Cheap flights to Aspen

Quick summary

Identity

From a silver boomtown to America's most storied ski address

Aspen was staked out in 1879 by prospectors chasing one of the richest silver lodes ever found in the Rockies, and for a run of years the district produced roughly a sixteenth of the world's silver output — enough to push the town's population past 8,000 by 1890 and toward a peak near 16,000 just a few years later. The 1893 repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act gutted the price of silver overnight and sent Aspen into what locals still call "the quiet years," a slump so deep the population fell under 1,000. It took until the late 1940s, when Chicago industrialist Walter Paepcke and his wife Elizabeth bet on skiing and culture together, for Aspen Mountain to reopen as a ski area and set the town on the path to the international reputation it holds today.

Not to be missed

The Maroon Bells, arguably the most photographed peaks in North America

A short drive southwest of downtown, the twin 14,000-foot summits of Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak rise above Maroon Lake in a reddish-maroon streak caused by iron oxide in the rock. In summer the access road is closed to private cars during the day and reachable only by a short shuttle from Aspen Highlands, a measure put in place precisely because the view draws so many visitors; arriving for sunrise, before the shuttle runs, is the classic way around the crowds. In winter the same valley turns into one of the quietest backcountry and snowshoeing spots around town.

Four mountains, one town

Aspen Mountain, Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass

What sets Aspen apart from most ski destinations is that it isn't a single mountain at all: Aspen Mountain — known locally as Ajax — rises directly above downtown, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk sit a short shuttle ride away, and Snowmass, the largest of the four by terrain, anchors its own village a few miles up the valley. A single lift ticket covers all four, so visitors typically pick a different mountain each day depending on conditions and mood rather than sticking to one base. Buttermilk also hosted the Winter X Games for close to two decades, giving the town's gentlest slope an unexpectedly loud claim to fame.

Why track Aspen with SniperAir

You don't need to compare prices every day

Downtown

Victorian storefronts, the Hotel Jerome and a free-admission art museum

Downtown Aspen still runs on a compact, walkable grid of brick and clapboard buildings raised during the silver years. The Hotel Jerome, opened in 1889 by Macy's investor Jerome Wheeler, was the first building west of the Mississippi with full electric lighting and the only one in town with an elevator — it has stayed in continuous operation since, hosting everyone from mine workers to the celebrities who now fill the valley each winter. A few blocks over, the Aspen Art Museum reopened in 2014 in a striking woven-facade building by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, and unlike most museums of its caliber, admission is free year-round.

Budget

Yes, Aspen is genuinely expensive — here's how to plan around it

Aspen is routinely ranked among the priciest destinations in the United States, and it shows fastest at the dinner table: entrées run roughly $20 to $35 at casual spots and $80 to $150 at the valley's fine-dining rooms, on top of lodging rates that spike hard during Christmas week and the X Games. The workaround most locals use is timing rather than avoidance — the same kitchens that charge premium dinner prices often run a bar menu or lunch menu with the identical dish at a fraction of the cost, and a handful of taquerias and delis downtown keep meals in the $10 to $20 range. A single-day winter lift ticket bought at the window can approach $250, but booking 30 days out typically knocks 15 to 25 percent off.

By length of stay

What to do in Aspen depending on how long you stay

Aspen's airport

The main airport for your flight to Aspen

There's no direct flight from Europe: nearly every itinerary connects through Denver International Airport, roughly 200 miles and a one-hour hop away. Price data on this route is still limited — SniperAir has only just started tracking it.

When to go

When to visit Aspen?

You might also like

Similar destinations

United States

Jackson Hole

Explore

United States

Denver

Explore

United States

Bozeman

Explore

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about flights to Aspen