3-Day Winter Itinerary for Snowmass, Colorado (First-Timers Guide!)
Snowmass was our first winter trip … ever! If you know us, you know we are warm weather people, so we have never purposefully visited a winter/snowy destination. We had also never been skiing or snowboarding before, but when the Snowmass Tourism Board invited us to visit, we knew it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Snowmass is located in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, and it about 20 minutes from Aspen. Both towns share 4 mountain ranges in the area Aspen Mountain, Highlands Mountain, Snowmass Mountain, and Buttermilk Mountain. Snowmass is known for some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the USA (and also in the world), and after visiting we can completely see why. We spent 3 days in Snowmass so we have the perfect 3-day itinerary for your trip!
How to get to Snowmass
We took a flight from Denver, but you could also drive if you wanted to. Snowmass is about a 3 hour drive from Denver, but the flight was super easy and only took about 40 minutes. Also the flight over the mountains was absolutely beautiful. Once you get to Snowmass, everything is pretty walkable or accessible by a free shuttle/gondola so a car is not necessary.
Where to Stay in Snowmass
Destination Residences Snowmass
Destination Residences Snowmass
We stayed at Destination Residences Snowmass in the Willows property. Our room was more like an apartment equipped with a full kitchen and balcony. It was also in the perfect location, in between the base village at the bottom of the mountain and the Snowmass Mall at the top. There was also a shuttle to and from the airport which made staying here super convenient.
Find more Snowmass accommodations here!
Day 1 - Exploring the Snowmass Village
Venga Venga
Ice Skating Rink
You’re going to want to get the lay of the land on your first day in Snowmass so here is what we recommend doing:
Grab a drink at Base Camp - Base Camp is a local bar in the base village known for it’s après-ski atmosphere. They have great drinks and an upstairs patio where you can see the sun set. They also have bar snacks and food if you’re hungry.
Take the Sky Cab up to the Snowmass Mall - the sky cab connects the base village to the Sky Mall aka the two main areas of the Snowmass Village. The Sky Cab is free to ride and operates from 8AM-9PM. They are also commonly referred to as “skittles” because they are all different colors! The Snowmass Mall has a bunch of local shops, restaurants, and brand name stores like North Face and Patagonia.
Have Dinner at Venga Venga - Venga Venga is a Mexican restaurant located in the Snowmass Mall. It’s a very popular spot in the area so it’s usually crowded. We couldn’t get a table inside but we were able to sit outside at one of the fire pit tables which was also nice! The fire keeps you warm and you get a great view of the mountains and the sunset.
Go Ice Skating at the free skating rink - yes, you heard that right … free! The ice rink back down at the base village is free to skate and also free to rent skates! We had such a good time here because back home in NYC it’s very expensive to go ice skating. There were a lot of children fooling around by the skating rink but we didn’t mind because we were having so much fun!
Day 2 - Skiing or Snowboarding
The main reason to visit Snowmass is for the epic skiing and snowboarding. Most people spend all day on the slopes so you’ll want at least 1 full day doing this.
Grab Breakfast at Jüs Snowmass - Jüs is a local cafe that makes juices, smoothies, coffee, açaí bowls, and breakfast sandwiches. It’s super cute and has a great view of the mountains in the back. We loved their coffee so much that we went back twice!
Take the Elk Camp Gondola up to Snowmass Mountain - The Elk Camp Gondola runs from 9AM-4PM and it’s where you will find the best skiing and snowboarding trails. If you are taking skiing or snowboarding lessons, you can take the gondola to the top and then head over to the beginners camp for rentals and to meet your instructor.
Go Skiing or Snowboarding! - Most people will ski or snowboard all day on the mountain, but if you are taking lessons like we were, then your lesson will likely be from 10AM - 3PM. We had never skied before and by the end we both got the hang of it!
Break for lunch at Elk Camp Restaurant - Elk Camp Restaurant is the only place to get food or drinks up on the mountain. It’s buffet style and has food for all types of dietary restrictions. They also have a bar outside if you wanted to sit out there and get your après-ski on!
Continue Skiing/Snowboarding - Most people finish up skiing/snowboarding between 3-4PM. Since the gondola stops running at 4PM you’re gonna wanna make sure you’re done before then so you can get back down to the village!
Dinner at Mix 6 - Since there aren’t a ton of restaurants in Snowmass, a lot of them can get crowded fast. Mix 6 is a great option because it typically isn’t too crowded. They had all different types of cuisine and accommodated most dietary restrictions. It’s also located right next to the skating rink inside The Collective.
Day 3 - Snowshoeing, Alpine Coaster, and Tubing
Snowshoeing
Kenichi
The great thing about Snowmass is that there is so much more to do than just skiing and snowboarding. You can really find something for everyone here and that’s one of the reasons why we loved it so much!
Start your day with breakfast at Fuel Cafe - Fuel Cafe is a local breakfast spot with coffee, bagels, and sandwiches. It’s a great place to grab a quick bite before heading up to the slopes.
Take the Elk Camp Gondola back up the Mountain - This is where all the other non-skiing/snowboarding activities are as well.
Take the 10AM Snowshoeing Tour - We met our guide Anna once we got off the gondola to go snowshoeing for the first time! Snowshoeing is just hiking in the snow, but you wear these special things on your shoes that help you walk better in the snow. The snowshoe trail took about 2 hours and was mostly flat except for the occasional up and down hill. Our guide Anna was amazing and taught us so much about the nature of the Rocky Mountains.
Ride the Alpine Coaster - The Alpine Coaster is a cable coaster built in the mountains. It’s $67 for up to 3 rides on the coaster and a full day of tubing so we recommend doing that. The coaster was really fun and not scary at all!
Go Snow Tubing - Snow tubing was probably one of the most fun things we did on this trip! There are 3 tubing lanes and each one is a bit faster than the other one. On lane 1 you can even attach you and your friends all together which is really fun on the way down!
Dinner at Kenichi - Kenichi was by far our favorite restaurant we ate at on our trip. It was packed every night and the only way we could get a table was by showing up at 5PM when they opened and sitting at the bar. But we didn’t mind because the sushi was delicious!
Reminders
There are a few things you should keep in mind when visiting Snowmass, here is what we recommend:
Pack sunscreen! You might not think you need sunscreen in the winter or in the mountains, but it’s definitely necessary. The sun is no joke and even though we wore sunscreen, both of us still got burned.
Drink plenty of water. The elevation in Snowmass is 8,000 ft. and up on the mountain it’s 11,000. It’s very common to get altitude sickness when you are there, but it can avoided but drinking a lot of water. Make sure you have water on you at all times. We never got altitude sickness but a lot of people told us they did. As long as you drink water you will be fine!
Okay, I think that’s everything you need to know as a first-timer in Snowmass! Hopefully out 3-day itinerary was helpful and informative. If you want to see first hand what we got up to on our trip, make sure you check out our Snowmass YouTube video below.
This blog post was sponsored by the Snowmass Tourism Board. To find out more info about the destination, please visit Go Snowmass. Some links on this post are affiliate links of which we receive a small commission, but the price is the same for you.