4:00 PM
Check in
Stay at Limelight Hotel Aspen.
Limelight Hotel Aspen faces Wagner Park near restaurants, galleries, and Aspen Mountain.
Weekend itinerary
An Aspen weekend from Hyman Street to the mountains
Walk Hyman Street to Aspen Public House Friday, use the Silver Queen Gondola or a reserved Maroon Bells trip Saturday, and finish Sunday at the Aspen Art Museum or Rio Grande Trail.
By Cal Mercer — a Second Star Guide itinerary
Walk Hyman Street Friday, ski Aspen Mountain or visit Maroon Bells Saturday, and spend Sunday by the museum and Roaring Fork.
Best length
2 nights
Two nights allow one complete mountain day plus a Friday downtown walk and a short Sunday outing.
Stay
Limelight Hotel Aspen
Limelight Hotel Aspen faces Wagner Park near restaurants, galleries, and Aspen Mountain.
Main activity
Aspen Mountain or Maroon Bells
In winter, ride the Silver Queen Gondola for Aspen Mountain. During the managed-access season, follow the confirmed Maroon Bells reservation and assigned departure point.
Weekend sequence
Hyman Street, mountain, museum
Walk the downtown pedestrian blocks Friday, spend Saturday on one mountain or at Maroon Bells, and keep Sunday near the Aspen Art Museum and Rio Grande Trail.
Friday
Wagner Park, Hyman Street, and Aspen Public House.
Check in at Limelight Hotel Aspen by Wagner Park, walk Hyman Street past the Wheeler Opera House and gondola plaza, then have dinner at Aspen Public House.
6:30 PM
First dinner
Start with Aspen Public House.
Aspen Public House occupies the historic Wheeler Opera House building and serves burgers, fried chicken, salads, beer, wine, and cocktails.
Saturday
Silver Queen Gondola or a reserved Maroon Bells trip.
Confident winter skiers can walk to the Silver Queen Gondola for Aspen Mountain; true beginners should take RFTA to Buttermilk. In the snow-free access season, follow a confirmed Maroon Bells reservation instead.
7:30 AM
Breakfast
Breakfast near Wagner Park before heading to the lifts or Maroon Bells.
Eat in the downtown core, then walk to the Silver Queen Gondola or take RFTA to Buttermilk, Highlands, or Snowmass. A Maroon Bells day follows its confirmed meeting time instead.
9:00 AM
Main activity
Ride Silver Queen or follow the Maroon Bells reservation.
Confident skiers can walk to the Silver Queen Gondola for Aspen Mountain; true beginners should take RFTA to Buttermilk. During the managed-access season, follow the confirmed Maroon Bells reservation and save Independence Pass for another day.
4:30 PM
Afternoon
Return to town before dinner.
Aspen Mountain ends at the downtown gondola plaza. Snowmass, Highlands, Buttermilk, and Maroon Creek require a bus or road return, so leave enough time to change before dinner.
7:00 PM
Dinner
Walk from the hotel to Matsuhisa.
Matsuhisa occupies a historic house on East Main Street. Book dinner late enough to return from the mountain and change first; Aspen Public House or White House Tavern is the casual downtown alternative.
Highlight
The trip’s main event
Viator
Aspen's Past to Present Historic Tour
A history-focused tour exploring Aspen’s development from past to present.
Sunday
Bear Den, Aspen Art Museum, and the Rio Grande Trail.
Have breakfast near the downtown core, enter the Aspen Art Museum when its galleries open, or walk from Rio Grande Park along the Roaring Fork before checkout.
9:00 AM
Sunday morning
Start Sunday at Bear Den or another downtown breakfast.
Bear Den serves breakfast near the center. From there, continue to the Aspen Art Museum or cross Rio Grande Park for a short Roaring Fork walk before checkout.
11:00 AM
One last stop
Enter the Aspen Art Museum or walk the Rio Grande Trail.
Visit the museum when its current hours fit. Otherwise, walk beside the Roaring Fork from Rio Grande Park before checkout.