Pitkin: Discover Landscapes and Trails

In Pitkin County, you can experience natural areas and trails in many different ways. Open spaces, wetlands, and regional trail connections shape what’s on offer, alongside winter trails and historic routes.

Open Spaces and Habitats

Pitkin County Open Space and Trails preserves nearly 30,000 acres through its ownership of open spaces and conservation easements. The trail network managed by the organization is part of a larger regional system that extends throughout the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond. In Pitkin County, local natural areas are connected to trails that form part of a broader regional network.

Sky Mountain Park provides wildlife habitat, protected views, and recreational trails in Brush Creek Valley. Trailhead parking is available at access points near Buttermilk, Brush Creek Park-and-Ride, and Snowmass Village Recreation Center; seasonal restrictions may apply. The combination of trails and protected landscape views makes the park a distinctive destination for outings in the valley.

Winter Trails and Regional Routes

The Aspen-Snowmass Nordic Trail System includes more than 60 miles of free cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails connecting Aspen, Snowmass Village, and Basalt. Snowshoeing is permitted throughout the trail network. For a winter outing, you can choose between cross-country skiing and snowshoeing without changing the connection between the three communities.

The Rio Grande Trail follows the historic route of the Rio Grande Railway and runs approximately 42 miles from Aspen to Glenwood Springs. In Pitkin County, the former rail bed is paved. The exception is a roughly two-mile section below Stein Park outside Aspen, where the surface is crusher fines. Walking, running, biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing are permitted on the section of the Rio Grande Trail within Pitkin County.

Pitkin County Open Space and Trails also manages a trail network of more than 85 miles, including paved trails, natural-surface trails, and sections available for seasonal use. Surface types and seasonal uses are therefore useful points of reference when planning an outing. When choosing a hotel, consider what kind of trail or natural area you’d like to focus on during your stay.

Moore and North Star

Moore Open Space encompasses sagebrush-dominated shrubland with habitat and scenic value, as well as views of Pyramid Peak. The Moore Trail is a singletrack through the area, running between Maroon Creek Road near the roundabout and the Aspen Recreation Center grounds, and connecting to the Tiehack Bridge bike and pedestrian crossing. In winter, Moore Open Space offers a Nordic loop that connects to the Aspen Golf Course Nordic trails via an underpass beneath Highway 82. The singletrack and the winter loop are two distinct trail options in the same landscape.

The wetlands and fen at North Star Nature Preserve provide habitat for many species, including mammals and birds. An elk migration corridor also runs through the preserve. There is a loop trail for hiking at the southern end of the property. Habitats and a specific hiking trail coexist here, and both shape the character of the preserve.

More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Aspen, Snowmass Village, Carbondale, Woody Creek, Snowmass, Routt, San Juan County, Cheyenne County.

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