When to Go

When to Go

Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley are increasingly a year-round destination. If it's skiing you're after, February and March have the best snow and warmest winter weather. Aspen's summers are legendary for their food, art, and music festivals. Although only 6,000 locals call Aspen home, the population more than quadruples to 27,000 in summer and winter high seasons. Traffic and parking during both times can try your patience; if you're in town, it's best to explore on foot. June is best for rafting (snowmelt spawns high-octane rapids), but many high-country hiking and mountain-biking trails are buried under snowdrifts until July when the wildflowers peak. Mid-September brings cooler days, photogenic snow dustings in the Maroon Bells, and flame-orange aspen groves.

Independence Pass

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the most beautiful route to Aspen is over Independence Pass. From the Vail-Leadville-Buena Vista corridor on the east side of the Sawatch Mountains, Highway 82 climbs up and over 12,080-foot Independence Pass and switchbacks down to Aspen along the way passing above tree line and making some spectacular white-knuckle hairpin turns (drive slowly to appreciate the scenery and also because you might have to yield to oncoming traffic in narrow, one-lane sections). The pass divides the Mount Massive Wilderness to the north and the Collegiate Peaks to the south and is not for the fainthearted, given the long exposed drops and the possibility for snow at any time of the year. Elk and mule deer herds can sometimes be seen at dawn and dusk grazing in the willow thickets beside Lake Creek as it cascades down the eastern flank of the pass. As soon as the autumn snow flies, however, the pass closes and Aspen becomes a cul-de-sac town accessible only via Glenwood Springs.