Day 4: Maroon Lake & Aspen

It was a 6am-er today, but I love the early starts as they mean you’re up before the rest of the world. Although it turned out I wasn’t actually… capturing first light on the mountains reflected in Maroon Lake’s perfectly still waters is a phenomenal view that shouldn’t be missed, and several of us had gathered at the Maroon Bells with cameras at the ready. Unfortunately the stereotypical Coloradan blue skies that had graced my trip so far were covered in cloud and the picture perfect mirror of the mountains was not to be, but it was an incredibly unique moment none the less.

I sated my hunger with a (seriously delicious) pastry from Franck Thirion’s French boulangerie and then made my way towards Aspen, where I checked into the Little Nell before exploring downtown. Just 15 minutes from Snowmass village, and there is a completely different feel here. The streets are lined with Victorian style mansions, with rich red brick, colourful clapboard panels and beautifully manicured gardens. The Aspen Art Museum has a beautiful café on its rooftop, so I grabbed a coffee there while looking out at Aspen Mountain and then hopped on a bike to get around town, stopping off for a while at the John Denver sanctuary.

My evening was spent wandering around town until I came across Pyramid, a charming little bistro above a book shop called Explore. I sat and absorbed the day on their pretty terrace area, eating delicious food and then whiled away the rest of the evening looking at the wonderful collection of books in the shop below. It felt like the perfect example of how those that adventure, discover.