Directions:  From Aspen, take Maroon Creek Road south west for about 5 miles to the winter closure area.  You have to park here as the road is closed in the winter.

Snowshoeing, skiing, or otherwise traveling along Maroon Creek Road in the winter makes for a beautiful day and a quick way to explore a taste of the splendor of the Elk Mountains.  The road is closed for about 5 miles and generally packed with good snow.  You can go as far as you want, but if go all the way, you'll be one of the few to see Maroon Lake and the Maroon Bells in the Winter.  To encourage you to go all the way, here's a photo below of the Maroon Bells in the winter taken from the top of the Aspen Highlands Ski Area:

When we cross country skied this road, we made it about 3 miles before we turned back.  If you only go this far, you still get an amazing view of Pyramid Peak, which makes all the effort immediately worth it.

After you're done playing in the snow, I  highly recommend hitting the J Bar for some good scotch...