“This isn’t your typical mountain town,” say the luxury sportswear-clad couple I get chatting to over an iced coffee at the Local Coffee House in downtown Aspen after a week touring some of Colorado’s quirkier corners.
Having gorged on such two-lane highway treats as the UFO watchtower and nudist hot springs, I’ve been feeling inconspicuous in my psychedelic neon tie-dyed t-shirt, fitting right in on the Bustang (the catchy name for Colorado’s public bus system) which I boarded at the Kum & Go garage in Idaho Springs.
Then I alight the free shuttle connection into the parallel universe of downtown Aspen, pristine, glossy and groomed, where the athleisure is designer, sleek and as often as not, black.
Aspen legend has it that you get ski bums and billionaires sitting next to each other in any bar and no one can tell which is which, but it’s a certain brand of ski bum who wears Dior and eats $70 steak.
With a resident population of just 7,000 swelled by increasingly wealthy homebuyers and holiday makers, it’s a town that punches well above its weight, with several of its high-end shops and restaurants listing sister branches in New York, Los Angeles, and other global metropolises.
Among them is Duemani, an upscale American take on Mediterranean cooking (more fusion and jalapenos, than olive oil and simplicity) that has a fabulous local wine list and inventive fish and vegetable-focussed sides and starters alongside great grilled meats.
A more recent opening is Catch Steak (Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, Aspen) where we enjoy steak, sushi and belting cocktails on the roof terrace, watching the shadows grow over the mountains. We’re here on a warm June evening, but for winter and late-night visitors the inside room is vibey and low lit.
The customers are hot, the staff are hotter – “that’s just Aspen,” says restaurant manager David Richardson. “Everyone here is athletic.” But, riffing on the town’s enduring reputation for quirkiness and apres ski hedonism, he adds: “The odds are good, but the goods are odd.”
A Gonzo legacy
None odder, perhaps, than one of the town’s local heroes, gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who lived in Woody Creek, a village a short drive or pleasant eight-mile e-bike ride from downtown Aspen along the car-free Rio Grande Trail.
The Woody Creek Tavern is a must-visit, a dive bar of historic proportions still frequented by some of Aspen’s odder balls and all those who revel in their company.
Thompson, whose wife still lives in Woody Creek, ran the mayoral campaign for Joe Edwards, a non-conformist lawyer and biker dude, running for Sheriff himself the following year on a platform of ‘Freak Power’, against the conservative incumbent who was trying to force hippies, or ‘freaks’, out of town by cracking down on marijuana use and loitering.
The freaks did not win and the remaining leftfield folk are steadily being pushed out by soaring house prices in a way that will seem familiar to anyone arriving from London, New York or LA.
What will feel less familiar but hugely attractive to big city transplants is Aspen’s incredible access to the great outdoors and the ease and ubiquity of enjoying an active lifestyle. Sitting at an altitude of 8,000 feet, it is most famous for skiing but summer visitors have outnumbered winter ones since 2017, making the most of the Alpine scenery.
The not-so-Wild West
I’m staying at Aspen Valley Ranch, where paddleboarding, cycling, white water rafting, hiking, quad biking and fly fishing are all on offer for guests to avail themselves of whenever they choose.
It would be close to criminal for a ranch, even in the not-so-Wild West, not to have horses on site, and AVR’s pristine stables are home to several beautiful steeds, as well as a pair of obese, diabetic rescue donkeys being personal trained back to health.
We take the horses out on a gentle guided stroll through the Alpine meadows and ridgetop tracks surrounding the ranch itself and pass an elk with her baby who remain unphased, mistaking us for fellow four-legged friends.
Other trails are best enjoyed on two legs and there are none more absolutely picture perfect than Maroon Bells.
In a glacial valley between two 14,000ft peaks just 10 miles west of Aspen, the park provides budding Ansel Adamses with fool proof shots that frame themselves.
Of course somewhere doesn’t become the most-photographed spot in Colorado without a few visitors and it’s now required to book a slot in advance to prevent the park becoming too much a victim of its own success.
If you are not rugged enough to camp overnight, a very early start with a packed brunch is the recommended way to experience the Aspen-tree lined trails and capture the sweeping Alpine vistas without the crowds.
You can also take your stunning views over lunch via a gondola ride almost 3,000 feet further up to the Sundeck restaurant. More of a cafeteria, the food is fine, but you’re here for the views over the entire town and beyond. The people spending an afternoon on the terrace lounging in deckchairs with a book and a rosé have the right idea.
After a day in the great outdoors, if even a restaurant feels like a bit too much effort, you can retire to the many entertainments of the Aspen Valley Ranch’s historic barn, replete with everything from pool and ping pong, to air hockey and arcade games, as well as – crucially – a fully stocked bar.
Or cosy up around the outdoor fire pit and toast s’mores for dessert (the concierges will happily stock up on the ingredients for you).
Shopping and culture
It’s not all outdoorsy delights – Aspen has a cultural heft that dates back almost 80 years thanks, in part to the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit which draws intellectuals to the area.
Holidaymakers can dip in to lofty pursuits with a visit to the Aspen Art Museum, a well-regarded contemporary art gallery with a regular exhibition programme and free entry, as well as a stylish rooftop café offering a fresh, seasonal lunch menu and wine list that would not look out of place in a hip LA spot.
There are more galleries, as well as quirky shopping and a Saturday farmers’ market in summer in the (unusual for America) eminently walkable town.
It’s an extremely clean and well-manicured area, even outside the more recently built redbrick downtown area where most of the hyper high end boutiques are peddling the local signature style of luxe lycra and Vuitton.
Get the look for less at the Aspen Thrift Store or one of the consignment outlets which are bursting with cut price cast offs from the local big brand luxury shops, then stroll down East Main Street to drop in on Explore Booksellers, the historic Carl’s Pharmacy and the Grateful Deli for a glimpse of the hippy Aspen of yore.
Typical mountain town this is not, but you’ll find something for everyone if you know where to look.
The five-bedroom Sopris House at Aspen Valley Ranch is available to rent from $59,500USD / approx. £42,099 for a two week stay.
