Where is Aspen Mountain?

Aspen Mountain sits to the south and above the town of Aspen Colorado, so the slopes are largely north facing. Aspen is located in Pitkin County on State Highway 82 at the upper end of the Roaring Fork Valley. Aspen is a 198 mile drive southwest of Denver.

Flights to Aspen

Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (aka Sardy Field) is located about 3 miles (5km) from Aspen. A lot of visitors arrive at the Aspen airport via private jet, otherwise commercial flights originate from various cities including Denver, Los Angeles, SLC and Chicago. You can look at flight options here for flights to Aspen (ASA). One potential downside of flying into Aspen is the risk of the airport closing in foul weather.

To get from Aspen airport into Aspen, you can catch the free RFTA buses that depart every half hour between 6am and 5pm, and then every quarter hour until 1am. Alternatively many Aspen lodgings provide complimentary airport transfers, or it’s pretty easy to catch a taxi into town.

Another option is Eagle County airport (Vail/Eagle) which is 70 miles (112km) away (90 minutes). This airport is less plagued by weather issues and has a wider variety of routes than Aspen.

Flights to Denver

Aspen is 220 miles southwest of Denver International Airport. For visitors from some destinations, it is advantageous just to fly into Denver and get ground transportation from there. Denver receives many more flights from a multitude of airports across the US, and flights to Aspen can be pretty expensive.

Frequent ground transportation shuttles operate between Denver airport and Aspen. Rental cars are another option, although once in Aspen a car isn’t really necessary as there is a free bus and shuttle system that travels around town and between the ski resorts.

[AdListings collection="USA" category="Aspen" subcategory="Transport Airport Shuttles"]

Driving to Aspen Colorado

The drive from Denver is along I70 to Glenwood Springs and then onto highway 82. The drive takes about 3.5 hours depending on traffic and road conditions. You can’t drive into Aspen from the east via Twin Lakes and the Independence Pass, because the pass is closed during winter.

[AdListings collection="USA" category="Aspen" subcategory="Transport Car Rentals"]

Parking

Most of the Aspen hotels and lodgings have parking, although you’ll often have to pay for the privilege. There isn’t all day free parking anywhere near the ski resort, but it’s possible to buy a day pass to park in some residential areas. In the downtown areas there are parking meters for up to 4 hours of parking. There is also paid parking at the Rio Grande Parking Plaza (427 Rio Grande Place), but this is half a mile from the ski resort, so you’d want to catch the free Galena Street shuttle to get to Aspen Mountain.

Free parking is available at the Intercept parking lot at the intersection of Highway 82 and Brush Creek Road (Brush Creek Transit Center). From the intercept lot there are free buses into town and to Aspen Mountain. Essentially you’ll want to use the Aspen Snowmass app to see the status of the various parking lots and which ones are full.

Getting Around Aspen

Many of the upscale hotels provide a private transport service around the Aspen Snowmass area.

Otherwise the RFTA (Roaring Fork Transport Authority) buses are a fabulous way to get around Aspen and the nearby ski resorts. The main bus terminal in Aspen is at Rubey Park just near the Silver Queen gondola, and there are also lots of other bus stops about town.

The bus routes around the town of Aspen are free, as are the Four Mountain Connector routes that travel from Aspen to Buttermilk, Snowmass and Aspen Highlands. At the minor bus stops, use the white paddle to signal to the driver that you want to be picked up.

Other Ski Resorts Nearby

Near Aspen Mountain are the three other Aspen Snowmass ski resorts: Buttermilk, Aspen Highlands, and Snowmass.

Aspen Highlands is to the west of Aspen Mountain, about 3.5 miles by road (10 minute drive). Next door is Buttermilk Mountain which is 3 miles by road to the west of Aspen Mountain, a drive that also takes about 10 minutes. Snowmass is 9 miles west of Aspen, a drive that takes about 20 minutes.

Sunlight Mountain Resort is also reasonably close to Aspen, 10 miles south of Glenwood Springs and 51 miles from Aspen.