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In Aspen, the low-budget fun is all outdoors
12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, June 14, 2009
ASPEN, Colo. – This mountain playground has Gucci, Prada and Burberry stores downtown but still can offer the average Joe a budget vacation.
This summer, people who stay at least two nights at participating hotels receive an Aspen Summer Pass good for discounts around town. More discounts are available if the stay includes a Wednesday night.
The best time to find Aspen lodging deals is in the so-called mud season when the ski mountains are closed. But summer may be the best time to enjoy the beauty of Aspen's high-altitude surroundings.
Covering a bit more than 3.5 square miles, Aspen is small enough to get around on foot or by bike. Buses offer rides up and down the Roaring Fork Valley. They're free in town and between Aspen and Snowmass Village (www.rfta.com).
Many visitors fly into the Eagle County airport, about a 70-mile drive from Aspen, or Denver International Airport. From Denver, it's about a four-hour drive west along Interstate 70 through scenic Glenwood Canyon to Colorado 82. Colorado Mountain Express and Gray Line have shuttles with Denver-Aspen service.
The reflection in Maroon Lake of the majestic peaks in the Maroon Bells wilderness area makes for a postcard photo. The access road is off Colorado 82. Road access is free for walkers and others using nonmotorized transportation. Access by car is limited. Buses leave every 20 to 30 minutes from the base of Aspen Highlands for $6 per adult. A bus from Aspen goes to the Highlands free, and there's a free parking lot at the Highlands (www.fs.fed.us, search "Colorado" with "White River National Forest" then under "Wilderness").
The Aspen Art Museum (590 N. Mill St.) has free admission. It's closed Mondays and on major holidays (www.aspenartmuseum.org).
The Aspen Music Festival and School offers free performances by the American Academy of Conducting Orchestra at 4 p.m. Tuesdays from June 25 to Aug. 23 (www.aspenmusic festival.com). The festival also has ticketed performances ranging from $10 to $150.
For most of the summer, the Silver Queen Gondola takes visitors up Aspen Mountain for $23 per adult. Weekly passes at $46 offer unlimited rides plus extra discounts such as 10 percent off lunch at Sundeck Restaurant.
Some people opt for a free trip by hiking the 2.5-mile way up 3,000 vertical feet. Once you're there, pick up a score card and map to play a mountaintop game of disc golf.
The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies offers free, 45-minute guided nature walks that leave from the top of the gondola line on the hour, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Also, if you ride the gondola up, you can hear a free concert by the Aspen Music Festival and School at 1 p.m. on Saturdays. There's free bluegrass on summer Sunday afternoons.
Strategies such as eating during happy hour or sitting at the bar and ordering from the bar menu can help you get a more palatable price for food from higher-end restaurants such as Cache Cache (205 S. Mill St.; www.cachecache.com).
Hickory House Ribs (730 W. Main St.), touted on one of Oprah Winfrey's past shows, has decent ribs that won't empty the wallet (www.hickoryhouse ribs.com).
Big Wrap (520 E. Durant Ave.; 970-544-1700) has wraps, tacos, smoothies and salads that are less than $7 each before tax.
A few hotels in town offer cheaper lodging, but check the fees for cancellations and for putting extra people in a room.
Each room at the Tyrolean Lodge (www.tyroleanlodge.com) has two queen beds, a twin bed and kitchenette with dishware so you can make your own meals, but there's no pool. Rooms start around $75 during low season in the fall and late spring and top out at $225 over the Christmas and New Year's holiday season and during the Winter X Games in late January. Summer rates are $130 to $155.
Rooms at Chalet Lisl (www.chalet lisl.com) also have kitchens, with a basement-level studio starting at $68 in low season, $118 in summer.
St. Moritz Lodge & Condominiums (www.stmoritzlodge.com) offers standard rooms but also hostel-style shared rooms and bathrooms starting at $36 per night in low season and $52 in summer. There's a small outdoor pool and a steam room, plus free breakfast.
The Stay Aspen Snowmass Web site lists last-minute deals on cushier options under "Deals & Offers" at www.stayaspensnowmass.com.
Outdoors types can camp for as low as $10 to $15 a night (www.snow massvillage.com/snowmass_camping).
Hardy travelers up for mountain biking, hiking or backcountry skiing can check out one of 29 huts (www.huts.org) managed by the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association in the Rocky Mountains. Margy's Hut near Aspen is about $30 per adult per night. It's open most of the winter through April 30 and from July 1 to Sept. 30. Bring your own food and bedding.
If you can't make it to Aspen this summer for the music festival and the beautiful weather, hotel prices are even lower in the fall – and enjoying the autumn scenery, when the trees turn yellow and gold, is free.
Catherine Tsai,
The Associated Press
Resource: For more information, visit www.aspenchamber.org.
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