Travel Guide > Aspen

Attractions

Downtown Aspen is easily explored on foot. The Aspen Historical Society puts out a walking-tour brochure. You can spend an afternoon admiring the window displays of the shops in the outdoor pedestrian malls, as well as the graceful Victorian mansions, many of which now house fine boutiques and restaurants.

Ashcroft

12 miles south on Castle Creek Road.  A good example of the basic structure and layout of the old mining towns.  The town was bypassed by the railroad and ceased to exist in 1890. 

Aspen Art Museum

590 N. Mill St., 970/925-8050

Tues., Wed., Fri., Sat. 10-6, Thurs. noon-8, Sun. noon-6.

Admission charged

Top local and national artists exhibit their work here. A complimentary gallery tour with wine and cheese is held every Thursday at 5.

Aspen Center For Environmental Studies

Hallam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, 100 Puppy Smith St., Aspen

970/925-5756.

Children and adults alike will enjoy this wildlife sanctuary and research center. The facility sponsors snowshoe walks with naturalist guides in winter, and backyard-wildlife workshops that teach children to create a mini sanctuary in their own yard. In summer there are bird-watching hikes and special Little Naturalist programs for four- to seven-year-olds, which include nature walks and arts and crafts.

Independence Ghost Town

15 miles east on SR82

970-925-3721

Guided tours June, July, August  11am and 1pm.

Small admission fee for tour

this is the remains of the Roaring Fork Valley’s mining community.  It boomed during the gold discoveries of the 1870’s and closed up in the decline of the mines in the late 1890s. 

Jerome Hotel

330 E. Main St.

970/920-1000.

Named after the town's most prominent early citizen, Jerome Wheeler, this enduring landmark was opened in 1889, at the height of Aspen's prosperity. The ornate lobby, bar, and restaurant of the elegant redbrick hotel re-create fashionable turn-of-the-20th-century living.

White River National Forest and

Maroon Bells

970-925-5756

10 miles south, off State Route 82

Road closed to all but vehicles with camping permits:  8-5

Otherwise, Open for tour buses only

Tour leaves downtown Aspen every 20 minutes daily 9-4 mid-June-Labor Day

Combination ticket for round trip tour and Silver Queen Gondola available.

Maroon Mountain

Wheeler-Stallard House Museum

620 W. Bleeker St., 970/925-3721

Small admission fee.

Jan.-Mar. and mid-June-mid-Sept., Tues.-Fri. 1-4.

Built in 1888.

Two hour walking tours of Aspen’s west end leave from this museum. 

There is an additional charge for the walking tour.

Skiing

Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding

Aspen and Snowmass are really four ski areas combined into one resort. Aspen or Ajax Mountain, Buttermilk, Snowmass, and Aspen Highlands can all be skied with the same ticket.

Aspen Highlands

970/925-1220 or 800/525-6200.

Early Dec.-early Apr., 9-4.

This ski area is reached off Maroon Creek Road. Until 1993, it was the only area not owned by the Aspen Skiing Company. Though it can no longer play on its independence as the "maverick ski area," locals ski here for other reasons as well, including the best views among the four mountains, comparatively short lift lines, and some thrilling runs. Though not quite as challenging as Aspen Mountain, the Highlands offers steep descents at Steeplechase and Olympic Bowl, as well as the wide-open Thunder Bowl.

While you're here, enjoy Aspen Highlands' special events such as the freestyle contests every Friday, and the Ski Patrol Jump, over the deck -- and the heads of startled skiers -- at the Cloud Nine Picnic Hut, every day at noon, weather permitting. Six lifts access 619 acres of terrain with a 3,635-ft vertical drop.

Aspen Mountain.

970/925-1220

Late Nov.-mid-Apr., 9-4.

Aspen Mountain hosts galleries, museums, international conferences, and events.  Offers  year round  cultural activities that attract visitors from around the world:  skiers and non-skiers alike. 

Aspen Mountain, also known as Ajax,  is the standard by which many good skiers test themselves. Aspen is not for beginners. A black diamond here might rank as a double diamond elsewhere. The narrow mountain is laid out as a series of steep ridges with little room for error. Eight lifts, including a high-speed gondola, service the 631 acres of challenging terrain, spanning a vertical drop of 3,267 ft.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk contains more than 410 acres with 43 trails and a vertical drop of 2,030 ft

Off Rte. 82

970/925-1220

Late Nov.-early Apr., 9-4.

Accessed by West Buttermilk Road, Buttermilk is known as Aspen's "learning" mountain. With plenty of gentle slopes and an excellent ski school, this is the place for skiing and snowboarding novices. At the same time, the Tiehack section on the east has several advanced cruising runs, as well as sweeping views of Maroon Creek Valley. It also has superb powder.

Snowmass

Travel southeast on Route 82 to the turnoffs for Brush Creek or Owl Creek roads to Snowmass. 

970/925-1220

Late-Nov.-mid-Apr., 9-4.

This is the largest of the four ski areas owned by the Aspen Skiing Company. Snowmass Village predominantly caters to families. These differences apply equally to the development and to the mountain itself. Aspen Mountain is a rigorous ski experience, while Snowmass is Aspen Skiing Company's family resort, with 52% of its 2,655 skiable acres designated intermediate

However, don't overlook that Snowmass is four times the size of Aspen Mountain, and has triple the black and double black diamond terrain, including several precipitous gullies.  Hanging Valley is accessible by a short hike. With 20 lifts covering the five clearly defined skiing areas with 2,655 acres and a 4,206-ft vertical drop, it can be a good idea to plan your route carefully. The novice and lower-intermediate terrain on the lower part of the mountain makes Snowmass a terrific place for young children.

Cross-Country Skiing

Ashcroft Ski Touring

Aspen/Snowmass Nordic Trail System

Ski Touring

Aspen Alpine Guides

Paragon Guides

Hut and Trail Systems

Alfred A. Braun Hut System

10th Mountain Hut And Trail System

Lessons and Programs

The Aspen Skiing Company  970/925-1220 or 800/525-6200 gives lessons at all four mountains.

Lift Tickets

Rentals

Numerous ski shops in Aspen and Snowmass rent equipment. Christy Sports  970/920-1170 at the Aspen Mountain gondola base is conveniently located. Aspen Sports  970/923-3566 in Snowmass Village is also convenient. Rentals are also available at the Buttermilk base lodge.

Backcountry Nordic Skiing

The Alfred A. Braun Hut System is one of Aspen's major backcountry networks. The trailhead leads from the Ashcroft Touring Center into the Maroon Bells/Snowmass Wilderness, and it generally covers terrain more prone to avalanche possibilities than the 10th Mountain Division Trail. Huts sleep six-nine people. Reservations are required at least a day in advance, considerably earlier for weekends and peak-season periods  970/925-6618 or 800/643-8621.

The 10th Mountain Hut and Trail System, named in honor of the U.S. Army's skiing 10th Mountain Division, includes 10 huts along the trail connecting Aspen and Vail. The main trail follows a generally avalanche-safe route in altitudes that vary between 8,000 ft and 12,000 ft.. Reservations are taken beginning in June; weekends in peak ski season fill up very quickly. 1280 Ute Ave., Aspen 81611,  970/925-5775.

Nordic Skiing

The Aspen/Snowmass Nordic Council charges no fee for the 80 km 48 mi of maintained trails not all interconnected in the Roaring Fork Valley. Probably the most varied, in terms of scenery and terrain, is the 30-km 18-mi Snowmass Club trail network. For a longer ski, try the Owl Creek Trail, connecting the Snowmass Club trail system and the Aspen Cross-Country Center trails. More than 16 km 10 mi long, the trail provides both a good workout and a scenic meadows and aspen-gladed hillsides.

Lessons and rentals are available at the Aspen Cross-Country Center 39551 Rte. 82 at the Aspen Golf Course,  970/925-2145. Diagonal, skating, racing, and light-touring setups are available. Lessons and rentals are also available at the Snowmass Lodge Cross-Country Touring Center Drawer G-2, Snowmass Village,  970/923-3148 and the Hub.

Twelve miles from Aspen, the Ashcroft Touring Center Ashcroft Touring Unlimited, Castle Creek Rd.,  970/925-1971 is sequestered in a high alpine basin up Castle Creek, which runs between Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands. The 40 km 25 mi of groomed trails are surrounded by the high peaks of the Maroon Bells/Snowmass Wilderness. It is truly one of the most dramatic cross-country sites in the Rockies.

Dogsledding

Krabloonik

Sno-Cat Skiing

Aspen Mountain Powder Tours