Summer is short in Aspen Snowmass, so make sure to pack it all in with everything that the valley has in store. From biking to hiking, to wining and dining, to finding zen in nature, discover the best things that Aspen Snowmass has to offer with these top five summer activities for your bucket list.
1. WHEEL YOUR WAY TO WOODY CREEK TAVERN
Rent or borrow a cruiser bike (or an E-Bike for an easier commute) and spin your way through Aspen past the Wheeler Opera House, the Hotel Jerome and down South Mill Street to link up with the paved/dirt Rio Grande trail just beyond the Post Office. Cruise alongside the Roaring Fork River on this former railway — that is now a trail – which winds past the Aspen Institute campus, a power plant, a couple of rock waterfalls, and then out onto the plains of McLain Flats. Head west until the trail intersects a road where you turn down and to the left to and which seems like you are headed to the middle of nowhere. You will find your destination – the iconic Woody Creek Tavern just a bit further on your left, beckoning with burgers and cold drinks.
After nine miles of pedaling, you’ve made it. Sit outside on the sunny patio or dive inside the cool, dark circus-like ambience of the dining room. Wall to ceiling, the place is riddled with old snapshots, posters, memorabilia and Christmas lights strung haphazardly in the middle of July. If, at first, there is a wait — then go next door and shoot pool until your seat opens. The tavern deals only in cash, but luckily there is an ATM conveniently located in the back by the bathrooms. Belly up to the bar as Gonzo journalist and Woody Creature (as the natives are called), Hunter S. Thompson used to do — or slink into a booth with your pals.
