Aspen Family Vacation – The Best Activities for a Memorable Trip

Looking for the perfect location for your next trip? Look no further than an Aspen family vacation! Aspen, Colorado is the perfect vacation destination for families with children of all ages. Littles will love visiting parks and learning how to ski on the bunny hills. Older children and teens are sure to fall in love with the alpine adventure park and gondola views

What Are the Best Things to Do in Aspen for Families?

The best things to do in summer for an Aspen, Colorado family vacation are hiking, biking, gondola rides, visiting parks, and spending a day at the alpine adventure park on Snowmass Mountain. When families visit in the winter, they can take advantage of the four different ski resorts for days of skiing and snowboarding. Alternatively, families who don’t ski or snowboard can enjoy going snow tubing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and riding the alpine coaster.

If you’re in the process of planning your next family adventure, keep reading to learn all that Aspen, Colorado has to offer!

The 5 Best Winter Family Activities to do in Aspen with Kids

Families who visit Aspen in the winter typically recommend these 5 activities:

1. Skiing or Snowboarding

Skiing and snowboarding are central to Aspen’s history and culture. With a single lift pass, you can access all four local mountains, each of which offer different terrain, difficulty levels, and degrees of crowding.

Snowboarders will love the terrain park on Snowmass Mountain! If your kids have never skied or snowboarded before, there are many different options for kids programs and ski schools. Some kids learn best in a group setting with other children their same age and ability level, while others may prefer a private instructor to provide them with lots of attention and feedback. 

Aspen Luxury Concierge is the premier concierge service in the Roaring Fork Valley. If you would like to arrange lessons for your child (or yourself), simply let your ALC concierge know and we will handle all the arrangements!

2. Snow Tubing

Not everyone is into skiing or snowboarding, but that doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on the thrill of flying down the slopes on your Aspen family vacation. An excellent alternative to skiing is snow tubing! It’s exactly what it sounds like: you ride on an inflatable inner tube down a hill then hitch a ride on the magic carpet lift to get back up to the top. Snow tubing is the perfect family activity because it’s fun and safe for children of all ages! There are no special skills required, just top on and let gravity do the rest.

3. Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing is an excellent way to enjoy the natural beauty of the winter season without having to ski glades. It’s just like hiking, just with a little extra gear to keep you from sinking into the snow. When you book a guided snowshoe tour, your guide can teach you about the local climate, wildlife, and history of the region. 

4. Going Snowmobiling

Snowmobiling at T-Lazy-7 Ranch is an excellent activity if you have tweens or teens. There are 3 options for snowmobiling tours: 

• Drive through the White River National Forest to Klondike Cabin for a hot lunch
• Drive to the base of the Maroon Bells for hot chocolate
• Drive along Independence Pass to see the ghost town then have a brisket cheeseburger at Lost Man Cabin

Please note that the minimum age for most snowmobiling trips is 4 years old; for Independence Pass, it is 7 years old. Drivers must be at least 18 years old with a valid ID. 

5. Horse Drawn Sleigh

If your child loves animals, then they’ll have a great time riding in a horse drawn sleigh! You and your family bundle up under a heap of warm blankets to serenely glide through the winter landscape. At the end of the ride, you will arrive at Pine Creek Cookhouse for either lunch or dinner where a warm, kid-friendly meal will be waiting for you. 

The route up to Pine Creek Cookhouse is 1.5 miles long and about twenty minutes each way by sleigh. If you’re interested in doing a sleigh ride with your family, contact Aspen Luxury Concierge for booking!

Aspen Family Vacation: A Guide to the 4 Ski Resorts

There are 4 ski resorts in the Roaring Fork Valley: Snowmass, Buttermilk, Aspen Mountain, and Highlands. 

In general, Snowmass is considered the best mountain for families because it has more acreage than all the other mountains combined. This makes for less crowded slopes, shorter lift lines, and a variety of runs for all skill levels. 

Buttermilk is the best mountain for beginners because it has the most green runs and a large bunny hill area. The runs on Buttermilk are generally less challenging than similarly marked runs at other mountains, so Buttermilk Blues are more like Greens and Black Diamonds feel like Blues. 

If your family is all advanced skiers, check out Aspen Mountain and Highlands. Highland Mountain is home to the legendary Highland Bowl where skiers must hike back up the bowl to earn their runs. In general, Ajax has more difficult groomed terrain, like moguls, whereas Highland’s highest difficulty routes are backcountry skiing and glades. Ajax is one of the busier mountains while Highlands is far quieter. 

The 5 Best Aspen Family Vacation Summer Activities

If you’re visiting in the summer, check out these 5 outdoor activities:

1. Gondola Rides 

When summer comes to Aspen, the mountains are green as far as the eye can see and the meadows become filled with beautiful wildflowers. The best way to witness all this natural beauty is by riding the gondola up to the top of Aspen Mountain. At the top, your family can do a short hike, get lunch at the Sundeck, or attend a yoga class before riding back down. 

2. Go on a Family Hike

The Roaring Fork Valley is full of hiking trails that range from extremely easy to extremely difficult. The best hikes for families with small children are the Maroon Bells Scenic Loop and the Grottos Trail.

The Maroon Bells Scenic Loop is about 2 miles with very little elevation gain. It is paved, which is ideal for families with strollers. The trail takes you right up to the Maroon Bells Lake and then back to the parking lot. 

The Grottos is a half mile hike that takes you past waterfalls and otherworldly rock formations. This trail isn’t as stroller-friendly but it is excellent for children who like climbing on things. 

3. Mountain Biking 

Snowmass Mountain is home to more than just killer ski runs; it has 25 miles of well-maintained mountain biking terrain that ranges from ultra-beginner to expert. If you and your children are new to the sport of mountain biking, there are plenty of classes and clinics for you to take as a family. If you’re already avid mountain bikers, you’ll fall in love with the challenging, adrenaline-spiking terrain. 

This activity is best for families with teens and tweens. If you have smaller children, then locals recommend riding the Rio Grande Trail instead because it’s a lot easier and more accessible to small humans.

4. Alpine Coaster

Another thrilling activity on Snowmass Mountain is the alpine coaster where you can fly along the tracks at up to 28 miles an hour. This activity is only for children who are over 38 inches (97 centimeters) tall. If your child is over 54 inches tall, they can ride by themselves but if they are under that height, they must ride with an adult.

5. Summer Camps

Sometimes kids need a little separation from their parents to practice independence, and sometimes parents want to go do activities that children are not going to enjoy. This is where summer camp comes in! Aspen has quite a few local summer camps where kids can visit for a day, multiple days, or overnight. Different camps offer different experiences from typical camp activities like rafting, hiking, and ziplining to theatre, visual art, and learning about conservation. 

When is the Best Time to Visit for an Aspen Family Vacation?

Each season brings out a different side of this quaint, little mountain town. There are pros and cons of visiting during each season, so here are the things you should consider before planning your Aspen family trip: 

Winter (December – March) 

The winter is ski and snowboard season. If your family loves winter sports then this is the time to visit! The slopes are always well-groomed, get constant fresh powder, and with the 4 different mountains in town, you’ll never run out of spaces to explore. On the flipside, the winter season is when Aspen gets extremely busy; activity, restaurant, and hotel bookings all fill up fast, plus most places implement surge pricing for this season.

Summer (June – August)

Summer is the best time to visit if you prefer hiking and biking to skiing and snowboarding. When you visit between June and August, you can expect comfortably warm temperatures that are ideal for outdoor activities. While summer isn’t quite as busy as winter, there are several large cultural events that happen in Aspen each summer. If you don’t plan on attending the JAS or Food & Wine Classic festivities, you may want to plan your trip around these events since they cause hotels and restaurant reservations to fill up quickly. 

Fall (September – October)

The fall is one of the best times of year for an Aspen Family Vacation. The leaves change color throughout September and October and the temperatures become cooler and milder. It’s a great time of year for hiking, biking, rafting, fishing, and exploring the city of Aspen. During the fall, all the restaurants are still open and will often serve fall-themed drinks and dishes. The crowds are also smaller, so it’s easier to get reservations, activity bookings, and hotel rooms. 

Spring (April – May)

Spring is the quietest season in Aspen. It’s not quite the off-season, but some restaurants will close briefly during the spring and re-open in the summer. This time of year can be perfect for an Aspen, Colorado family vacation if you want to have a more laid back experience. The spring has excellent weather for outdoor activities; however, spring showers can rain out hiking plans with no warning. If you visit in the spring, you and your family should definitely take advantage of all the indoor adventures in Aspen by going to the art museum, strolling through galleries, and going shopping. 

Aspen Travel Tips for Families

There are a few logistical things that parents should be aware of before you arrive in town for your Aspen family vacation:

Getting Around Aspen with Kids

Visitors have 2 options for getting around Aspen: you can rent a car to drive or have your ALC concierge arrange private transportation. 

Some families like to rent a car for their trip. This allows you a place to store strollers and diaper bags, but it also means that you’ll need to worry about parking. Your luxury hotel will have plenty of parking, but when you get to trailheads and street parking in downtown Aspen, it can get pretty competitive for spots, plus you’ll have to pay parking fees. 

The most popular and convenient option is for your ALC concierge to hire a private charter to take you wherever you need to go. This way, you will have all the convenience of a personal car without having to think about parking. Visitors from warm climates are often relieved that they will not have to drive in snowy conditions; instead you’ll be safe in the hands of an experienced driver who will transport your family to all your activities. 

Helping Children Adjust to Altitude

Aspen, Colorado sits at 8,000 feet above sea level, which you will feel the moment you arrive. Children are at just as much risk for altitude sickness as adults, so it’s important to acclimate yourself and your child before planning any intense activities.

One way to do this is to fly into DIA then spend a day or two in Denver (only 5,280 feet) before heading into Aspen. You’ll want to plan activities with lighter physical activity for your first day in Aspen, such as easy hikes, visiting the art museum, and playing at the park. As yourself and your child adjust, you can then build to more strenuous activities. 

The best thing you can do to avoid altitude sickness in your family is for everyone to stay hydrated, eat nutritious food (even if you or your kid feels nauseous), and get bottled oxygen if you feel like you need it.

FAQs: Planning Your Aspen Family Vacation

Planning an Aspen family vacation? Here are answers to the most common questions to help you prepare with ease.

Get Ready for the Perfect Aspen Family Vacation!

Whether you visit in the winter, summer, spring, or fall, you’re sure to fall in love with the culture, natural beauty, and vibes of Aspen! There are so many ways to enjoy the great outdoors, from hiking and biking to skiing and snowboarding. Your whole family is sure to make amazing memories. 

When you plan your trip with Aspen Luxury Concierge, our team will act as a single point of contact for all your bookings. Want a reservation for date night? Done! Our team will get a reservation and arrange for childcare. Want to try skiing for the first time? Done! ALC will handle all the logistics of your ski rentals, lessons, lift tickets, and even get you a family-friendly room at a ski-in/ski-out hotel. When you work with ALC, you don’t have to worry about logistics; you get to be present with your family and enjoy your vacation. 

Get in touch with Aspen Luxury Concierge today to start planning your family’s Aspen adventure!