowhere to hide from
- Snow on the passes and at the campsites from early October to late June, with avalanche hazard and difficult route finding
- Black bears: the reason USFS writes the canister rule as a ticketable offence
- Trailheads that may be inaccessible to vehicles outside the July-to-September window
Safety & planning
Emergency Info
Emergency contacts, ranger station locations, and satellite communicator tips for Crater Lake.
Food Storage
Bear canister requirements, approved container lists, and rental locations for this permit.
Gear Checklist: Required and recommended gear for Crater Lake · Shuttle Services: Trailhead transportation options · Guide Services: Experienced wilderness guides
Some links may be affiliate links. Purchases support PermitSnag at no extra cost to you.
Crater Lake FAQ
How many permits per night are issued for Crater Lake in the Maroon Bells?
Eleven groups per night. USFS publishes the inventory too: ten campsites for 1-4 people, plus campsite #7, which takes 5-10 people. Crater Lake is one of three zones, with Conundrum Hot Springs and Capitol Lake, where the permit holder and group must camp in their reserved campsite rather than anywhere in the zone.
What is the group size limit for a Crater Lake permit?
It depends on the campsite. Ten of the eleven sites take 1-4 people and campsite #7 takes 5-10. USFS caps the party at the maximum allowable at the campsite, with total group size limited to 10 if multiple campsites are reserved.
How much does a Maroon Bells Crater Lake permit cost?
$10 per person, per night from May 1 to October 31, with children 16 and under free, plus a $6 non-refundable reservation fee. USFS says 95% of the recreation fee is reinvested directly into stewardship of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness.
Can I have a campfire at Crater Lake in the Maroon Bells?
No. USFS prohibits campfires at all designated sites at Conundrum Hot Springs, Crater Lake and Capitol Lake, and anywhere above 10,800 feet. Bring a stove.
Do I need a parking reservation for the Maroon Bells with an overnight permit?
If you are starting your trip at the Maroon Scenic Area, yes. USFS sends a link in the permit confirmation email to reserve parking or bus transportation, and notes that there are a limited number of parking spaces, so you may need to reserve a bus ticket instead.
Crater Lake trail conditions and trip reports
Trail Conditions
No active conditions reported
Sign in to report trail conditions.
Questions
No questions yet
Be the first to ask about Crater Lake.
Trip Reports
Write ReportAlternatives to a Crater Lake permit
- Same AreaPermit required
Four Pass Loop Permit
The 26-mile loop over four passes, booked as a zone-by-zone itinerary through the same Recreation.gov permit.
Tradeoffs
Far more competitive and requires stringing several zones together on consecutive nights.
- Same AreaPermit required
Conundrum Hot Springs
Twenty groups a night at designated campsites, with the hot springs at the top of the valley.
Tradeoffs
Campsites cap between two and six people, dogs are banned outright, and it is the most sought-after zone in the wilderness.
- Same AreaPermit required
Snowmass Lake
Thirteen groups a night, the largest allocation of any designated-campsite zone in the wilderness.
Tradeoffs
A longer approach, and campfires are banned because the lake sits above 10,800 feet.
Where to stay near Crater Lake
- East Maroon Portal Picnic SiteWhite River National Forest
- Silver Queen CampgroundWhite River National Forest
- Silver Bell CampgroundWhite River National Forest
- All Colorado campgrounds
Plan the full trip, not just the permit
Build your full itinerary start to finish
Add your dates and get a day-by-day plan: what needs a permit, what gear to bring, and one link to share with your whole group to coordinate every step.
No permit needed to start
One tick helps us more than you’d think
Google lets you pick the sites it highlights for you. Add PermitSnag and our permit pages get marked as one of yours in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Takes less than a minute.