Last month (October), we decided to visit our friends in Colorado and do some sightseeing in the mountain towns of Aspen and Vail. The group planned to stay a night in Aspen and 2 nights in Vail. We were expecting to see the fall foliage that peaks around this time.

From La Guardia Airport in New York, we booked the United Airlines flight to Denver, Colorado. From Denver, we rode for 3 hrs to Aspen. Aspen has an airport too but the fares are much higher than Denver’s. Flight to Denver from New York City is approximately 4 hrs. Just FYI, time difference of New York and Colorado is 2 hrs with NY getting the sunrise first.

We met our friends in Denver and rented a 15 seater van to accommodate everyone. Denver’s airport is huge and confusing actually, it took us some time to find our meet up point.lol

We stopped by to grab brunch in In-N-Out, a bit excited since it’s our first time to savor their world renowned burger. We were wondering why there’s no branch at all in New York? lol

And it didn’t disappoint 🙂

The drive to Aspen is 3 hrs but the view on our way is a breath of fresh air! Colorado has an average altitude of 6,800 feet compared to New York’s average of 1000 feet. The view of the surrounding mountains is just refreshing to look at. Something we dont see in the city. Also, we were advised by our friends to hydrate since we might have altitude sickness- a term they refer to when one is exposed to low amounts of oxygen on a high altitude area like Colorado. Lucky for us, we did not experience any. But we did hydrate.

The breathtaking mountain town of Aspen got its name due to the abundance of Aspen trees in the area. The town is very popular all year round to locals and tourists. Its a very well known ski town for enthusiasts and celebrities alike.

We checked in to The Inn at Aspen located at the slopes of Buttermilk Mountain.

We explored the area around the hotel with a little hike.

We went for dinner at one of the restaurants in downtown Aspen.

The next day, we are scheduled to hike the famous Maroon Bells.

Maroon Bells are two peaks on Colorado’s Elk Mountains. The view of the Maroon Bells to the southwest from the Maroon Creek valley is very heavily photographed.

To go to Maroon Bells, an online booking reservation must be done days prior. The earlier the better as the slots get full most of the time. An entrance fee of 16 usd for adults and 10 for children and seniors must be paid with the booking. One must choose the time as there will be a shuttle bus assigned to take the hikers to the Maroon Bells. We booked an early time.

From the hotel, we drove to Aspen Highlands for the shuttle bus that will take us to Maroon Bells. No private car is allowed to park near the Maroon Bells since it created environmental problems before, thus the shuttle buses that goes every 15 mins are our only way to go up the peak.

Going up, the driver from the shuttle bus gave us a background about the Maroon Bells and he mentioned some famous personalities that has properties in Aspen. Mind you, the houses here are just as pricey as the Hamptons.

The ride going up was approximately 15 minutes and we felt our ears popping already.

Upon reaching the starting point, we hiked for a little and saw the famously photgraphed view of the Maroon Bells. It was absolutely stunning! It’s even covered with snow this time!

We chose to do the scenic trail- one that’s easy since we have children with us. It was easy but it took us some time to finish since we were taking photos after every nice view we see which is all the time!

It was past lunchtime when we finished hiking or should I say taking photos. Lol

Going back, the shuttle buses also come in every 15 minutes to take the tourists back. And for those who wants to know, there is a bathroom right at the entrance to the trail.

We had lunch at Hickory House Ribs in Aspen.

We spent the rest of the day strolling around Aspen. Still in disbelief how beautiful and quaint the town is especially during this time where the leaves are changing colors. All of us wondering how it feels to live here.

Aspen was a dream come true for me. I’ve heard of this place many times before and I thought it’s just for ski enthusiasts but I was wrong, one can enjoy Aspen all year round.

We then drove to Vail to spend 2 nights there.