Aspen & the Maroon Bells

Located at the south end of the Roaring Fork Valley, Aspen is Colorado at its most sublime (the scenery) and glamorous (the people). Although you can get here over Independence Pass in summer, for most of the year the town is hemmed in by the towering Sawatch Range and the rugged Elk Mountains, with the only access via Hwy 82, south of I-70. Glenwood Springs, at the north end of the highway, is commonly referred to as 'down valley,' while Aspen is considered to be 'up valley.'

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Ice Age Discovery Center
Aspen
In October 2010, a bulldozer working near Snowmass unearthed the tusk of a female mammoth. Spurred by this unusual discovery, the Denver Museum of Nature …
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
Aspen & the Maroon Bells
This family-oriented destination lumps together several attractions at once: the Fairy Caves (once billed as the eighth wonder of the world), a full-on…
Independence
Aspen
Just 16 miles east of Aspen, at the foot of Independence Pass, this gold-mining boom town turned ghost town started as a tented camp in the summer of 1879…
Ashcroft
Aspen
The access point to the breathtaking Castle Creek Valley is the ghost town of Ashcroft, a silver-mining town founded in 1880. What remains are mostly…
Linwood Cemetery
Aspen & the Maroon Bells
Established in 1886, this is where John Henry ‘Doc’ Holliday was allegedly laid to rest in November 1887 (debate about this persists, since some scholars…
Aspen Art Museum
Aspen
This art museum's striking building features a warm, lattice-like exterior designed by Pritzker Prize–winner Shigeru Ban and contains three floors of…
Redstone Castle
Aspen & the Maroon Bells
Several of Redstone's original buildings are still standing, including the original chalet-style workers' cottages and John Osgood's personal residence,…
Frontier Historical Museum
Aspen & the Maroon Bells
Tucked into a quiet, leafy neighborhood, this community museum has an excellent collection of historic photos and old maps. The staff are history buffs:…