Planning · 2026–27
The best time to visit Aspen
It depends what you're coming for. The dates, the crowds and the weather, month by month, for the season ahead.
It depends what you're coming for. The dates, the crowds and the weather, month by month, for the season ahead.
For skiing, late January to mid-March has the most reliable snow outside the holiday crush; for value, early December and late season; for summer, late June to September. The holiday fortnight (about December 20 to January 4) is the busiest and most expensive, and in 2027 the airport is closed from April 4 to November 19.
Dates are from Aspen Snowmass, the airport, CDOT, X Games and the Maroon Bells reservation system; weather is NOAA's 1991–2020 normals. Checked September 2026.
Paul Montiel · Aspen · Updated September 2026
January to March: each month averages 27–28 inches of snow in town (NOAA normals), and the mountains get more. February is peak season; late January is often quieter.
The first half of December before the holidays, and late March to April 18 outside Easter week (Easter is March 28, 2027). Lift tickets were $98 from March 28 in 2026.
December 20 to January 4 is the peak: book lessons, chefs, tables and cars months ahead, and expect holiday rates.
X Games at Buttermilk January 29–31, 2027; New Year's Eve fireworks over Aspen Mountain; Thanksgiving is opening day (November 26, 2026).
Late June to August: highs in the 70s, cool nights, the gondolas and Maroon Bells shuttle running. In 2027, plan the arrival around the airport closure.
Late April to late May and late October to Thanksgiving: many restaurants close or cut hours, and the mountains are between seasons.
For skiing, February and early March have the best combination of snow and conditions, with late January quieter. For summer, July. For value, early December or late season.
The shoulder weeks from late April to late May and late October to Thanksgiving. In ski season, early December and the weeks around (not including) Easter.
The 2026–27 season runs November 26, 2026 to April 18, 2027, with individual mountains' dates announced later.
Aspen is fully open, but the airport is closed April 4 to November 19, 2027, so plan to arrive via Eagle, Rifle, Grand Junction or Denver.
Tell us the weeks you're considering: we'll say honestly which is best for your group, then set up the house, the arrival and the days around it.
We watch the flight from the moment it leaves. If it's on time, a driver is waiting and the fire is lit when you walk in. If it diverts to Eagle or cancels, the car, the bags and the house all move with it, and you hear from us before you have to ask.
Everyone on the right mountain at 9:30 on the first morning, with no rental queue and no forgotten forms. Lessons booked a month ahead, skis fitted at the house the night before, and a massage for the parents while the children are in ski school.
Arrive to a house that already feels like Christmas: the tree up and lit, the kitchen stocked, stockings where they should be. Christmas Eve dinner is cooked at home by a private chef, the lessons that sell out first are already booked, and the car is at the airport when you land.
Stand at Maroon Lake as the sun hits the peaks, before the first shuttle arrives. A private car with a sunrise parking reservation, hot coffee and a picnic breakfast, and back to the house by mid-morning while the day is still young.
Aspen Snowmass: 2026–27 season · NOAA normals, Aspen 1 SW · X Games Aspen 2027 · Maroon Bells reservations · Aspen airport 2027 closure · Aspen Snowmass: spring — checked September 28, 2026.
We'll tell you which works best for your group and plan the rest around it.
Plan the trip