Experiences · Summer
Hiking in Aspen
From a morning walk that starts at the end of your street to a high lake at almost 12,000 feet. The trails worth knowing, sorted by effort.
From a morning walk that starts at the end of your street to a high lake at almost 12,000 feet. The trails worth knowing, sorted by effort.
Aspen has hikes for every level within a few minutes of town: gentle walks on the Rio Grande Trail and Hunter Creek, the Smuggler lookout, the steep Ute Trail (about 1,000 vertical feet in 0.9 miles), the Maroon Lake Scenic Trail, and high lakes like Cathedral Lake at 11,866 feet. Start low for the first two days while you adjust to the altitude.
Trail lengths and elevations are from the Aspen Chamber's trail directory, checked September 2026. Conditions change; check with the White River National Forest before long hikes.
Paul Montiel · Aspen · Updated September 2026
A driver to the trailhead and back, a packed picnic, and a massage and dinner reservation for when you get down. Tell us your dates.
Give yourself two days before the high lakes. See the first 48 hours.
Summer thunderstorms build after lunch; lightning above tree line is the real danger.
Conundrum Hot Springs (8.5 miles one way) requires an overnight permit; the Maroon Bells need a shuttle or parking reservation in season.
Many start outside town; a driver means a one-way hike is possible. The Silver Queen Gondola can bring you down after the Ute Trail and up the mountain. See the gondola.
The Rio Grande Trail from town (flat, the first 2 miles paved) and the 1.3-mile Maroon Lake Scenic Trail at the Maroon Bells.
Steep: about 1,000 vertical feet in 0.9 miles to Ute Rock, starting on Ute Avenue.
11,866 feet, climbing from about 9,500 feet in Castle Creek Valley.
Day hikes generally don't, but the Maroon Bells need a shuttle or parking reservation in season, and Conundrum Hot Springs requires an overnight permit.
A driver to the trailhead and back, a picnic packed, and a massage at the house when you get down.
A car and driver on call for dinner and the night out, so nobody hunts for a taxi at midnight.
A therapist at the residence after travel or skiing.
Delivered before arrival for the first nights at altitude.
Reservations, timing, a driver and a picnic for Maroon Bells or a day in the valley, arranged around your group.
The Maroon Bells before the crowds, coffee by the lake and home by late morning.
A private car down the valley, a long soak, lunch in Glenwood and home to a massage.
Yoga in the morning light, a massage after lunch, and dinner cooked at the house.
Aspen Chamber: hiking trails · Aspen Snowmass: hiking guide — checked September 29, 2026.
Tell us your dates and how you like to walk. We'll plan the days, the drivers and the evenings.
Plan the summer
