Aspen Alpine Guides

Service Outdoor

Aspen Alpine Guides is an Aspen, CO guide company leading backcountry adventures year round. Their professional guides offer backcountry skiing trips, cross country skiing lessons, and snowshoeing adventures in the wintertime. Aspen Alpine Guides also offers hiking tours, backpacking trips, mountaineering adventures, and more backcountry exploration and fun. If looking to explore the wilderness in and around Aspen Snowmass with a professional guide, Aspen Alpine Guides is a trusted local guiding company.

Aspen Center for Environmental Studies

Activity Family Friendly Outdoor Aspen

The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) has four locations situated in the Roaring Fork and Frying Pan Valleys dedicated to promoting an awareness of our relationship to the environment. They offer community garden space at their Hallam Lake and Rock Bottom Ranch locations during the summer. And during the winter, their winter naturalists provide a window into mountain ecology by guiding visitors on snowshoe tours on Snowmass Mountain, Aspen Mountain, and at Ashcroft. ACES also offers school programs to cultivate an understanding and love for the natural world in the younger set. Also, they invite guest speakers to give informative and educational talks, known as Naturalist Nights, on topics ranging from hydrology, forest health, birds, land ethics, and beavers. The Aspen area has a lot to offer, and so does ACES in terms of interpreting and connecting with all the natural splendor of this spectacular place. 

Aspen Club & Spa

Activity Service Massage Outdoor Aspen

The Aspen Club & Spa offers the largest health club in Aspen along with daily classes, a mind/body studio, indoor lap pool, tennis and racquetball courts, and a boxing room. The Aspen Club & Spa also offers spa services such as massages, facials, and a full salon.  The Aspen Club Sports Medicine Institute is home to physical therapy and an Aspen chiropractor.  The Aspen Club & Spa offers memberships along with day passes.

Aspen Expeditions

Service Family Friendly Outdoor

Aspen Expeditions is an Aspen, CO outdoor guide company that offers mountaineering trips on local 14,000 foot peaks, rock climbing adventures near Independence Pass, and more. Leading trips year round, Aspen Expeditions professional guides lead backcountry skiing adventures during the wintertime to backcountry huts, ice climbing trips, and avalanche courses. In addition to offering guided ski trips in and around Aspen Snowmass, Aspen Expeditions offers international ski adventures as well. For a guided trek up North Maroon Peak, South Maroon Peak, Pyramid Peak, and more, contact Aspen Expeditions.

Aspen Guide Service

Activity Outdoor

Aspen Guide Service offers guided fly fishing trips, from float trips to wade trips, on rivers in and around Aspen. From the Roaring Fork River to the Colorado River, enjoy the beauty and challenge of fly fishing in the Colorado Rocky Mountains with the assistance of a knowlegeable guide. Learn about river ecology while enjoying a tasty curry chicken sandwich, expertly prepared by a guide equally enthusiastic about fly fishing as cooking and serving delicious food. For an unforgettable day on the river, book a trip through Aspen Guide Service. 

Call 970-948-7675 to book a trip today. 

Aspen Ruggerfest

Event Summer Outdoor Central Core Summer

The annual Aspen Ruggerfest is held in September at Wagner Rugby Stadium and Rio Grande Park. The Aspen Ruggerfest brings to Aspen the best rugby talent from around the world, including Aspen's own rugby team, the Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club. In past years, rugby teams that have competed in the Aspen Ruggerfest have included the US Air Force, Denver Highlanders, Denver Barbarians, Virginia Cardinals, and the Kansas Jayhawks. Rugby matches are always exhilarating and exciting, so check out some of the games during this year's Aspen Ruggerfest.

Aspen Saturday Farmers Market

Activity Family Friendly Outdoor Aspen Central Core

Founded in 1998, the Aspen Saturday Marketing (also known as the Aspen Farmers Market) is in downtown Aspen every Saturday from June to October. Join locals for a Saturday tradition of strolling through the market and stopping along the way to shop. Stands at the market sell Colorado-grown organic fruits and veggies, artwork, wine, cheese, honey, preserves, flowers, baked goods, jewelry, clothing, gifts, home decor, and more. The Aspen Saturday Marketing is family friendly with live music and a food court. 

June 20th through October 3rd.

Image: Aspen Chamber

Aspen Snowmass Ski & Snowboard School

Activity Family Friendly Outdoor Aspen Aspen Highlands Buttermilk / Tiehack Snowmass Village

When you and the family hit the slopes in Aspen Snowmass, you want to have an memorable experience. Taking a ski or snowboard lesson from one of the highly skilled Pros at the Aspen Snowmass Ski & Snowboard School is a sure way towards that extraordinary experience. During a lesson, Pros work closely with you, giving you personalized tips, so that you build confidence and gain new skills.

The Aspen Snowmass Ski & Snowboard School offers lessons for skiers and riders from age 2 and up. Choose a private lesson, an adult group lesson, or a kids and teens group lesson.

Private Ski or Snowboard Lessons
A private ski or snowboard lesson is the best way to have fun on the hill, while also becoming a better skier or rider. When you sign up for a private lesson, you decide how you want your day to go. Want to ski with the entire family, while your Pro supplies each member with personalized tips? With a private ski or snowboard lesson, you have that choice.

Adult Group Lessons
A surefire way to boost confidence is to take an adult group lesson with an Aspen Snowmass Pro. Adult group lessons for skiers and riders are offered at all levels, so whether you are getting on skis for the first time or the thousandth time, you can rest assured that you will be in a group that meets your skill level and needs.

Kids & Teens Group Lessons
The Aspen Snowmass Ski & Snowboard School provides skiers and riders as young as 2 and as old as 17 with the opportunity to explore the fun and varied terrain available in Aspen Snowmass. Like adult group lessons, your child is placed in a group where they are comfortable, yet challenged, while still having a blast in the mountains.

Aspen Whitewater Rafting

Activity Family Friendly Outdoor

Aspen Whitewater Rafting offers Aspen, Colorado rafting trips on the Roaring Fork and Arkansas Rivers.  Plan a family rafting trip on the Middle or Cemetery stretches of the Roaring Fork River, or try your hand at more advanced rafting in Slaughter House Fall on the Roaring Fork or Pine Creek and the Numbers on Arkansas River.

Blazing Adventures

Service Summer Winter Family Friendly Outdoor Summer Winter

Blazing Adventures is a local Aspen guide company that leads whitewater rafting trips, horseback riding adventures, jeep tours, hiking trips, and more guided outdoor expeditions in the Aspen Snowmass area. Blazing Adventures leads outdoor adventures year round, and in the wintertime, guides snowshoe tours, snowmobile adventures, and sleigh rides. If looking for an exciting adventure in Aspen Snowmass, Blazing Adventures guided trips are certain to satisfy.

Bonnie's

Restaurant Family Friendly Outdoor Aspen

A charming European-style mountain lodge located mid-mountain on Ajax, Bonnie's is a great place to enjoy a delicious and hearty breakfast and lunch. Also popular for their dessert selection, many guests drop by Bonnie's to enjoy a slice of their famous strudel, or to warm up with a steaming cup of coffee between runs. Though the views from inside Bonnie's are spectacular, on a warm and sunny day, the deck that wraps around the exterior of Bonnie's is perfect for sipping on a drink, while gazing out at the mountain and skiers ripping down the slopes. Making a visit to Bonnie's while skiing on Aspen Mountain is a quintessential Aspen experience.

Breathtaker Alpine Coaster

Activity Family Friendly Outdoor Snowmass Village

Snowmass Mountain is home to the Breathtaker Alpine Coaster. Hop on the alpine coaster and ride on over a mile of elevated track through an evergreen forest at speeds up to 28 mph. The Breathtaker Alpine Coaster is another fun way to experience Snowmass Mountain in the winter and summer.

The Breathtaker Alpine Coaster is located at Elk Camp. To get to there, take the Elk Camp Gondola after purchasing your activity pass at the Snowmass Base Village ticket office.

Camp Aspen Snowmass

Activity Service Child Care Family Friendly Outdoor Aspen

Camp Aspen Snowmass is a kids' summer camp that offers a wide range of outdoor activities. As Camp Aspen Snowmass is located in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the summer camp is able to offer a number of unique activities, including nature walks, mountain biking, mountainboarding, rafting, fishing, and camping. In addition, kids attending Camp Aspen Snowmass can build rockets, play tennis, enjoy arts and crafts time, and play a game of paintball. Camp Aspen Snowmass is available to children between the ages of 3 to kids in their teenage years. If your child is looking for the summer camp experience while on vacation in Aspen and Snowmass, then look no further than Camp Aspen Snowmass.

Four Mountain Sports

Service Outdoor Ski Rental Aspen Aspen Highlands Base Village Buttermilk / Tiehack Central Core Slopeside Mall Snowmass Village Two Creeks

For bike rentals, ski and snowboard equipment rentals, outdoor apparel, and Aspen Snowmass gear, visit local retailer Four Mountain Sports. This outdoor gear company rents and sells high quality equipment for all kinds of activities. Plus, Four Mountain Sports has nine locations throughout Aspen and Snowmass, so no matter where you happen to be, you most likely will be able to find a shop. During your next vacation in Aspen and Snowmass, check out Four Mountain Sports for gear to get you going on your mountain adventures.

• ASPEN • 520 E Durant Ave., Aspen • 970-920-2337
• W HOTEL • 550 South Spring Street, Aspen • 970-431-0213
• SNOWMASS VILLAGE MALL • 45 Village Square, Snowmass Village • 970-923-2337
• BASE VILLAGE AT SNOWMASS • 61 Wood Rd., Snowmass Village • 970-923-0430
• ELK CAMP • Top of Elk Camp Gondola at Snowmass • 970-922-2957
• TWO CREEKS • 31 Burnt Mountain Circle, Snowmass Village • 970-923-8740
• VICEROY • 130 Wood Rd., Snowmass Village • 970-923-8000
• ASPEN HIGHLANDS • 0076 Boomerang Road, Aspen • 970-544-3013
• BUTTERMILK • 38700 Highway 82 Aspen • 970-920-0980 (Rental)

Free Snowmass Summer Concerts

Event Cultural Family Friendly Nightlife Outdoor Slopeside Mall Snowmass Village

The free Snowmass summer concerts on Fanny Hill are held on Thursdays during the summer season. Fanny Hill is an amphitheater venue at 8500 feet with a 4000 person capacity. Each week, a new band performs a free, outdoor concert, and musicians range from rock 'n' roll to funk to R&B to country. Check out one or all of these free concerts, since there's nothing like spending a beautiful summer evening on Fanny Hill, listening to live music. The Snowmass free summer concerts welcome new names each summer, so you're guaranteed to discover a favorite, new band year after year. 

Concerts are held on the Fanny Hill Concert Stage at the end of the Snowmass Mall. We recommend taking the free RFTA bus service from Aspen and the Intercept Lot, or the free Village Shuttle service throughout Snowmass. It is best to get off at the Snowmass Mall stop.

Golden Leaf Half Marathon

Event Outdoor Aspen

The Golden Leaf Half Marathon is a popular backcountry foot race between Snowmass and Aspen, starting in Snowmss Village. Since the half marathon is held when the aspen leaves normally turn from green to gold, the race brings partcipants through beautiful  stands of golden aspen trees. In years past, the race start has been located at Fanny Hill on Snowmass Mountain, and the race finish has been located at Koch Park. Both of these places are great for cheering on the race partcipants. If participating in the backcountry run sounds more fun, the Golden Leaf Half Marathon is certain to be a challenging, fun, and rewarding experience. See the event website or visit the Facebook page for more information.

Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) Labor Day Experience

Event Outdoor Snowmass Village

With three days of outdoor concerts in beautiful Snowmass Village, the Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) Labor Day Experience is the best way to spend Labor Day weekend in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Over the years, the JAS Labor Day Experience has brought to the Roaring Fork Valley some of the biggest names in music. Past performers at the Labor Day Experience include the Allman Brothers Band, Elvis Costello, the Black Eyed Peas, Keith Urban, Train, Sugarland, Wilco, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Black Crowes, Kid Rock, Michael Franti, Mumford & Sons, and more. Plan to attend the JAS Labor Day Experience, and get ready for a weekend filled with lots of live music, sunshine, and dancing.

Owl Creek Chase

Event Outdoor Aspen Owl Creek Snowmass Village

The Owl Creek Chase is a cross-country ski race in Snowmass Village, CO. The first race took place in 1985. The race starts at the Snowmass Cross Country Center and ends at the Aspen Cross Country Center. The Owl Creek Chase course is 21 kilometers of fun skiing and beautiful views.

Owl Creek Chase offers a classic race and a skate race, with prize money awarded for the classic race.

If you don’t want to race, you can sign up for the Owl Creek Chase Tour. It’s the same course, but without the competitive element. You get to enjoy all of the race amenities, like aid stations and a free shuttle from Aspen to Snowmass after the race.

River Valley Ranch Golf Club

Activity Family Friendly Outdoor Carbondale River Valley Ranch

River Valley Ranch is a golf and tennis community in Carbondale, Colorado. With a critically-acclaimed golf course, an excellent tennis program, a fitness center, and more, River Valley Ranch is a family-friendly community known for its active outdoor lifestyle. Open to the public, the River Valley Ranch Golf Club is a beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountain golf course with challenging terrain and spectacular views of Mt. Sopris. Visit River Valley Ranch and the River Valley Ranch Golf Club in Carbondale today to learn more about this idyllic mountain community.

Schneetag

Event Family Friendly Outdoor Snowmass Village

What better way to close out the end of a spectacular ski season than by watching, or participating in, an outrageous on-mountain event involving DIY watercraft and a pond? Schneetag, which is German for "snow day", has become a popular closing day activity on Snowmass Mountain. The activity involves teams barreling down a run on Snowmass Mountain in a homemade watercraft. Sometimes, these fun DIY watercraft make it over the pond, but there are also times when engineering fails the participants, and leaves them swimming their way out of a chilly man-made pond. Check out Schneetag during all of the Snowmass Mountain closing day festivities!

Smuggler Mine Tour & Dinner

Activity Outdoor Aspen

Come check out one of Aspen’s most unique dinner experiences with Elk Mountain Expeditions! The Smuggler Mine happens to host one of the best sunset views in the entire Roaring Fork Valley. Enjoy a tour of this piece of Aspen’s iconic mining history followed by a sunset barbecue dinner on the Smuggler Terrace. The Smuggler Mine is the oldest operating silver mine in Aspen.

Experience a piece of Aspen’s past on a tour of Smuggler Mine. During these tours, you travel deep into the mine as guides share fascinating stories about life as a silver miner in the late 1800s. Book a Smuggler Mine tour, and get to know another side of Aspen.

Image: Wikipedia

Snowmass Club Golf Course

Activity Outdoor Snowmass Club Snowmass Village

Bring your A game when you play 18 holes at the Snowmass Club Golf Course. The Snowmass golf club is known for its challenging play and beautiful mountain views. The greens can be difficult to read, and may have more of an angle than what’s visible to the naked eye. This means that accuracy is key to playing this traditional Irish links course. The good news is, with five sets of tee boxes, you can play at your level, whether that’s beginner or expert.

And when you’re ready to set your clubs aside for the day, you can enjoy a leisurely lunch, or relax over après appetizers and cocktails at the Snowmass Clubhouse restaurant, the Black Saddle Bar & Grill. Whether you had a stellar day or only an okay day on the course, leave it behind. Now’s the time to take in the scenery, the fresh mountain air, and the good company!

The Snowmass Club is private, but the golf course is open to the public during select tee times. Please inquire with our concierge about current public tee times.

Snowmass Cross Country Skiing

Activity Outdoor Owl Creek Snowmass Club Snowmass Village

Meandering across pristine winter meadows and into hushed pine forests and aspen groves, this full-service ski and snowshoe center is at the heart of the Nordic trail system. Located on the Snowmass Golf Course, the track is perfect for classic nordic, skate skiing, snowshoeing or a winter walk in the sun.

Snowmass Mardi Gras Celebration

Event Outdoor Slopeside Mall Snowmass Village

In Colorado, there are lots of places to ski and party, but few places are like Snowmass during Mardi Gras. In Snowmass, you get the best of both worlds. The Snowmass Mardi Gras celebration is like having a little piece of New Orleans right in the heart of the Rockies. A 38-year tradition, Snowmass will celebrate all the Fat Tuesday traditions in late February! See the full Mardi Gras schedule.

The New Krabloonik Dogsledding

Activity Restaurant Family Friendly Outdoor Snowmass Village

A Krabloonik Dog Sled Tour is the best way to explore the pristine Colorado backcountry. For over an hour, our Snowmass sled rides twist and wind not far from Aspen through Snowmass backcountry on an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime journey. Morning and Afternoon Dogsled Rides, Twilight Rides, and ATV Safari options available. $345-$375 per adult and $195 per child, ages 3-9.  Our dogs and guests are the most professional and skilled that you will find in the industry. Krabloonik has been in business for 46 years and we feel that we are top notch.  Our trail is thrilling and the dogs are the sweetest you will find. 

Visit the Maroon Bells

Activity Outdoor Aspen Maroon Creek

Your Aspen Snowmass vacation isn’t complete unless you visit the Maroon Bells. The Maroon Bells are two 14,000 foot peaks located about 8 miles outside of downtown Aspen, CO. And, they’re the most photographed mountains in North America!

How to Get There

• Maroon Bells Bus ― Take the Maroon Bells Bus Tour with the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA). During the drive to Maroon Lake, the bus driver points out marmots sunning themselves on rocks, avalanche chutes, and other interesting sights.
• Guided Bike Trip ― Another way to experience the Maroon Bells area is by guided bike trip. You get to tour the Maroon Bells, and then coast (literally) all the way back into Aspen.
• Snowmobile Tour ― Visit the Maroon Bells in winter by taking a snowmobile tour. With the road closed to vehicular traffic in the winter, snowmobiling is the quickest way to get to Maroon Lake!

3 Fun Things to Do When You’re There

• 1.  Walk around Maroon Lake.
• 2.  Learn more about the area on a hike to Crater Lake with a naturalist guide from the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES).
• 3.  Have a picnic!

Winter X Games Aspen

Activity Event Nightlife Outdoor Aspen Buttermilk / Tiehack

Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado is the main stage of the Winter X Games. The mountain has hosted the action sports competition for over a decade now.

Held in late January, X Games Aspen attracts huge crowds to Aspen Snowmass. And in the past few years, the annual event has grown to include a festival village and musical performances. Past artists include Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Skrillex, Chromeo, Tiësto, Phoenix, Axwell, and Matt & Kim.

X Games Aspen offers free admission to all of its sporting events. And that means, anyone can watch 200+ talented athletes compete at their highest caliber, day and night.

X Games Aspen has welcomed the athletes listed below to compete for medals and purses.

• Jamie Anderson
• Gretchen Bleiler ― Snowmass local
• Bobby Brown
• Kelly Clark
• Simon Dumont
• Heath Frisby
• Arielle Gold
• Tucker Hibbert
• Gus Kenworthy
• Levi LaVallee
• Colten Moore
• Iouri Podladtchikov
• Mike Schultz
• Shaun White
• Torin Yater-Wallace ― Aspen local

Get pumped for this year’s Winter X Games Aspen. Learn more about the event by visiting the X Games Aspen site.

The Winter X Games Aspen is a popular event, and often leads to sold-out accommodations. The sooner you reserve an Aspen or Snowmass vacation rental, the better.

Have questions about the right Aspen Snowmass vacation rental for you?

Give us a call ― 1-866-209-1540, or send us an email. We'd be delighted to review our rental inventory with you.