Late Summer In Aspen Snowmass

There is a loud August in this valley and a quiet one, and most visitors only ever find the loud one. The loud August is easy to look up. The quiet one is the reason people come back. Below is both, plus the timing details that make the difference between doing a thing and doing it well.

What Is There to Do in Aspen Snowmass in August?

Theatre Aspen is bringing Rydell High to Aspen, Colorado with their performance of Grease this month. Theatre Aspen is offering matinees and evening performances throughout the month at their tent located at Rio Grande park next to the beautiful grounds of the John Denver Sanctuary.

The Wednesday night Snowmass Rodeo runs through Wednesday, August 19, gates at 5pm, rodeo at 7pm. Under all the polish, this is still a ranching valley, and Wednesday night at the rodeo is where you see it: kids riding sheep, local families in the grandstand, and the same thing happening every week since 1973.

The Mane Event lands Sunday, August 23, 11am to 2pm at the rodeo grounds. It is a fundraiser for Smiling Goat Ranch, which runs equine therapy programs for veterans and kids. Horses do something for people that people cannot quite do for each other, and this is the day they bring that out where everyone can see it.

The Aspen Music Festival closes the same day, August 23, with Beethoven's Ninth, ending an eight-week season. Free Thursday concerts on Fanny Hill run through August 27th. The series has been going for 34 seasons. Blankets on the grass, music coming off the mountain, everyone you know somewhere in the crowd. If you have been meaning to get to one all summer, that is your last Thursday.  

What Do Locals Do on a Sunday in August?

They ride the gondola up for bluegrass. Every Sunday from mid-July into early September, there is live bluegrass and Americana on the Sundeck at the top of Aspen Mountain, noon to three, at 11,212 feet. It is free with a gondola ticket. The band plays an hour, breaks, then finishes out the afternoon, so there is no wrong time to show up. Go on the Sunday after a big weekend — legs sore, sun on your face, nothing left to accomplish. That is the version of this valley people try to describe later and cannot.  Check out the lineup here: Free Bluegrass Sundays

What Can You Do in Aspen for Free?

More than most people expect.

The Aspen Art Museum is free, always, and open Tuesday through Sunday, 10am to 6pm. Go for the exhibitions, then go up to the rooftop cafe for a view of Aspen Mountain that almost nobody thinks to look for.

The Aspen Saturday Market runs every Saturday through October 3, 8:30am to 2pm, at Hopkins and Hunter downtown. Colorado growers and local makers. Go early — the good peaches are gone by ten.

Hallam Lake, ten minutes from downtown, has bird-of-prey demonstrations Monday through Saturday all summer, plus morning birding and evening yoga. It is the best hour you can spend with kids here, and it does not feel like a tourist activity because it is not one.

The Thursday concerts on Fanny Hill and The Mane Event on the 23rd are both free as well.

Do You Need a Reservation for Maroon Bells?

Yes. Vehicle reservations and shuttle tickets are required in season and they sell out, so book before you drive up. Going at sunrise is worth the alarm.

What Is the Best Drive Near Aspen?

Independence Pass, and the answer to when is: before seven in the morning. The pullouts fill, the road is narrow, and the whole thing is a different experience with nobody on it. Highway 82 over the pass tops out above 12,000 feet.

Is the Elk Camp Gondola Open in Late Summer?

The Elk Camp Gondola runs daily through September 7th and then on weekends through the rest of the month. Fifteen minutes up and the whole valley drops away underneath you. You can be at the top for dinner and back down before dark, on an ordinary weeknight, with no occasion attached. The Snowmass Bike Park runs through September 7.

When Is the Best Time to Visit Aspen in Late Summer?

The last two weeks of August into early September, if you want our honest answer. The air shifts. Mornings get cool enough that you want a jacket on the deck and warm enough by ten that you do not. Trails that had a line in July are empty. And the aspens start thinking about turning, which they do in earnest in the last week of September.

Hike or ride your bike to The Cabin in Snowmass and reward yourself with brunch on Saturday or Sunday. Learn to two step at The Collective on Tuesday nights in Snowmass. Take your new found dance moves to Heather's where they feature live music in the afternoon's throughout August. So something very special head to the Anderson Ranch for their lunch auctionette's on Fridays. Pick up a unique piece created by one of their artists in residence.

Labor Day weekend brings the JAS Experience to Snowmass Town Park, September 4 through 6, with Tim McGraw, Bonnie Raitt, Benson Boone, Trombone Shorty, Shaboozey, and The Red Clay Strays.

When Do the Aspens Turn Gold in Colorado?

Peak is usually the last week of September into the first week of October, though it moves a week either direction depending on the summer. For about ten days the whole valley looks lit from inside. Independence Pass, Maroon Creek Road, and the Snowmass ski area trails are all worth the drive or the walk. Most people book this too late. If fall is on your list, the time to lock dates is now.

How Far Is Snowmass Village from Downtown Aspen?

About twelve miles, twenty minutes by car, and there is a free bus that runs all day and well into the evening. You can stay in Snowmass and still have dinner in Aspen without moving your car.

Where Should I Stay in Aspen or Snowmass?

We look after around 100 homes across Aspen and Snowmass Village, from studios to five bedrooms, and someone from our team walks every one of them before you arrive.

The more useful part comes before that. We have lived in this valley for 30 years. Tell us what you want out of the trip and we will tell you which house fits it, which Sunday to go up the gondola, and which trailhead to use when the obvious one is full. Guests often end up loving something they did not come here for. That is the part we like.

August dates are still open, and booking three nights or more in the next 30 days saves you 10%, no code needed. Winter Early Bird pricing runs through September 15 for stays between December and April.

Come find the quiet August. We think you will love it!  Find your vacation rental

Photo credit: Tamara Susa