Aspen Become a Travel Agent Near Me

Overview

Introduction

The mountain town of Aspen, Colorado, has had several lives: a thriving silver-mining mecca, a deserted town and a laid-back resort. Since its final transformation in the 1940s, Aspen has offered a rich mix of recreation and culture with a comfortable, casual style and an ample splash of elegance in its accommodations, restaurants and boutiques.

Aspen's storied past is evident in the 19th-century architecture of refurbished houses and other buildings downtown. That Victorian influence is left over from the silver boom, and it gives the city a character unknown to its ski-town rivals, some of which (such as Vail) have existed as resort towns from the beginning. There's more to Aspen than skiing. With plenty of wilderness areas for hiking, plus ghost towns and music festivals, Aspen is, without a doubt, a year-round vacation spot.

Must See or Do

Sights—Scenic drive over Independence Pass; the ghost town of Ashcroft; the Maroon Bells; riding Aspen Mountain Silver Queen Gondola to the summer activities on top of the mountain.

Museums—Aspen Art Museum; Wheeler/Stallard Museum.

Memorable Meals—Lunch at the Pine Creek Cookhouse; enchiladas and margaritas at Woody Creek Tavern.

Late Night—Rock out at Belly Up, Aspen; salsa dance at Jimmy's; billiards, cigars and lounging at Eric's Bar; pomegranate martinis and DJ dancing at Escobar.

Walks—Rio Grande Trail through the city to the John Denver Sanctuary; to the Grottos for a picnic; around American Lake; Maroon Creek Trail in the Maroon Bells Wilderness Area.

Especially for Kids—Skating or swimming at the Aspen Recreation Center.

Geography

Mountains are the most prominent feature of Aspen. Sixteen peaks surround the city, but the most prominent are Red Mountain to the north, Smuggler Mountain to the east and Aspen Mountain to the south—it stretches all the way to the sidewalks downtown. Nearby Mount Elbert is the tallest in Colorado at 14,443 ft/4,475 m.

The town sits on the western slope of the Colorado Plateau and in the valley of the Roaring Fork River, a tributary of the Colorado River. The altitude is 7,850 ft/2,435 m. The town itself is a mere 3.5 sq mi/9 sq km.

Towns surrounding Aspen include Glenwood Springs, Basalt, Carbondale and Snowmass Village. Independence Pass, a major route to Aspen on Highways 91 and 24, is closed in winter. The city is laid out on a grid at the base of Aspen Mountain. Mill Street divides the city north-south, and Highway 82 bisects it east-west.

History

The mountains surrounding Aspen once served as prime hunting grounds for the Ute tribe. The area remained quiet until 1879, when the silver strike put Aspen on the map. The town grew quickly, and by 1890, it was Colorado's third-largest city. When the silver market crashed in 1893, the town was deserted and virtually forgotten.

In the 1930s, just a few hundred people lived in Aspen, and they had the Highland Bavarian ski resort all to themselves. (It was the first downhill ski mountain in Colorado, but there were no lifts.) World War II brought the 10th Mountain Division ski troops to the Aspen area for training. The ski-hut system created for training is still used for high-altitude year-round recreation.

It took an Austrian-born ski instructor named Friedl Pfeiffer and Chicago cardboard businessman Walter Paepcke to transform Aspen. Pfeiffer convinced Paepcke to invest in a ski resort development (Aspen Skiing Company). In 1950, the ski runs made Aspen famous when the World Ski Championships were hosted there. Aspen Highlands Resort opened in 1958, and the teaching mountain, Buttermilk, opened a short time later. The Snowmass ski area opened in 1967.

Despite Aspen's transformation into a retreat for celebrities and skiers alike, most visitors agree that its laid-back attitude hasn't changed. There will always be tension between those who don't want to change a thing and developers with new ideas. There are still mainly small stores lining the downtown streets, and Aspen still plays host to a wide range of cultural events.

Potpourri

Aspen has hosted celebrities, politicians and royalty over the years, but today's extravagant and spectacular homes are more likely to be second (or third) homes for corporate executives.

Jeans are welcome almost everywhere in Aspen. The city's police officers wear them as part of their official uniforms. Cowboy hats and boots are also de rigueur.

Singer John Denver wrote several folk songs about Aspen, including "Aspenglow" and "Starwood." The city, in turn, dedicated a creekside sanctuary to the singer.

The average price for a single-family home in Aspen is US$1.8 million.

In 1894, the world's largest silver nugget (1,840 lb/835 kg) was found at the Smuggler Mine in Aspen.

Late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson ran as the 1970 Freak Power Party candidate for sheriff of Pitkin County, losing by only about 500 votes on a campaign that promised to change Aspen's name to Fat City.

Colorado implements the Clean Indoor Air Act, a statewide smoking ban.