Things to do in Aspen
 

Five friends are going to be in Aspen 6/21-6/28 and would love some suggestions as to what we should see and do. We are in our early 60's but are all in good health and fairly active. We plan to go to the Maroon Bells and the music festival but we need some other ideas of things to see and do.

Take the gondola to the top of the mountain--the views along the way, and of course at the top of the mountain, are spectacular. There's a terrific cafeteria in the lodge there--the food was really quite impressive!

http://www.stayaspensnowmass.com/p-gondola-rides.php

Walk around the Rio Grande River area down off of Mill St. There is a lovely memorial to John Denver there (if you're a fan) with the words to some of his best songs engraved into huge boulders along the babbling river. Just walking the trails along the river is a lovely way to spend time, or if you're so inclined rent bikes and do the Rio Grande trail that way.

Drive up to Ashcroft Ghost town off of Castle Rd.

Take a side trip over to Redstone for lunch (about 1 hr. drive.) I'm not sure if the Castle is still open there for tours, but that is interesting.

The Paradise Bakery on Galena St. has fabulous ice cream! Highly recommend this at least once.

There are good maps of the town available everywhere to help you find these places and more.

Visit the Hotel Jerome and have breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's a very nice hotel.

Take a white water raft trip.
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Actually Aspen is pretty dead in the summer other than the scenery or local festivals . It is at the end of a valley so it takes some effort to get anywhere. Drive over Cottonwood Pass to Leadville. Hike the Mineral Trail -- 12 mile, relatively flat, paved loop path -- for a view of the old mining county. The is no white water rafting in the area.

Just a few OCD clarifications:

The river that flows through Aspen is the Roaring Fork River, not the Rio Grande. The park in town that lies along the river is called Rio Grande Park, and the bike path that follows the river is called the Rio Grande Trail, but the river is the Roaring Fork.

The pass between Aspen and Leadville is Independence Pass.

There should be plenty of whitewater rafting at that time of year on the Colorado River at Glenwood Springs (about 40 minutes north of Aspen on Hwy 82). As a matter of fact, considering the amount of snow we have had this year, you might even find some outfitters willing to raft the Crystal River from Redstone to Carbondale, or the Roaring Fork from Basalt (20 minutes north of Aspen) to Glenwood Springs.

There are plenty of whitewater rafting companies to choose from in Aspen. Just go to the town itself, at the base of the mountain, and there's one or two outfitter shops there. We have been twice near Aspen and it's a blast. We went one year, right at your time-frame and it was really fun. This will be a really good year for it, with all the snow.

Also, we haven't found Aspen to be "dead" in the summer. There are lots of things to do, lots of music festivals, conferences, etc.

Leaving Aspen to go to Leadville would be a mistake. Leadville is nothing compared to Aspen.
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But the drive is spectacular!

Agree with many of the above ideas: Maroon Bells, the music festival (so lovely), the ski lift up the mountain, lunch at the Hotel Jerome.

I would suggest adding a walking tour of the Victorian homes in the vicinity of the music tent--I don't recall the details, unfortunately, but we took a 30-45 walk through a neighborhood near the tent with a docent, and really enjoyed it. Perhaps someone else can help with details, or you can Google.

We enjoyed an afternoon at Ashcroft Ghost Town: http://ssl126.securednshost.com/~aspenhis/ac.html

And I would highly recommend a visit to the Krabloonik Kennels, where they breed and train sled dogs: http://www.krabloonik.com/kennel.html
If you like dogs, it's wonderful, and oh, the puppies! Don't worry, they never sell them, so you can't be tempted--many of the kids on the tour got that look in their eyes that says "Mom, can we keep one?", and I bet the parents were so thankful that the answer was No.

We also took a brief, but, due to the altitude, exhilarating (!) hike once we got to the top of the ski lift, also with a guide--nope, don't recall exactly how to arrange that, either, except that there's a nature preserve in Aspen staffed with volunteer guides, and I think one of them led us.

Happy Trails, Nancy! Aspen is unbelievably gorgeous in summer.

I totally disagree that Aspen is dead in the summer. The music festival is going on and there are all kinds of activities and programs going on all over town. It's great to go to the music tent on Sunday afternoon and bring a blanket to lay outside and listen to the music. Or you can buy tickets and sit inside. Snowmass has a free Thursday night rock and roll, salsa, reggae, or other concert that is fun and very casual. You can bring dinner or buy it there. If you check the paper in Aspen, there are always prominent speakers coming into town to lecture.
Just a few of the many activities.

Take a drive up Independence Pass. It's my favorite Colorado Pass. Rent a bike and ride around town. Shop!

Lots to do! Mountain biking, road biking, rafting,hiking, camping, eating, drinking, free concerts in Snowmass, free movies outside at Aspen Highlands, fun restaurants (www.foodieaspen.com). Beautiful weather in the summertime. Grab some ice cream and just walk around town. You'll be happy you did.

Talk a walking tour with www.AspenWalkingTours.com Classic historical walk or Aspen's Darkside full of ghosts & mayhem.