This past weekend I drove up from Denver to Snowmass with 5 of my girlfriends for a Aspen Snowmass girls trip and a fun fall weekend in the mountains. We got so lucky with the leaves changing late this year and still got to enjoy a fair amount of the golden foliage that peppered the mountainside, plus incredible 60-70 degree weather which is basically unheard of this time of year.
It’s like the Universe knew we needed a perfect weekend away so we could all come back recharged and refreshed.
If you’re planning a trip up to the mountains in the Aspen Snowmass area, I wanted to share some of our favorite activities and a general recap of our awesome trip that I can’t wait to do again next year!
Aspen Snowmass Girls Trip Itinerary
Thursday
We left Thursday morning, it’s about a 3.5-4 hour drive from Denver and didn’t hit any traffic—perks of going on a Thursday. We dropped our stuff at the house and went to lunch at a classic mountain spot—the Woody Creek Tavern. It’s a funky spot that’s been there for as long as I can remember and has incredible food. It’s a big hot spot in the summer for cyclists as it’s right on the way to the Rio Grande Trail that goes from Aspen all the way to Glenwood Springs.
My personal favorite is the chicken estofado which is a rice and chicken soup dish with Mexican flavors—so good!
We stayed in my family’s home in Snowmass, which isn’t available for rent because I know someone will ask, but there are great spots on AirBnB as well as beautiful hotels in the area.
After our lunch we changed and drove to the Ditch Trail in Snowmass. It’s not far from Snowmass Village and is the perfect hike to ease you into the change in altitude. It’s mostly flat with only a few areas of hikes up and down. The weather way seriously so amazing, we even got hot and stripped down to our tank tops.
That evening we ate dinner at home (I made a version of this tortilla soup) and drank our fair share of wine, laughed hysterically and relished in the fact that we didn’t have to wake up and take care of kids the next morning.
Friday Morning
We woke up and ate breakfast at home then packed up our bags with a charcuterie picnic and drove to Aspen Highlands to catch the shuttle to Maroon Bells. You used to be able to drive up, but to keep traffic and pollution at a minimum, they’ve changed how you can get up there and the shuttle is the easiest, unless you love to ride bikes uphill for many miles!
The Maroon Bells are one of the most beautiful and famous spots in the area and for good reason, it’s GORGEOUS. We wandered around, took plenty of photos and then settled in for our charcuterie picnic that lasted about 2 hours.
Friday Night
We got home, soaked in the hot tub for a bit before showering and getting ready to go into Aspen for dinner. We had reservations at Clark’s, which was absolutely delicious! It’s a mostly seafood spot, but great dishes, really cute atmosphere and right in the heart of town. I highly highly recommend making reservations in advance no matter where you eat in Aspen, everything books up fast and there’s not a lot of walk-in spots available.
After dinner, we walked a few blocks over to Hotel Jerome, a stunning and historic hotel that’s been around forever, for a drink. Apparently they’re known for their espresso martinis, which I can attest to, are delicious!
Then we popped into Hooch, an underground speakeasy-type cocktail lounge. It’s dark, moody and had great music playing, plus amazing cocktails! In busier times, a reservation might have been needed, but we were able to find a spot that night!
We took a cab home, Uber is kind of hard to find around there, but High Mountain Taxi is a great alternative.
Saturday Daytime
We wanted one night to be flexible and relaxing, so on Saturday we slept in, had a lazy morning and finally decided to get dressed and go into town for some shopping, browsing and lunch. Aspen is known for it’s fancy shopping and we popped into a few shops to browse all the high-end stuff—Gucci, Golden Goose, Kemo Sabe, Wyld Blue, and Louis Vuitton. Two of my friends walked away with really exciting purchases! I didn’t buy anything, but had fun being there and getting to experience it all!
As someone who only owns one designer bag, which was a gift, it was actually fun to go in and see it all—crazy to think I’d never been into any of these places! Kemo Sabe is the place where they do custom cowboy hats with all kinds of crazy feathers and things. It’s worth it just to see the experience, even if you don’t buy anything.
In between our shopping, we ate lunch out on the patio at Bear Den, a cute little spot right on the corner which made for great people watching! The food was great and we stayed for an extra round of drinks because why the heck not. It’s right across from White House Tavern, which is another one of my favorite lunch spots, but is better suited for groups of our or less.
Saturday Night
We were all pretty wiped out after our whole weekend, so we came home, put on our cozy outfits—this brown sweater set was a good buy—and cooked a fancy at-home Italian meal thanks to my friend Rebecca.
Sunday
We slept in and had a lazy Sunday morning before cleaning up the house and packing to head home. We stopped in Frisco at Outer Range Brewing to pick up beer for our kind husbands and had lunch at Bird Craft, a Thai-ish fried chicken spot inside the brewery before driving all the way home. If you have the time and it works with your schedule, this is a great spot to stop and break up the drive.
And now, we’re back to reality!
It was such a fun weekend and so great to get to know friends on an even deeper level. I’m so grateful for the fast friends I’ve made since we moved here three years ago and feel like this is truly where we’re meant to be. A major thanks to our friend Corinne who documented the whole thing—I’m already excited for next year’s trip!
BTW, 7 best domestic getaways to escape and recharge as a couple, and how to stay healthy while traveling.
