Ashcroft (and Pine Creek)
If you’re looking for a mellow tour through aspen trees and snowy meadows, check out the Ashcroft touring center. You can choose to snowshoe or cross country ski the groomed trails through the old mining town, and end your day by skiing or taking a sleigh ride up to dinner at the Pine Creek Cookhouse.
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Difficult Creek Trail
This 1.8 mile (one way) trail has an easy start through Difficult Campground and gets progressively steeper as you work your way through the woods by Difficult Creek and the Roaring Fork River. The trail begins 3 miles southeast of Aspen and you will often find snowshoers and hikers enjoying the snow through the dense conifer forest.
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Hunter Creek
The Hunter Creek trail is a popular trail for snowshoers. This moderately difficult trail is 3.7 miles one-way and takes you east-northeast out of Aspen up into the beautiful Hunter Creek Valley. Access to the 10th Mountain Division Trail and backcountry huts is shared by the Hunter Creek Trail, and is very popular with touring skiers and snowshoers alike.
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North Star Preserve Trail
This easy 3.2 mile loop takes you through the beautiful North Star Nature Preserve with great views of Independence Pass. The trail is never far from Highway 82 and is popular with beginning snowshoers and naturalist tours.
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Rio Grande Trail
The Rio Grande Trail is a great mellow option for cross-country skiers, hikers and snowshoers. The un-groomed trail follows the old Denver and Rio Grande Railroad bed along the Roaring Fork River. You can pick up the mostly flat trail behind the Aspen Post Office and follow it up to 20 miles west towards Basalt.
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Aspen Cross Country Center
The Aspen Cross Country Center is located on Aspen’s municipal golf course west of downtown. It is the only full service cross country ski and snowshoe center in Aspen. The classic and skate tracks are regularly maintained, and tours and lessons are offered daily. For more information, contact the Aspen X-C Center at (970) 925-2145.
Snowmass Cross Country Center
The Snowmass Cross Country Center is located on the Snowmass golf course. It offers 10 km of groomed trails to serve everyone from the beginner to the advanced skier. Rental gear, group and private lessons, and cross-country and snowshoe tours are available. For more information, contact the Snowmass X-C Center at (970) 923-9180. |
Government Trail
This 9.8 mile (one-way) moderately difficult trail is also known as the Brush Creek Trail, and is a popular cross-country ski trail in the winter. You can ski from Aspen to Snowmass Village, or vise-versa, on rolling terrain through aspen trees and lodgepole pines.
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Independence Pass
Cross-country skiers, hikers, snowshoers, and snowmobiles share this stretch of Highway 82 that remains unplowed through the winter. A moderate to challenging 5.5 miles brings you through the safest part of the road with wonderful views up Independence Pass and down the Roaring Fork Valley.
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Richmond Ridge
Richmond Ridge is an easy to moderate trail, five or six miles one-way, and accessible from the top of Aspen Mountain. The entire route is above 11,000 feet, and you can snowshoe or cross country ski along the ridge overlooking some of the best views of the Elk Mountains. Most people enjoy Richmond Ridge as a day trip, but the packed trails also lead to some of the backcountry huts in the Braun hut system.
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