Fall Colors & Books in Aspen, Colorado

Aspen, Colorado has long been a family favorite destination. My husband’s grandfather went to high school in Aspen back before it was a ritzy ski destination, so my husband grew up spending summer weeks in Aspen on family vacations riding bikes up and down the trails and over to the now closed arcade in town. During our first year of marriage, he took me for my first trip, and I fell in love with the charming town and the scenery. When our daughter was old enough, we started taking her with us, and some of our favorite family memories are of our almost annual trips to Aspen. Over the years Aspen has become increasingly popular and pricey. As a result, one of our new favorite times to visit Aspen is during “shoulder season” when there are fewer crowds and more reasonable rental prices. This year we visited during our daughter’s October fall break, and it was perfect!

If you plan to visit during shoulder season, it’s important to do your research ahead of time. Approximately half of the restaurants seemed to be closed during our visit, and the ski lift and several other activities were also unavailable. That being said, there’s still plenty to do, so for those looking for a quieter family getaway, I have you covered!

What to Do

Our trip did coincide with the last Saturday market of the season (October 7). The Saturday market is a huge farmers market with lots of vendors selling crafts, art, and other gift items in addition to the typical assortment of fresh produce and flowers. My daughter was especially pleased to find popcorn and ice cream vendors, and she picked up a photo of the mountains for her room at a photographer’s stall. There was even a small petting zoo for younger kids. We spent several hours wandering around and browsing the booths.

Of course, Aspen is full of outdoor options for all fitness levels at all times of the year. Fall shoulder season is particularly beautiful with all of the fall color. We always enjoy a picnic in either the John Denver Sanctuary or on the Rio Grande Trail just North of town on any non-snowy visit to Aspen. This is a beautiful place to take a walk or ride rented bikes, and because the trails in this area are paved, they are super stroller friendly for families with young kids. We have also often taken a basketball with us to the Rio Grande Park, as there is a court to shoot baskets, and if you have a skateboard enthusiast in the family, there’s a skate park adjacent to the basketball courts where you can skate or just stop to watch. There is plenty of easy parking in this area, including a parking garage across from Rio Grande Park. Herron Park, which is just East of this area, has a terrific playground and a big creek area for playing if it’s not too cold. You can park at the park and enter the Rio Grande Trail from Herron Park as well. Of course, all of these places are also an easy walk from many of Aspen’s rental properties or hotels.

If you are looking for something a bit different, our family’s favorite hiking area is the Grottos Trail with waterfalls, some rapids, and grottos. There are lots of things to see for kids who may not be quite as enthusiastic about admiring the scenery, and the terrain is easy to navigate.

Wagner Park in the center of town is also a must-stop destination for the playground or playing catch in the park. We have often taken a picnic blanket, a bottle of wine, and some snacks to enjoy while our daughter runs around and plays. We also usually find ourselves there in the mornings, the grownups with a cup of coffee admiring the view of the mountain and our daughter playing and climbing with the other kids.

This year we booked a jeep adventure through Blazing Adventures that took us to the top of Aspen Mountain (we even found some snow) and off to Ashcroft (a ghost town with several historical buildings, including a post office, several houses, and a saloon). This was something I would definitely recommend if you are looking for a shoulder season activity. They also offer an evening jeep trip and dinner that sounded fun, but unfortunately, we haven’t gotten to do that yet. Maybe on our next trip!

Aspen is also a shopping destination, and while there are many high-end stores to choose from (my daughter was excited to go to Aviator Nation), some of our favorite shops are the smaller, independent stores. Check out Columbine of Aspen for a cool assortment of gemstones and other rocks. My daughter almost always purchases a souvenir there, and it’s fun to just look around. Also check out Aspen Eclectic Toys right next door. Grab a board game or arts and crafts for downtime or find lots of other fun toys. And of course, I am always on the hunt for notable independent bookstores! Check out Explore Booksellers (pictured here and located at 221 E. Main), which is an old house converted to a store with a children’s room, an upstairs area full of non-fiction, and multiple rooms for adult fiction downstairs. 

Where to Eat

As I mentioned above, a lot of restaurants close between the summer and winter seasons, but there are still plenty of places to choose from. This past trip had us on the hunt for a new breakfast spot because our favorite place (Victoria’s) didn’t make it through COVID. I’m still searching, so feel free to make suggestions in the comments! Poppycock’s on Cooper Avenue gets the most attention, and it’s good, but it hasn’t stolen my heart and doesn’t have a view. We enjoyed The Crepe Shack for coffee and crepes on two mornings during our visit, and the outside seating area has a view of Wagner Park.  

For lunch, we generally like to do a picnic or something casual. The Butcher’s Block on S. Spring is a great spot to pick up sandwiches and other picnic. There’s a bike rental shop just next door as well. Woody Creek Tavern is also a fun spot for burgers and lunch. If you are feeling adventurous, you can bike your way there, but we usually elect to drive. Look for the Hunter S. Thompson memorabilia on the walls while you are eating. He lived right in the area, so this could be a great time to check out his gonzo journalism style of writing. I recommend Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas if you are interested.   

Aspen Art Museum has a great patio area where you can enjoy a drink and take in the view of Aspen Mountain f/k/a Ajax. The collection rotates in the museum, so it’s worth checking to see if there’s something you might want to see. Aspen is a great town to check out art, and we usually spend at least one afternoon popping in and out of the galleries.

Dinner can be a bit more of a challenge during shoulder season, but we had great luck at Bear Den (301 E. Hopkins Avenue) where we started with the extremely overpriced fondue, which was a fun dinner experience. Our meal was really delicious and worth the splurge. The interior is cozy and charming with a funky selection of music. There are also outdoor dining options (though it was a little chilly for me once the sun went down). We also had a delicious Italian dinner at Campo De Fiori (205 Mill Street). The place was packed, so it was a really lively atmosphere. The prices were also lower than at a lot of other Aspen hot spots.  

What to Read

I have four very different recommendations for this post, so I hope you find something that grabs you!

Go as a River by Shelley Read is a coming-of-age story set in mid-twentieth century Colorado. The teenaged Victoria Nash lives on her family’s peach farm, taking care of wounded men and living in relative isolation from her peers. One autumn she meets a boy in town, an outsider, and she falls in love. This begins Victoria’s story of growing up, heartbreak, and finding home. The Colorado setting is very much part of this book with an isolated hunting cabin in the remote mountains, an expansive orchard, a dying town, and other settings forming the backdrop for this story. This is a beautiful debut novel from a Colorado native, and I look forward to more from her. 4/5 stars.    

Plainsong by Kent Haruf is another beautifully written story about lonely people making connections. The setting is Holt, Colorado, and the characters are ordinary people - a high school teacher, two children, a pregnant teen, bachelor farmers, a depressed mother, and a woman who takes care of everyone else. Holt, Colorado shares little resemblance to the glitz and wealth of Aspen, but this is nevertheless a nice reading accompaniment to a Colorado trip. This is another one of those novels I refer to as quiet fiction and is perfect for reading over a cup of coffee while you take in the views. I really enjoyed this and added the next book in the series to my TBR shelf right away. 4/5 stars.

The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O’Neal is a steamy novel about surviving and second (and sometimes third or fourth) chances. And, it's a ghost story. A food story. A dog lover's story. A love story. This is the perfect fast-paced novel to throw in your vacation bag whether you are spending time on the slopes or a week eating and hiking the trails of Aspen. The story takes place in Aspen with some short sojourns into New Mexico and Vancouver. Elena is recruited as the executive chef of a brand-new restaurant opening in Aspen, Colorado. She packs her knives, her meager possessions, and her dog, and she travels from Vancouver to her new life, bringing her ghosts with her. She creates a new family, overcomes adversity, and falls in love in Aspen. It's predictable but in a comforting way. This is the perfect book for those who gravitate more towards light, beach reads. 3.5/5 stars.

The Shining by Stephen King is one I have recommended twice before as a terrific ghost story for a camping trip or a perfect book for those looking for books set in hotels. But, I would be remiss not to include this in a Colorado round up. The Overlook Hotel and the snowy off-season setting make this book the perfect Aspen shoulder season read. If you are reluctant to read this because you have already seen the movie, don't be. This is different. Sure, you still have the whole Red Rum thing, the creepy hotel, the topiary animals, and the characters are the same. And there's absolutely no way to picture Jack as anyone other than Jack Nicholson. The bones are the same, but the telling is so different. The movie (which I haven't seen in 20+ years) was absolutely terrifying and is without a doubt a top 5 scary movie for me, but the book is more psychological thriller than horror, focusing much more on what is happening inside everyone's heads. Why doesn't Wendy leave? Why are they really there in this isolated spot in the first place? What's up with Danny? What motivates Jack? And why does he become so unhinged? Stephen King has the answers, and man does he know how to tell a story! 5/5 stars.