Aspen Summertime Weekend

My husband and I wanted a quick getaway and easily decided to visit Aspen, a scenic three-hour drive from Denver. It's one of my favorite destinations in Colorado, with its hip restaurants, trendy shops, and incredible mountain scenery. Nevertheless, we didn't have unlimited funds, but managed to find great bargains to make our weekend lots of fun without being outrageously expensive!

Quick Tips:

There are plenty of ways to do Aspen "on the cheap," even free - for instance, we listened to a classical music performance that was part of the Aspen Music Festival by sitting on the lawn outside the music tent. Strolling around town, hiking and taking in the scenery doesn't cost a cent. If camping is your thing, there are lots of Forest Service campgrounds within a few miles of town - they have million-dollar views, believe me!

Best Way To Get Around:

If you're staying in Aspen, you can leave your car parked at the hotel - this is a great pedestrian town with all the main attractions close by. There is a good bus system, the Roaring Fork Valley Transit Company, to take you to places like Aspen Highlands, Maroon Bells, and Snowmass.

What a great, reasonably priced hotel, just blocks away from the best of downtown Aspen, or the base of Aspen Mountain for wintertime skiing! It’s an older facility (50-year anniversary last year), but our room, although small, was clean and modern. Our room was air-conditioned, with a queen-sized bed, small refrigerator, TV, and a balcony that overlooked the pool area. The bathroom was spotless and had plenty of towels, and the shower worked well. The price of the room included breakfast, one of the best "cold" breakfasts I’ve had at a hotel: hard-boiled eggs, bread or bagels, danish, sweet and savory mini-croissants, cereal, yogurt, juice, for example. The staff was friendly and the hotel facilities were astounding; I could not believe how well equipped the fitness area was with brand new equipment, weights, even modern punching bags! There is also a laundry room, large dining room and other cozy seating areas near the lobby. Coffee and fresh baked goods were offered each afternoon.

I checked out a lot of other hotels, large and small, within Aspen - Mountain Chalet’s prices beat everything else. The irony is that the Mountain Chalet is directly next door to one of the most expensive hotels in Aspen, the St. Regis. I felt pretty smug knowing that I would not find a better deal, nor a better location, in Aspen.

In search of a quick lunch before leaving town, we happened by Boogie’s Diner and thought it looked cute and might have some good lunch items. It was generally a disappointment. There was a wait to be seated in the diner area upstairs which is very convenient given there is a large retail apparel area on the ground floor. I didn't see much that people over 30 would be interested in wearing!

The theme is a '50s diner, with formica tables, bright pastel colors and walls filled with endless graduation pictures of geeky people from a long time ago! Needless to say, it’s a concept that doesn’t appeal to me greatly, as well as being pretty much overdone these days.

It was very hot inside because of the large skylights. When we were seated after about 10 minutes, we had a friendly server dressed kind of in 50s-style. We were served quickly and pleasantly, which at least made the whole meal from being a complete disaster. I had a turkey melt sandwich, which I wasn’t terribly pleased with. It was thick with dry turkey breast, and the bread fell apart after a few bites. My husband had a hamburger, which he liked – can’t do much to a plain burger, I guess! I also found the ladies' room to be filthy, which really turns me off with regard to any restaurant.

The prices do not reflect the 1950s for sure--most sandwiches were close to ten dollars. I guess people do like the nostalgia of the décor and the type of food on the menu, but I cannot recommend Boogie’s Diner as a great place for great food. Cheaper and better nostalgia isn’t that hard to find!

Aspen has a lot of choices in dining, many of them very upscale offering nouveau or European cuisine with prices to match! I was more in the mood for "American" food, but I didn’t want to eat fast food either. Jimmy’s was the perfect choice that evening. One other requirement that evening was to dine outside to take advantage of the warm evening. Jimmy’s is located upstairs in a small mall area and has a great view of the downtown Aspen area and the surrounding mountains. We were seated outside immediately without a reservation, always a good start to an evening out!

I like Jimmy's slogan, "Fierce American Food!". Our waiter was a friendly young man who inadvertantly helped make my decision about what to eat! He asked if I liked meatloaf, to which I replied, "Sure, do you serve it here?" He laughed and explained that he was talking about the song being played over their sound system, the singer Meatloaf! He then went on to describe the meatloaf that Jimmy’s served, made with sirloin and flavored with a "Mad Dog Ranch" barbeque sauce – I did end up ordering it and liked it very much! My husband had a rotisserie chicken quarter topped with a hickory-smoked sauce and slices of brie. Many other entrees were traditional fare such as steaks, seafood and chops, as well as a wide assortment of appetizers and side dishes.

They offered a great wine list and are also known for their wide variety of tequilas. The prices are in line with the quality, as well as the location; dinner for two with glasses of wine will run at least $50.00, but you could do a lot worse in Aspen! We enjoyed our meal, service, and location and would eat there again.

I admit that I did not venture to the Woody Creek Tavern for the food. I’m a big fan of the late Hunter S. Thompson, so this establishment is well known as his former hangout. I felt compelled to visit to raise a glass in his memory. In many ways, I’m glad he’s not around to see what Woody Creek has become (or maybe he knew anyway): a family gathering spot, a destination for cyclists riding in from Aspen for brunch, a polo shirt and capri pants crowd slumming it for a hot afternoon. It’s not the legendary dive bar it used to be.

It was hard to find a parking space along the road in the canyon where the tiny hamlet of Woody Creek is located, at about 1pm on a sweltering Sunday. It was obvious we weren’t going to eat anytime soon by the size of the crowd milling about the covered patio area. The trick was to find the hostess (a sign told you her name and what she was wearing) to get on the list. Once that was accomplished, you were invited to get a drink and find a bench until your name was called. They were lined up three deep at the bar, with many people and servers trying to get through in all directions. Complete chaos. We were finally able to procure our beers and waited on the patio. We had our first Aspen celebrity sighting, although they were celebrities that only my Canadian husband would have known--a bunch of retired hockey players and a broadcaster from the CBC were hanging out, drinking Canadian beer, of course!

When our name was called, we were offered two seats at the bar. It was actually a very fun location to sit. We chatted with other people and the bartender, a relative newcomer who had been working there for only 10 years! The coolers were covered with the funniest collection of bumper stickers – my husband would keep pointing out another one to me and howling! There were also the requisite photos of the late Dr. Thompson and his illustrator, Ralph Steadman. How I wish I could have been around to have a drink with them, although I can imagine it would have been difficult to actually remember what went on given the legendary amounts of alcohol consumed on these premises!

The menu was surprisingly upscale for the locale. Hamburgers were made with "limousine beef," organic salads, vegetarian soy chorizo... I was expecting crappy bar food! The food was good; a hamburger for my husband, crispy chicken flautas for me. We were starving by then, so there wouldn’t have been much that wouldn’t have hit the spot!

I guess it’s hard when a cool place becomes popular, as is the case with the Woody Creek Tavern. Everyone hopes no one else will discover it after they do! It’s not that it’s a bad place to go; it’s just too damn bad everybody knows about it!

I've visited many beautiful scenic areas in Colorado, but Maroon Bells may be one of the best I've seen. It's certainly one of the most photographed vistas, with good reason. Three jagged, snow covered peaks rise dramatically over an aspen and pine forest, and are reflected in a glass-like lake. In the summertime, the wildflowers bloom with unbelievable profusion and the autumn is resplendent in its golden hues. It’s the kind of scene that takes your breath away when it’s revealed for the first time.

The parking is very limited at the Visitors’ Center, so a shuttle bus from Aspen Highlands is the only way to get to Maroon Bells during the day other than cycling. The bus costs six dollars per person, but you get a guided tour of the points of interest along the way. The small Visitors’ Center has some exhibits on the flora and fauna of the area, as well as restrooms and a water fountain (you would be advised to bring bottled water to avoid dehydration in the dry high altitude. There are no concessions or bottled water for sale there.)

We arrived at Maroon Bells on the most perfect summer day you could imagine; not a cloud in the sky, the sun warm, the breeze pleasant. I had hoped to hike the Maroon Creek Trail, which was advertised as a 4.5-mile downhill hike, bordering the creek. When we arrived, we learned that a bridge was under construction and that the trail was closed about a mile down. I was very disappointed, but the volunteer ranger suggested that we try the Scenic Loop Trail, about 2.2 miles around. Once we started on this trail, we couldn’t imagine that anywhere else could have been more beautiful. We were told that this summer was particularly good for wildflowers; the variety, colors, and sheer numbers were astounding! I recognized a few species like daisies, but most were unfamiliar to a flatlander like me! One particular tall, white flowered plant only blooms once every 50 years; they attracted numerous hummingbirds which flitted from bloom to bloom.

We wound our way up an easy hill to a rushing waterfall, and enjoyed the cool mist on a small wooden bridge. As we ascended, the wildflower varieties changed; we found my favorite wildflower, the columbine, enjoying the shade next to the stream. We walked by a pond where a beaver colony has maintained their dam for a least 60 years! I stopped frequently to photograph these incredible nature scenes, trying in vain to capture the all the elements of what I could see and feel in one shot!

After several exquisite hours, we strolled back to catch our bus. I would really like to see the Maroon Bells in all seasons; it’s certainly a great reason to visit Aspen!

In the summer, visitors to Aspen can get to the town via Independence Pass, which is closed in wintertime. It’s an incredibly scenic--as well as a bit scary--road, especially for visitors who might not be used to mountain driving.

We drove from Denver through Leadville to reach Colorado Highway 82 West. Except for the tiny resort town of Twin Lakes, there isn’t much on this road except mountain scenery. About 20 miles after Twin Lakes, the road starts to climb; at first gradually, then starting into switchbacks to make the ascent to the top of the Continental Divide. On the east side, it doesn’t take long to get above treeline and arrive at the top of the pass, 12,095 feet above sea level. There is always some snow at the top, even in mid-summer. Some adventurous visitors were sliding down a steep snowfield with their dog when we arrived! A small trail takes you to the top of a hill where you can see in every direction. It’s usually cold there and a jacket is handy to have, even if it’s in the 80s down below.

The descent towards Aspen is a challenging drive, even for Colorado natives. The road is built on a pretty sheer cliff in many areas and sometimes there is no guardrail. The views are dramatic coming down, but if you’re the driver, you’d better just watch the road and use the pull-offs to enjoy the view. As you get closer to Aspen, there are two spots where the road is so narrow that there is no center line, about a lane-and-a-half width. You need to slow down and just hope an RV doesn’t come in the other direction. Also, watch out for wildlife; we saw a deer dart across the road in front of the car in broad daylight.

A point to stop would be about four miles down from the pass at the site of the Independence Ghost Town. It thrived in the silver mining heyday of the late 1800s, but when the railroad passed them by, it slowly dwindled down to the last resident who hung on until the 1930s. I can’t imagine how hard life must have been, especially in the winter. A donation is requested to tour the site, but you can certainly see a lot and read the placards from the parking area.

If you arrived in Aspen in the other direction, via Glenwood Springs, it’s certainly worth the drive to visit the top of the pass in the summer. Just take it slowly and hope you can switch off the driving chores with someone you’re traveling with!