aspen standard
HIGH-ALTITUDE LIFESTYLE
ASPEN’S APPEAL IN EVERY SEASON
Where to shop and stay, dine and play.
By Amanda M. Faison
It hardly matters when you visit
Aspen.
You will fall in love no matter the season. With cerulean skies most days and majestic mountain vistas from nearly every window, it’s both a tranquil retreat and an outdoor adventure. The historic downtown is brimming with its own special charm—world-class shopping, dining, and cultural events—yet this Colorado hamlet still retains its singular Western character. Here’s how to experience the best of it all.
WAKE UP
Start your day right with an unrivaled cup of coffee at Felix Roasting Co. (felixroastingco.com) in the historic Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection. The artisanal brewer, which likens its coffee’s complex flavor journey to that of a glass
of Bordeaux, offers unique drinks like the deconstructed espresso tonic, a shot of espresso topped with homemade citrus-cardamom reduction, tonic, and a spritz of rosewater. For a healthy start or hearty breakfast before hitting the trails, visit Bear Den (beardenaspen. com) for hygge-style decor, green juice, and the Sunny Side: a brioche breakfast sandwich with fried egg, roasted bell pepper, goat cheese, arugula, and coriander-mint sauce.
HIKE
The Maroon Bells (visitmaroonbells.com) hiking trail is undoubtedly Aspen’s most photographed destination, thanks to its majestic views and winding paths lined with flowers and willowy aspen trees. Book a shuttle
Above, from left: The Sunny Side breakfast sandwich at Bear Den; Felix Roasting Co. at Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection.
reservation or a parking permit and spend the day hiking, or relax along the rim of Maroon Lake. For a more daring physical challenge, Ute Trail’s 1,100 feet of elevation gain—in less than a mile—is a great workout. The truly hardcore can continue beyond the lookout to the very top of Aspen Mountain (hint: give your quads a rest and take the gondola down). For a suitably intermediate adventure, the Hunter Creek Trail meanders up the creek valley and has several bridge crossings. Go early or late to experience it at its most serene.
SHOP
Aspen’s historic downtown delivers an abundance of charm along with some of the world’s most sought-after luxury brands, including Prada, Hermès, Brunello Cucinelli, and Morgenthal Frederics, plus top-tier jewelry brands like Lugano, Buccellati, and Anna Zuckerman. In the mix are plenty of local favorites too, such as Pitkin County Dry Goods (pitkincountydrygoods. com), which first opened in 1969. It specializes in boutique designers, with names like Jonathan Simkhai, Begg x Co, Savas, La DoubleJ, and Nanushka. For authentic Western wear, visit Kemo Sabe (kemosabe.com), best known for its cowboy hats customized to your specs and style, with feathers, pins, embossed initials, beads, and other accoutrements.
DISCOVER
Designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, Aspen Art Museum (aspenartmuseum.org) is a work of art in and of itself: As the sun moves, so do the shadows and shapes inside the dramatic, basket weave–like structure. Admire the architecture alongside thought-provoking exhibitions year round, and mark your calendar for the museum’s annual ArtCrush fundraiser and gala (aspenartmuseum.org/ art-crush), which takes place this summer
Kemo Sabe’s custom Western hats are known the world over.
on August 1. Explore more original art at local, artist-owned spaces like Simon Bull’s Meuse Gallery and Christopher Martin Gallery (christophermartingallery.com).
LISTEN
For 76 years, the Aspen Music Festival (aspenmusicfestival.com) has brought live classical music to the west end. This year, the Michael Klein Music Tent—known among locals as “The Tent”—will present near-daily concerts from July 2 through August 24, from classical pianist Joyce Yang’s recital of Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 to a lively mariachi celebration concert. Not to be missed are master classes and more performances held inside Harris Concert Hall, which is designed in the shape of—and has the perfect acoustics of—the inside of a violin. Feeling more rock-and-roll than symphony orchestra? Jazz Aspen Snowmass’s Labor Day Experience (jazzaspensnowmass.org) will bring Imagine Dragons, Lenny Kravitz, and Luke Combs to its outdoor stages this year.
PICNIC
Whether you’re going for a hike, to the music festival, or lounging in a park—Herron Park is our favorite tucked-away gem—you’ll want to pack a basket of goodies from Meat & Cheese (meatandcheeseaspen.com). Order to-go from the lunch menu or browse the farm shop for sundries. If you’re in the mood for a sandwich, build your own at The Butcher’s Block (butchersblockaspen.com) or order the legendary meatloaf (trust us!). A bottle of wine from Of Grape and Grain completes the spread.
SEE
Serious and casual art aficionados alike make it a point to browse Intersect Aspen Art + Design Fair’s (intersectaspen.com) modern and contemporary art fair every July. Expect to see works from blue-chip galleries all over the globe, including many representing local artists. Meanwhile, cinephiles have flocked to Aspen Film events (aspenfilm.org) to enjoy the beauty of film in the Roaring Fork Valley for
Sting performs at the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Experience in 2024.
45 years. The excellence continues at this fall’s FilmFest, an annual showcase of dozens of thought-provoking films from across the globe.
REFRESH
For all things mind, body, and spirit, Aspen Shakti (aspenshakti.com) is the heart of Aspen’s wellness community. More than a yoga studio, the modern sanctuary offers classes, sound healing, meditation sessions, astrology, tarot card readings, and mountaintop yoga classes. In nearby Carbondale, True Nature (truenaturehealingarts.com) is another wellness treasure, this one focusing on the healing arts. The center encourages deep reflection through yoga and spa services, but the real draw is the Peace Garden, where concentric, gorgeously manicured trees and plants incorporate nature and serenity into features like an outdoor
reflexology path (walk the spiral barefoot), a meditation labyrinth, and a wishing tree.
DINE
As Aspen’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, Bosq (bosqaspen.com) has a reputation to uphold. Rest assured, under the watchful eye of chef-owner Barclay Dodge, every seasonally inspired dish—from the roasted duck with fermented sunchoke mole to bison tartare with preserved red plum—is as flavorful as it is exquisitely composed. A couple blocks away, Wayan (wayan-restaurants.com),
Cédric Vongerichten’s homage to his wife Ochi’s native Indonesian cuisine, is a creative blend of authenticity and elevated French technique, expressed through dishes like impossibly crispy corn fritters, sultry lobster noodles, and spicy peekytoe crab fried rice.
Above, from left: Bosq chef-owner Barclay Dodge in his Michelin-starred kitchen; Wayan Aspen’s lobster noodles.
Where to Stay
Aspen may have a lot of glitz and glam, but it’s a town built on history. Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection (aubergeresorts.com/ hoteljerome) is a reminder of days gone by—its iconic brick structure was built by Jerome Wheeler during Aspen’s first heyday, in 1889— as well as a symbol of the town’s modern-day esteem. During your stay, stop by the J-Bar for an Aspen Crud, an off-menu, whiskey-spiked milkshake that was dreamed up during Prohibition, when a dram of whiskey found many a hiding spot.
A guest room at Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection.
