Best Vacation Spot in Colorado!
Our trip to Aspen Snowmass was one of our favorite family vacations yet! I think we say that every time we go somewhere because we all love to travel and it's always so much fun to get away as a family with no distractions.
We are a hybrid outdoorsy family - meaning we love outdoor activities and at the same time we all want a nice clean place to call home base each night. So - Snowmass Village is a perfect spot for us! We were in a cute little condo that was a 5 minute walk from the Snowmass Village Mall, making a fun am kick-off each day to grab our morning coffee at the local fav FUEL Cafe. They have a phenominal almond smoothie, great breakfast burritos, and a killer chocolate donut (you have to get there early for the donuts because they sell out daily)…
Snowmass Village is small enough for a quiet get away to relax, and close enough to do everything you want! We literally did not stop all week long. I’m going to give you the rundown of our top “To Do’s” as well as the best places to eat - with a couple fun tips to make your trip to Aspen Snowmass an amazing family week!
Best Things we did:
1. Maroon Bells Tour -
We got to Maroon Bells, stepped off the bus, and walked down to the lake… I literally said, “Riane, I think we need to rent an Airstream trailer and figure out how to do a semester in Colorado.” Maroon bells is gorgeous. There's miles of hiking around a beautiful lake, streams, waterfalls, fishing, it is absolutely incredible. We took the bus tour that takes you from the bus stop in Aspen and drops you in the parking lot of Maroon Bells. The buses run every 15 minutes and it's simple to get up and down the mountain. Maroon Bells is a must-see when you go to Aspen.
2. Explore Lost Forest Snowmass -
The lost Forest in Snowmass just opened a week ago. They have a mountain coaster, rock climbing wall, the challenge course, and the beloved zip-line tour. There's also a Restaurant at the top of the mountain to grab your lunch after you've ridden all you can ride. You want to catch the gondola as soon as it opens so you can get as much time on the mountain coaster as possible. Your kids will love it! The zip-line tour is about four hours long so you want to make sure you get in at least an hour to do the coaster and the rock climbing wall before. This was without a doubt a trip highlight. Not only was the zip-line crazy fun, but our guides did an incredible job with Tanner and helping her feel safe and overcome her fears of heights and jumping off massive platforms.
3. White Water Rafting down the Roaring Fork River -
We got hooked up with the guys from Elk Mountain Aspen for our rafting and fishing Tours. This is a smaller more intimate Company of local guides that do a phenomenal job. I think this was Dax's favorite thing we did. He loved the guide so much he wanted to go visit him the next day. My boy Tyler was our raft guide – we are also out with Tom and MK all of which are extremely professional, knowledgeable, safe, and a whole lot of flipping fun. They bring snacks and drinks (kid and adult) to wrap the trip and they are the #1 rated raft company in Aspen. When you go, Elk Mountain is the company to use! Can't say enough, these guys–gals are amazing!
4. Guided Fishing -
This was Dax's other trip highlight. Anytime you're fishing somewhere new it's always better with a guide. They know where the fish are, they know what they're biting, and the guys with Elk Mountain (Adam and Trevor - were credible). We had a blast fishing in the river and the guides were really really good with Dax and made it a lot of fun.
5. Hiking -
Riane and I love to hike. There are miles and miles of great hiking around Snowmass Village. We did two fairly family friendly hikes. They both had great views and were just a lot of fun. We did the Ditch Trail which is more of a beginner trail and we did what the locals call the Ying Yang; which is more of a intermediate hike than the Ditch.
6. Bike Ride to Woody’s Tavern -
Woody's Tavern is a fun little tourist foodie spot where the waitresses are full of sass and there's a cool little vintage vibe. We rented two bikes and made the 11 mile ride from the village to the tavern. Note: do not take your kids on this ride. It is down hill most of the way and would have been much more challenging with our nine-year-old and timid 12 year old bike riders. However; they are not extremely adventurous on two wheels so you might be fine. Regardless, it was a really fun ride and a great way to spend an hour and a half on our way to lunch. (we rented our bikes from Four Mountain Sports - you get a 20% rentals when you get a gondola pass...)
7. Snowmass Free Concert Series -
The concert in the park is free is every Thursday night and is a fun way to be around what's happening in town. Snowmass Village does a really good job of having evening activities that have that small town community feel plus you can't beat the evening outdoor weather in Colorado.
8. Fridays on the Mall -
Free smore's every Friday night on the mall in Snowmass. Like all-you-can-eat… I think Dax had five maybe six. He was definitely wired for the next four hours. The atmosphere is amazing, the fire smells incredible and you're eating roasted marshmallows, Hershey chocolate, and graham crackers – what else is there?
9. Silver Queen Gondola -
The Gondola ride has incredible views of the mountains, overlooks Aspen and the view from the top is a great spot for a family shot. Obviously there's a restaurant up top as well. Makes a great spot to grab a snack, sit on a rocker, and take in the view.
10. Shopping Downtown Aspen -
Aspen has a really cool downtown area. Lots of shops, restaurants, coffee shops, and is just a fun place to walk around, shop, people watch, grab a snack and enjoy the day.
Top Eats… & Treats!
1. Ajax Tavern -
Ajax Tavern is next to the gondola in Aspen, it has an amazing view of the side of the mountain and has a great patio. The burger seemed to be the most recommended item, but we really enjoyed the cauliflower with the cashew cream, the avocado crush, and the fresh shrimp. We topped dinner off with the strawberry shortcake that comes in a cool little mason jar. Nothing better than a great dinner, a beautiful view, and dessert packaged in a really creative way.
2. Fuel Cafe -
FUEL was our most frequented spot and is without a doubt the local favorite in Snowmass Village. If you walk in around 7:30am it will be packed with guides, locals, mall employees, and anyone else who who happens to be awake at that time. This is THE place to get breakfast in the Village.
3. CP Burger -
Maybe the best Burger I've had. They have Burgers, sweet potato fries, tater tots, french fries, shakes and putt putt. CP burger was the most affordable place we ate and really was delicious. I could have eaten there daily.
4. Venga Venga Cantina -
The patio here is awesome. You sit around fire pits on couches and cushioned chairs. Total backyard feel, super place for family to relax and enjoy the mountain air and view. Get the nachos and make sure you get the sour cream drizzle–even if you don't like sour cream. They get soggy if you let them sit too long, so make sure you're ready to pound them when they come. It's a huge platter and plenty for a family of 4-6 to share.
5. Grilling off the back patio -
We grabbed groceries at the market and did three dinners in the condo, all of which were delicious. The back patio had a new grill, an amazing view of the side slopes and grass like a lush pillow that the kids would wrestle on each night while we cooked.
6. Spring Cafe -
Spring Café in Aspen is a great spot to stop for a snack, smoothie, or a light meal like a sandwich or wrap. We grabbed coffee and smoothies at this cute little spot and had we had more time for another day we definitely would've done lunch here as well.
(Road trip stops: on the way there and back)
1. Bella Luna Pizza -Trinidad CO -
We broke the trip up on the way to Colorado and stayed a night in Trinidad. Trinidad downtown is like a mini mini mini Austin. It's vintage with a few really good spots to eat. Our number one recommendation would be Bella Luna Pizza. Great spot for a rest stop, a pizza, and a beer or wine if that's your dig.
2. FiftyBurger - Salida CO -
We stopped here for lunch on day 2 of the road trip and killed some burgers and roasted sweet potatoes (my personal fav!) - if you are breaking up the trip or just in need of a quality meal on your way, this is a great place.
3. The Cafe - Trinidad CO -
We stopped on the trip back for lunch in Trinidad. The Café is a great spot to grab a clean lunch, meaning - healthy, tasty, and still in that cool old downtown area.
4. Palio’s Pizza - Amarillo TX -
Driving through Amarillo we called in pizza from Palio's, which is just off of I 40, next Starbucks, and they make great thin crust pizza, ready in about 15 minutes. Call when you're just outside Amarillo, pick it up, grab your coffee at Starbucks, and keep heading down the road.–Get a big coffee because your next decent coffee stop isn't going to be until Wichita Falls. Note to self, if it's late there's really not anything else between Amarillo and Fort Worth.
Wish we would have…
1. Rodeo -
Our biggest regret was not making it to the rodeo. We planned on going after a rafting trip but everyone was tired, ready to eat, and didn’t feel like doing another activity that evening. Definitely should have done it anyways and won't miss it next time we're in town.
2. The Drunken Muffin -
The Drunken Muffin is in Salida, about 30 minutes south Buenavista. Pam the owner makes fresh, from scratch cinnamon rolls, with cream cheese icing–daily. However, we missed out because we were driving home on Sunday. Pam sells her cinnamon rolls at the market in Buenavista on Sundays. Stop there and get one of these!
3. The Red Onion -
This was a local recommendation spot that we just didn't have time to go to. It's in downtown Aspen, outdoor seating, and looks like a really cool place.
All three of these are things that we will no doubt make top priority next time we are in Aspen Snowmass.
Seriously, Aspen Snowmass was amazing and we would encourage you to look into this as your next family vacation spot!