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It's one of those days Colorado is famous for: a cloudless cerulean sky hanging over high craggy peaks and knife-edge ridgelines. We cover ourselves in sunscreen, hoist on our food and clothing-laden backpacks and approach the Conundrum Trailhead- already at 8,760 feet. We're headed into the Maroon Bells Snowmass Wilderness, straight up the Conundrum Valley in the heart of the Elk Range.

The Elk Range lies south of Glenwood Springs, west of Aspen and north of Crested Butte and claims six of Colorado's 53 fourteeners, with three belonging to the world-renowned Maroon Bells. Many of these peaks, considered some of Colorado's most rugged and dangerous, cannot be seen from roads or towns, and only through walking into the wilderness. We don't have our sights set on "bagging" one of these peaks; instead we just plan to soak under their shadows in the Conundrum Hot Springs.

We begin our 8.5-mile hike by paralleling Conundrum Creek, its water so clear that each green or tan rock stands out like specks on a rainbow trout. The trail takes us on a gradual ascent right up through Conundrum Valley with its striking high sloping sides. The trail looks well traveled but well maintained as we meander across alpine meadows and into the shade of spruce- and pine-filled forests. We make our first of three crossings over the creek, toeing our way across giant logs.

As we gain elevation, we're captivated by the numerous avalanche paths. Some look like ski runs littered with trees snapped off at their bases. Some slid on one side of the valley and swept up the other side like a giant pendulum, making this area a perilous winter destination. As we follow the creek, beaver dams show up occasionally and elk droppings lay scattered throughout the alpine grasses.

We cross the creek again and speed past the aspen trees, their leaves readying themselves to morph into gold in the fall sunlight. We filter some water into our Nalgene bottles and set up camp for the night below the hot springs. Busy boiling water over the Whisperlite stove, we nearly miss the light show above us. All the peaks on one side of the valley are bathed in alpenglow, a vibrant mixture of orange and yellow, which highlights the pyramid-like tips of the mountains. We stand and stare at the fleeting phenomenon and, as Kerouac wrote in Dharma Bums, "the silence was an intense roar."

The next morning we wake and head up to the hot springs. The trees get stubby and the alpine tundra looks more and more fragile. After the third creek crossing, we're above treeline and out onto a lunar-like landscape. The pools reside at 11,200 feet under the west face of Castle Peak. At 14,265 feet, Castle Peak is the highest of the mountains in the Elk Range. Conundrum Peak sits next to Castle and tops out at 14,060 feet but because of Conundrums' proximity to Castle, it doesn't qualify as an official fourteener. Nethetheless, we are in the company of giants.

Two people relax in the upper pool, which is about 10 feet across and the largest of two pools that make up the hot springs. We slide into the pool and soak in the tepid water. Rocks tumble down Castle Peaks' unnamed basin, which is full of talus and surrounded by shale-covered ledges. We can see straight down the Conundrum Valley. Above the pools, we scope out Triangle Pass which leads to Copper Creek then to Gothic, only eight miles from the town of Crested Butte. All of us in the pool agree that hiking from Aspen to Crested Butte and back via the Conundrum Creek Trail is a great idea, but we all settle on our rock seats, lean back into the warmth of the water and listen to the silence in contentment.

The trailhead to Conundrum Creek Trail is off of Castle Creek Road, five miles from Rt. 82 West of Aspen. Roundtrip to the pools is 17 miles. There are designated campsites near the hot springs, but watch out for signs with any current camping restrictions. Snow can linger often into late July. The Forest Service District Office in Aspen can provide up-to-date trail conditions. The hot springs are a popular destination, especially on weekends in late summer and early fall. Try visiting on weekdays.

— Krista Crabtree, MountainZone.com Correspondent