As August’s afternoon thunderstorms give way to September’s crisp, clear days, Aspen mountain bikers, hikers and trail runners rejoice. It begins with the brush turning shades of copper and auburn. By the second week of September, a handful of the town’s namesake trees fade to gold. And by the third or fourth week of the month, depending on the season’s weather, entire valleys of Aspens glow neon yellow. The best way to experience the phenomenon is on foot or bike.
Here are five hiking and biking trails in the Aspen area that truly shine when the fall foliage peaks.
Capital Lake
Hike | Length: Approximately 6 miles
Hiking the 12 miles to Capital Lake and back makes for a long day hike, but linking Capitol Ditch Trail and Capitol Creek Trail in a loop about half that long still showcases the splendor of 14,115-foot Capitol Peak and the golden hued Capital Creek drainage.
Tom Blake
Length: 3.91 | Hike or Bike
Tom Blake traverses the bottom of Snowmass Mountain and offers some of the smoothest singletrack in the valley. It’s littered with yellow leaves when fall foliage peaks. Ride from the end of the Snowmass Mall east for the most downhill flow.
Cathedral Lake
Hike | Length: 5.6 miles
Two of the most popular hikes in Aspen begin in the Castle Creek Valley, but Cathedral Lake, high above treeline in a cirque of rocky spires takes the win for dramatic setting. On the descent, you can soak in the fall colors across the valley—often a continuous hillside of yellow.
Sunnyside
Hike or Bike | Length: 5.5 miles or 18 miles with connections
The out-and-back hike offers views of yellow Aspen stands across the valley, and bikers coming from Hunter Creek will roll through one of the prettiest aspen stands in the area before reaching the traverse of Red Mountain.
Government Trail
Bike or Hike | Length: 6.6 miles
Government Trail, from Snowmass to Aspen, winds through dark evergreen stands and aspen groves that filter in Instagram worthy light and gilded meadows. The trail can be ridden from Aspen to Snowmass (“Reverse Government”) and flows better than one might guess.