If you’re from a metropolitan city like I am, you can mostly relate to my yearning to spend time in nature; be it beaches, mountains, waterfalls or parks. That is why I feel moving to Denver was one of the best decisions of my life! Not too cold, not too hot and surrounded by nature.

My parents and I were planning their trip to the United States for this summer. It was their first time visiting the States and I was going to meet them after a year. I had to make it special. My parents love places that are close to nature as opposed to the metropolitan cities. There was no doubt that Aspen was going to be on top of our list of places to visit.

How did I get there?

Aspen is easily accessible by road. I booked a shuttle called the Colorado Mountain Express which starts from the Denver International Airport and drops you wherever you want at Aspen. It’s very convenient, offers free Wi-Fi on the bus and takes you through a scenic route. It took us about four and a half hours from the airport to our hotel after halting at two places. On our way back, it took us the same time starting from the Aspen airport all the way back to the Denver International Airport.

Where did I stay?

We booked a room at the Molly Gibson Lodge for three nights. It’s centrally located, clean and the staff is very friendly! They serve a good breakfast every morning as well. 10/10 would recommend this place!

Where did I eat?

Even though Aspen is a small city in terms of size, there are plenty of restaurants that serve delicious food. We went to Mi Chola, a Mexican restaurant in the heart of the city. The food is great, not too expensive and tons of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options to choose from! Poppycock’s café was our choice for breakfast or brunch. They provide you with a wide choice of healthy options too!

What did I do there?

Aspen is mainly known for its natural beauty and different kinds of trails that it has to offer. As my family and I aren’t fans of hiking, we decided to take it easy.

The evening when we reached Aspen, we decided to explore the city. Trust me when I say this, each corner is photogenic. We took a stroll in the city and then visited the John Denver Sanctuary. (Sentence about the facts of this place). There are beautiful quotes all over this place that are full of positivity!

Aspen Mountain is 11,000 feet high, surrounding one side of the city. You can either hike to the top or ride the Silver Gondola Queen which takes you up there in 20 minutes. As we were approaching the top of the mountain through the gondola, the view was breathtaking! We could see other mountain tops covered in snow and pine trees everywhere. There are various spots up there with scenic views. We spent quite some time up there, walking around, taking photographs, playing in the snow and most importantly; making timeless memories.

Please tell me this happens with you-you Google search a place, see beautiful pictures of it and wish you were there in that moment? That’s Maroon Bells for you. We rented a car at Aspen and drove all the way up to the Maroon Lake. The drive was a bliss! Usually, driving could be a bit frustrating but this was a sheer delight! We even had a friendly encounter with a deer on the way! When we reached the top, we got the EXACT view that we saw in all the Google search images. I was speechless, to be honest. My parents and I quietly sat down by the lake for a while, soaking in the beauty that Maroon Lake is. Even while trying to write my experience, I’m falling short of words. Luckily, there weren’t too many people there so we could enjoy our time with nature without too much noise. The Maroon Bells (a group of 14,000 feet mountains, maroon in color) were the perfect backdrop to the Maroon Lake.

There’s much more to do in Aspen but because of the short amount of time that we had, we tried going to places that we had picked. In the summer, Aspen has various events like the Food & Wine festival in the city! On the third day, we took the shuttle back to Denver from the Aspen airport.

Things to keep in mind!

If you are planning to visit Aspen, here are a few things you should know beforehand according to my experience:

• Do NOT rent a car in Aspen from the airport if you’re on a low-budget trip. You can rent a car in Denver and drive all the way to Aspen instead.
• If you’re driving to Maroon Bells, download the offline map! There is no network service available when you go up there. Do not book a cab because you won’t have any network to book a cab from Maroon Bells!
• To visit Maroon Bells, you are allowed to take your vehicle. But, starting June 9th through October 8th, you will either have to take the RFTA bus from Aspen Highlands Ski Area or drive up there before 8am and after 5pm local time. For more information, please visit: https://www.rfta.com/routes/maroon-bells/
• Glenwood Springs is about an hour away from Aspen city. The Hot Springs pool is the world’s largest mineral hot springs pool. The entry fee for adults is $23.75 during the day and reduces to $15.00 after 9pm local time. You can get more information here: https://www.hotspringspool.com/pool/
• Independence Pass is another beautiful place to visit which is about 40 minutes from Aspen city. The drive is beautiful but the road is quite narrow at some points on the way. Be careful!

I really hope you enjoyed this article! I tried my best to elaborate on my amazing experience here. Do you feel like visiting Aspen now? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!