Spend the Weekend in Aspen, Colorado!
Known for its world-class skiing, beautiful hiking and endless groves of trees with unique, heart-shaped leaves, Aspen, Colorado is an absolute must-see during any season. We decided to visit and explore this beautiful place in late August, which is still very much summer in this area. Wildflowers were blooming but temperatures are much more mild — especially in the evenings — given the higher elevation.
How about those gorgeous Maroon Bells?! Read on to learn how you can visit them, too!
Day 1
Morning
We live in Golden, Colorado so the drive is only about 3 and a half hours without traffic. We ate breakfast, grabbed our snacks, and hit the road!
For lunch, consider pulling over at one of these – each one is pretty casual and therefore a perfect road trip pit stop:
Beau Jo's – Idaho Springs
Cabin Creek Brewing – Georgetown
Mountainbuzz Pizza – Georgetown
Arapahoe Café – Dillon
Big Bear Bistro – Vail
Afternoon
After our arrival, Tim and I went our separate ways for a bit – he went mountain biking and I took Nigel on a hike!
Always so strange seeing a ski resort off-season! In the summer, these lifts service mountain bikers and visitors looking for a great view.
We set off on the Vista Trail, which is accessible from Snowmass Village. This hike is 5 miles with 1,519 ft of elevation gain, so definitely a workout. Currently, the trailhead linked on AllTrails is inaccurate due to a bunch of construction blocking the entrance. Set your navigation to Base Camp Bar & Grill (by the Elk Camp Gondola) and then walk over the bridge that crosses Wood Road – you’ll see the trail pick up from there!
Other nearby hiking options include:
The Grottos Trail – 0.6 miles, easy
Hunter Valley Loop – 5.1 miles, moderate
American Lake Trail – 6.8 miles, hard
The hike itself was lovely but Nigel and I didn’t make it too far before a thunderstorm rolled in, so we turned back to meet up with Tim for lunch at Fuel Cafe.
Evening
After lunch, we checked into our hotel to relax. We were lucky to be hosted by Wildwood Snowmass, an incredibly charming dog-friendly hotel located literally steps from Snowmass Village.
The hotel has a heated pool, jacuzzi, and fitness center as well as a pool table and restaurant in its main lobby!
Our room had a gorgeous, shared balcony overlooking the mountains with patio furniture where we could sit back, have a glass of wine and watch the sunset. It felt very much like a little one-bedroom apartment, complete with a living room area with a fireplace and small dining table as well as a TV and big wraparound couch. Down a short hallway lined by floor to ceiling windows was the bedroom, which had a big TV, mini-fridge and a king-sized bed which was REALLY comfortable. Along the hallway was a sink and coffee machine. The bathroom was huge and had a large tub as well as a shower.
The view from the balcony was so beautiful!
A few small things to be aware of – the pool area and/or bar was a little noisy on Friday night since this is a pretty poppin’ area. This didn’t bother Tim but I’m a light sleeper, so I was glad to have my ear plugs on hand. Also, there was no A/C since the nights are chilly and this place is a bit more popular during ski season, when normally you’d be warming up by the fireplace! I was concerned at first since the room felt warm after a day in the sun, but it cooled down instantly once we cracked open the screen doors in the evening.
Overall impressions of the design: it was both modern and cozy, with minimalist décor that made the space feel very clean and relaxing. I loved the red accents throughout the room and the colorful palette in the lobby area.
This hotel was such a gem – convenient location, super nice room, great restaurant – we loved making it our home base for the weekend and would highly recommend staying here!
Day 2
Morning
We woke up bright and early because today was a big day – we were finally going to check out the most famous mountains in Colorado. Any guesses?
In the Elk Mountains, two peaks stand tall at 14,163 feet with a prominence of 712 meters. They are really popular among photographers including Ansel Adams. They are…THE MAROON BELLS!
Given their popularity, the best way to visit the Maroon Bells is via the RFTA shuttle but you can try to get a parking reservation ahead of time if you’d rather drive. I thought the shuttle service was convenient and I booked our reservation about a week in advance. Be aware that it does stop running at 5pm so depending on your hike, plan accordingly or you’ll be hiking about 8 miles back to Aspen Highlands!
Reservations for parking and shuttle can be found here and are required from May to October.
If taking the shuttle, get to the Aspen Highlands Ski Resort parking garage about 30-40 minutes before the shuttle leaves to check in. Parking is $6 per hour and shuttle tickets are $16 per person. We arrived at around 7:45am (our shuttle was at 8:15am) and managed to have time to grab coffee and croissants at the nearby coffee shop, Willow Creek Bistro.
The ride was about 30 minutes, during which our driver gave us a recap of the area’s history while making pit stops to check out some marmots that were coming out of their burrows.
The main trails for day hikers in this area are the Maroon Bells Scenic Loop (1.9 miles, easy) and Crater Lake (3.5 miles, moderate). We did both and walked about a mile past Crater Lake given the stunning views.
This area is really popular among backpackers if you’re craving a longer trek (which I really did after doing these short little teaser trails!) Check out my blog post for Conundrum Hot Springs, which I did last year around the same time of year. Another popular backpacking trail is the Four Pass Loop, an absolutely epic trek that’s 25.7 miles long and gains 7,752 ft of elevation. Both of these treks require permits, so be sure to do your research and plan in advance!
While there were a few warning signs for wildlife like moose and bears, all we saw were some cute baby ducklings, deer, and a very chill fox!
Overall, this was SUCH a major highlight of our time in Aspen and I really want to come back to see the leaves change in the fall!
Afternoon
We caught the bus back to town and grabbed lunch in Aspen at this pop up burger/food truck place near Harper and Hudson. Then, we went back to the hotel to shower and relax!
While Tim hung out at the hotel, I decided to go for a little stroll and hit up some of the shops nearby, including a few souvenir stores and a Patagonia and North Face store! They were both having huge sales so…ya girl succumbed to some retail therapy.
Evening
We headed downstairs for dinner at Last Chair, which is located just downstairs at Wildwood Snowmass.
For starters, we paired a glass of Pinot Noir with soft pretzels dipped in fondue which was served in this cute little pot!
I ordered the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich and Tim had the BLT, both came served with fries which I am not ashamed to admit…I ALSO dipped in fondue. Yum. This hearty meal was a perfect way to end an adventurous day of hiking!
Day 3
Eager to beat the inevitable I-70 traffic, we checked out of the hotel, had some delicious breakfast burritos at Fuel Cafe, and made our way home!
If you have time to spare (keeping in mind that I-70 is usually an absolute disaster on Sundays) I would highly recommend taking Independence Pass back to the Denver area. This mountain pass is located at 12,095 ft in elevation on the Continental Divide in the Sawatch Range. The route will take you past insanely beautiful views of Colorado 14ers, like Mount Elbert, the highest mountain in Colorado. Be aware that there are a few sketchy, one lane roads along the route with no guard rails. You’ll just go slow, and you’ll be totally fine – trust me, it is SO worth it!
Summary
You can’t go wrong with a weekend in Aspen and Snowmass, there are so many bucket list activities for outdoor lovers — from skiing to hiking to mountain biking. And you’re planning a trip here, definitely make Wildwood Snowmass your home base! It’s cozy and conveniently located to popular sightseeing destinations like the Maroon Bells, as well as a myriad of delicious restaurants including the one they have on-site! Bonus points for being pet friendly so that we could bring along our little Nigel.
