5 Days in Aspen

The Silver Queen Gondola rises straight from the middle of town to the top of Aspen Mountain, locally called Ajax. It was installed in 1986, forty years after the first lift opened here on 14 December 1946, and it is still the best way to understand Aspen: a town of old brick at one end of the cabin, a mountain of 3,317 vertical feet at the other.

Ajax has a base elevation of 7,945 feet and a summit of 11,262 feet. The trails are 0% beginner, 48% intermediate, 26% advanced and 26% expert, and the resort calls it best for intermediate and expert skiers. If someone in your group is a first-timer, send them to Buttermilk (day four) and meet for lunch.

The Sundeck is the restaurant at the top of the Silver Queen Gondola, at 11,212 feet, with a big deck, lunch and après, and burgers the resort calls some of the best in Aspen. It is open 9am to 3:30pm from the 26 November opening day, which makes it the lunch option for the early season, when Bonnie's is still shut.

The gondola brings you here first thing, so decide whether to eat at the top or at Bonnie's lower down. On a clear day, a coffee on the deck before the first run is the best use of the stop.

Bell Mountain is the part of Ajax that skiers talk about: bumps, steep lines and the view. The resort describes it as known for iconic bumps and views, and it has a new high-speed chairlift, the Nell Bell, that runs from Gondola Plaza to the top of Bell Mountain.

For a first look at the mountain, do two laps on Bell Mountain for the groomed runs and then work across to Powder Stashes, the glades. If you're not up for the bumps, the groomers off the top give you the same views at less cost to the knees.

Bonnie's is the mid-mountain lodge on Aspen Mountain, off Tourtelotte Park, and it has been the mountain's breakfast and lunch spot since the 1960s. It sits partway down, which makes it the practical stop between the first and second half of the day. Breakfast runs 9am to 10:30am, lunch 10:30am to 3:30pm, and it opens in December, not on the 26 November opening day.

Lunch on a ski mountain in Aspen is not cheap: the local dining guide puts Bonnie's in the upper price tier, which means entrees well over 20 USD. If you're watching your budget, a sandwich from a town deli in your pocket before the first ride is cheaper.

Ajax Tavern is the base-area restaurant at the foot of the gondola, and it is where the last run ends. The local dining guide recommends the Ajax double cheeseburger, and a cheaper option is the tomato soup, which comes with a grilled cheese on the side.

It's a place to see who skis in Aspen. The terrace faces the final slope, so the late afternoon is when it fills up.

The Hotel Jerome opened in 1889, financed by Jerome B. Wheeler, a Macy's co-owner who put his money into Aspen's silver rush. It was the only hotel to stay open through Aspen's quiet decades and is still in business. The J-Bar off the lobby is where the Aspen Crud, a spiked milkshake, was invented during Prohibition, and where Hunter S. Thompson kept his unofficial office.

Come for one drink rather than a meal: the hotel restaurant is expensive, the bar is a good compromise. If you want something more local, walk two blocks to the pedestrian center for a slice at New York Pizza.

The Elk Camp Gondola leaves from Base Village and climbs to Elk Camp, the east side of the mountain. It's open to non-skiers too, which makes Snowmass a good place for mixed groups: the ones who don't ski can still ride up, have lunch with a view and ride down.

The mountain is spread across four areas, and the gondola is the easiest start. Snowmass opened in December 1967 and has a base of 8,110 feet and a top of 12,510 feet, the highest of the four.

Elk Camp has an upgraded six-person chairlift with views of the Maroon Bells, the two sharp peaks that show up in every Colorado postcard. On a clear day they're visible from several points on Snowmass and Aspen Highlands.

Take the picture, then ski on. Elk Camp is also where Snowmass keeps much of its family terrain, which is why families come here.

The Big Burn is the wide, open slope that gives intermediates the best day on any of the four mountains. The local guides describe wide groomed blues and a few easy glades, the place where a group of intermediates can ski together.

The Big Burn has its own lift on the west side of the mountain, so give yourself a full morning. A group of mixed levels can split at the top and meet at Sam's for lunch.

Sam's is the sit-down Italian restaurant at the top of the Village Express lift on Sam's Knob: house-made pastas, a bar, big windows and lunch from 11am to 2pm. Reservations are recommended, and it is the dressy end of mountain dining, not the cheap one. Snowmass has other places to eat, among them High Alpine, the Elk Camp restaurant and Up 4 Pizza, so you can pick one to match your route and your budget.

A cheaper option is a slice at Up 4 Pizza, which sits on the Big Burn side of the mountain.

The Cirque is the legendary steep of Snowmass: a headwall of expert terrain served by its own T-bar, the Cirque lift, with the Hanging Valley wall next to it and chutes below. It's for advanced and expert skiers only.

Go early on a powder day and ask the patrol about the conditions on the way up. If the Cirque isn't your level, ski the groomers off High Alpine, which have the same view without the headwall.

Base Village is the heart of Snowmass Village: dining, shopping, entertainment and s'mores by the fire. About 95% of Snowmass lodging is ski-in, ski-out, so most of the people here walk from the lifts.

The village is quieter than Aspen after dark, which suits families and people who prefer a bar to a club. For something unusual, there are snowcat dinners at The Cabin, a restaurant on the mountain reached by snowcat after the lifts close; the evening costs far more than a normal dinner, so check the price when you book.

The Highland Bowl is the reason skiers talk about Aspen Highlands. The resort describes 270 acres of hike-to terrain, a bowl whose steepest pitch is 48 degrees (Go-Go Gully), with a total descent of 2,500 feet. It was not fully opened until 2002, and the ski patrol controls the avalanche risk there; a memorial near the top of the Loge Peak lift remembers three patrollers who died in 1984 during that work.

Even if you don't hike it, it is worth riding Loge Peak to look at it from the lift and see what the locals mean. Hiking it is the expert's rite of passage, and an easy mistake for a strong intermediate to underestimate.

The Loge Peak lift tops out at 11,675 feet, and the hike from there up the ridge gains about 860 feet to the summit at 12,392 feet. The resort says it usually takes around 45 minutes in good conditions but can take 30 minutes to an hour and a half, and a snowcat that runs every hour saves around 15 minutes.

Carry your skis on straps (you can borrow them at the Highlands patrol headquarters), let faster hikers pass and heed all warnings. At this altitude the hike is hard for anyone who flew in from sea level two days ago, so don't do it on day one.

Cloud Nine is an alpine-style hut serving fondue and wine, with views of the Maroon Bells. The signature dishes are the Gruyere fondue and the raclette that you melt yourself on tabletop grills. Reservations are recommended, and the lunch seatings are at 11:30am and 11:45am.

It is a long lunch, not a quick refuel, so book it as the main event of the day and plan the hike for the morning. The bistro also hosts snowcat dinners after the lifts close, for those who want the full experience.

Merry-Go-Round sits at the top of the Exhibition lift and is the meeting point of Aspen Highlands, with a southwest-style menu: burrito bowls and salads, grab-and-go from 9am and a sit-down lunch from 11am to 2:30pm. It's the practical and cheaper lunch stop if you don't have a booking at Cloud Nine.

Eat here if the Bowl hike runs long, and use it to regroup with the rest of your party.

The Deep Temerity lift brings you back up from the base of the Bowl. Before it was completed for the 2005-06 season, skiers faced a long traverse out of the Bowl; the lift removed that traverse and added about 180 acres of new terrain.

The resort calls the terrain around it Temerity, legendary steep terrain. It is not a place for a casual skier, and you'll be glad of the lift.

Highlands Alehouse, at the base of Aspen Highlands, is a casual ski-in, ski-out bar and restaurant with a long beer list, burgers, sandwiches, salads and bowls. Listings show it open from 11am to 8pm daily, so it is an early evening stop rather than a late one.

It's a good place to end a day that started with a hike. From here the free buses go back to Aspen.

Panda Peak is a free chairlift at the base of Buttermilk, with gentle greens and blues, next to The Hideout learning center and the kids' attractions like Fort Frog. The resort calls Buttermilk one of the best places to learn.

If anyone in your group has never skied, this is the spot. The area is separate from the main runs, so beginners are not in the way of faster skiers.

Once the beginners are comfortable, the Tiehack Express and the West Buttermilk Express open up the rest of the mountain. The whole mountain has 44 trails, with a vertical of 2,030 feet and a top at 9,900 feet.

It gets less snow than the other three, an average of 200 inches a year against 300.

Buttermilk has nine terrain parks, and it hosts the Winter X Games, where the best freestyle skiers and snowboarders compete in slopestyle, big air and superpipe. A deal announced in June 2026 keeps the event at Buttermilk through the 2028-29 season.

The 2027 event runs 29-31 January 2027 at Buttermilk, and daytime access is free until 4pm, with a ticket needed for the evening competitions and concerts. There is no parking at Buttermilk, so you come by shuttle from Rubey Park or by bus. If you're there that weekend, expect crowds and closures on parts of the mountain, and book rooms early.

The Cliffhouse sits at the very top of Buttermilk, where the Summit Express and Tiehack Express meet, with a view of Pyramid Peak and the Maroon Creek valley. It is known for its Mongolian grill, and lunch runs from 11am to 2:30pm.

Because it is at the top, it suits strong skiers and anyone who has graduated from the beginner area. A first-timer's lunch is easier at Buttermilk Mountain Lodge at the base, which serves pasta and salads and has a deck facing the superpipe.

Hickory House is a barbecue and breakfast place at 730 West Main Street, best known for its ribs, with brisket and chicken fried steak on the menu. It's one of the places that shows Aspen is not all fine dining.

Come for the slow-smoked baby back ribs and expect locals at the next table. Hours vary by season, so call before you walk over, especially in the evening.

Ashcroft began in spring 1880 as a silver camp called Castle Forks City and had roughly 2,000 residents around 1883. The silver deposits proved shallow, the railroad never came and miners moved to Aspen, taking some of their cabins with them. By 1912 fewer than 50 people remained, and the last resident, Jack Leahy, died in 1939.

A few buildings still stand, and the site is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Aspen Historical Society runs it, with a docent on site from 10am to 5pm and honor-system admission outside those hours (the society's page does not say whether the docent hours apply in winter). Dogs are not allowed.

Pine Creek Cookhouse is a log-built restaurant about 1.5 miles beyond the Ashcroft Touring Center, with lunch and an evening dinner you reach by ski, snowshoe or horse-drawn sleigh. Winter reservations open on 1 November and the sleigh runs at 11am, 1pm and around 6pm. The food is described as fresh and on the gourmet side, and not overly expensive for Aspen.

Reserve: lunch and dinner are served Wednesday to Sunday, so day five has to fall on one of those days (a Friday works). In winter you reach it on skis or snowshoes along the trail from the Touring Center, which is part of the point, and the sleigh ride takes about 20 minutes each way.

The Aspen Art Museum at 637 East Hyman Avenue is free, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm and closed on Mondays. Two exhibitions run into 2027: Adrian Villar Rojas through 18 April and Kerstin Brätsch through 31 March.

It's contemporary art, not a collection of old masters, and a good change of pace after a ski week. Swedish Hill Aspen, the cafe, is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 2pm.

The Aspen Historical Society's main museum is at 620 West Bleeker Street. The silver story is here: the district that overtook Leadville in 1891-92 as the top silver producer in the country, the crash of 1893 and the quiet decades that followed.

The society also runs a Holden/Marolt Mining and Ranching Museum on Highway 82 and offers guided tours of historic Aspen. Winter hours are not on the website; listings show Tuesday to Saturday from about noon to 5pm, which works on a Friday, but call 970-925-3721 to confirm.

The Hotel Jerome is the best-preserved piece of the silver boom. It opened in 1889 and was one of the first buildings west of the Mississippi with full electric lighting; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

You don't have to book a room to walk through the lobby. A few steps along Mill Street is the Wheeler Opera House, the other building the silver millionaire Jerome Wheeler paid for.

The Wheeler Opera House at the corner of Hyman Avenue and Mill Street opened in 1889, the same year as the Jerome. It is still a working theater, so look at the program for a show, a film or a concert on the night you are there.

If there's nothing on, the walk between the two buildings and John Denver Sanctuary, a small park by the water, is the best use of the last light of the trip.