Aspen, Colorado Fall Weekend Trip
Most people think of Aspen, Colorado as being America’s winter sports haven (and obviously, they have a point) but if you’re from anywhere surrounding The Centennial State you already know that Aspen is also the perfect place for a fall getaway during leaf-peeping season.
Seriously, if you’ve never been to Aspen in the fall then I highly suggest that you make a point to get out there immediately and heart eye some trees.
Being a Denver local, Aspen is only about a three-hour drive from me and was an absolute must on my fall bucket list this year! I’m a sucker for some good autumn leaf content, and getting a chance to feast my eyes some grade-A leaf porn was MANDATORY.
Here are a few recommendations from my recent trip to chase the autumn vibes, along with some tips on how to make the most of your time in one of Colorado’s most loved mountain towns.
Where to stay
Snowmass Mountain Chalet
Since we had only planned for a quick weekend trip, we booked a one-night stay at this painfully adorable chalet in Snowmass.
Snowmass is a cozy ski town about fifteen-to-twenty minutes outside of Aspen and is a great option if you ever find that a majority of the hotels in the downtown Aspen area are already booked (which happens quickly, especially on weekends during prime leaf viewing months of September - October).
I reserved the Snowmass Mountain Chalet somewhat on an impulse because I noticed that many of the other hotels in the area were already starting to fill up (and this was with already reserving a month ahead of time - obviously I wasn’t the only one who was thirst trapped by the autumn vibes). The hotel seemed to be in a great location and had good reviews online, but I did feel like I was slightly taking a gamble on the booking because there were very few photos on the website, which, Let’s be real, can (and should) be a huge red flag.
I’ve worked in the hospitality industry for years and if a hotel website doesn’t show pictures of the property, 95% of the time your first thought should be “WTF are they trying to hide?!”. And in most cases, trust me when I say that you would much rather not get the answer to that question.
But thankfully in the case of the Snowmass Mountain Chalet, the hotel ended up being a charming surprise and was perfect for our quick escape to the mountains!
The chalet is located directly alongside one of Snowmass’s main ski slopes and within walking distance of most key locations within Snowmass Village. We had mainly planned to spend the weekend in Aspen, but being centrally located to also explore Snowmass felt like an added bonus!
Two-for-one mountain town special? Um, yes please!
The chalet has a heated pool and hot tub which was a great way to end a day of exploring the area, along with gorgeous aspen tree views from our window which I was stoked to wake up to.
If you’re looking for a cozy centrally located hotel in Snowmass Village, then Snowmass Mountain Chalet is a great option to go with!
Tip: Book your hotel a minimum of three-weeks prior to your arrival date during Fall months.
Granted, the Aspen hospitality industry is technically still in its slow season during September, but the tourist traffic definitely starts to pick up fast closer to late September once the leaves are in bloom and the autumn festivities start.
Booking early will both save you stress AND from the risk of having to throw elbows at other tourists for your spot in the city. Which sounds tempting, I know, but trust me - it ain’t worth it!
Where to eat
While only being in the mountains for one day, we were able to experience two restaurants in the area and BOTH places were delicious and I would highly recommend them if you’re visiting Aspen!
Pyramid Bistro
If you’re vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, paleo, or have a high love for nutrition, this organic-based bistro is a clean-eating oasis!
Hidden inside of a breezy window-lined dining room on the second floor of an adorable local bookshop, Pyramid Bistro creates delicious health-conscious cuisine with specific focus on plant-based diets.
My partner has a gluten allergy and sometimes finding restaurants while traveling that can accommodate a fully gluten free diet can prove to be a small journey within itself. Thankfully, Pyramid Bistro’s menu was fully gluten free! Huge bonus points to the chef for creating a menu that didn’t poison my babe while we were on vacation. A thousand thank yous!
I ordered the sweet potato gnocchi, which was absolutely drool worthy! The dinner was packed with plant power and leaves you feeling full and energized without being weighed down with extra carbs and additives.
Also, the wild berry and peach cobbler is to die for! And though I didn’t get to try the avocado chocolate mousse, it sounds just as amazing and I’d love to stop by again in the future to experience it.
Jour de Fete
Aspen seems to have no shortage of delicious french-inspired dining, and Jour de Fete’s cafe was a hearty breakfast choice that we were thrilled to have picked.
The menu offers a wide variety of breakfast and lunch options ranging from omelettes, a la carte, smoothies, sandwiches, soups, salads, etc.
Due to COVID their inside dining room was closed while we visited, but having breakfast al fresco style on their sunny patio felt like a great way to start our Sunday.
What to do
Downtown Aspen
You’ll want to make sure that you designate some time during your stay to explore the downtown area.
Get lost wandering through a few of the art studios, go for a ride on the gondola, or get fancy and do some shopping at any of Aspen’s many designer boutiques.
Downtown Aspen is adorable! And setting aside some free time to walk through the quaint mountain city is a must.
Maroon Bells
Claiming the title of most photographed mountains in the US, Maroon Bells is an iconically picturesque bell-shaped mountain range that calls Aspen, Colorado home and was a main highlight to our weekend!
AND THOSE TREES THOUGH!
I had visited Aspen once a few years back, but unfortunately the Bells were closed while I was there last time, so a key goal of this trip was going up to see them! And believe it or not, it almost didn’t happen for the second time.
To preserve plant and wildlife habitats near the mountains, regular automobile traffic isn’t allowed going up to the Bells which leaves catching the shuttle at Aspen Highlands Plaza as your only transportation option to and from. With that being said (and I can't stress this enough) reserve your bus tickets early!!
I had originally planned to book our bus tickets a week prior to the Sunday that we were going to go up to Maroon Bells. Sounds logical, right? Should have been enough time, right? NOPE.
I went to reserve tickets for the bus the week before our trip and all times were already completely booked up for the next two weekends! Which means that even booking tickets two weeks out was cutting it close.
At that point I just accepted that it wasn’t going to happen on this trip.
THANKFULLY, my partner (being the badass that they are) spent most of the Friday prior to our trip constantly refreshing the booking screen on the shuttle website and happened to get lucky! We scored two tickets to the last bus up to the mountains on Sunday, and it was worth every single annoying refresh click.
The views from Maroon Bells are nothing short of jaw dropping!
Tip: Reserve your shuttle trip as early as possible. I recommend three weeks prior at minimum, just to be safe. Here's a link to where you can book your tickets.
