Back to Redstone! Once again we missed the mudslides just like last year. We fished the Crystal River around the campground daily, and caught a lot of rainbows and brook trout.

Once again, I’m thankful for Natasha’s dedication to her nighttime photography. She captured some great Milky Way images from the campsite and the bridge leading to the campground. She told me, “I wanted to go down to the river, but it sounded like the coyotes were down there.” Gulp! She is a brave woman.

In my 20 years of living in Colorado, I’ve never visited Basalt, Snowmass, or Aspen. We headed over the mountain to see what it was all about.

Basalt was a cool little town with two rivers on either side: the Fying Pan River and the Roaring Fork. You can also find Ruedi Reservoir to the East. Here is some info on hiking in the area.

Snowmass was a well groomed area, surrounded by beautiful mountains. There is a free chair lift that lets you take your dog from the top of the to the bottom. It’s a short ride, but still fun to do with your family! We had a tasty lunch at the Base Camp Bar & Grill before moving on to the next town. We also stopped at the visitor center and they were very helpful. They shared a lot of maps, magazines, and told us about the mammoth fossils that have been found in the area. The Snowmass Village Mall has a Mammoth Discovery Center that showcases the findings from 2010.

I was surprised at how beautiful Aspen was. It definitely lives up to all the hype that we’ve heard over the years. The neighborhood around downtown is gorgeous—perfectly groomed and well manicured historic homes. The downtown area is very pedestrian and dog friendly, with closed off streets and sitting areas all around. We found a park full of dogs and kids where Daisy was able to run around like crazy. We ventured there on a Saturday, which is the day for the farmers market.

On our way out of town we wanted to hike up to Maroon Bells. You should, however, do your homework before heading to the trailhead—during the summer you must take a shuttle to the trailhead. When we showed up the Maroon Bells Birthday Bash was going on (the 50th birthday of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness), and the crowds were over the top. The officer directing traffic suggested we drive up Castle Creek Road.

Castle Creek Road was a beautiful drive with barely and traffic. We were able to pull over and fly fish the Castle Creek, where we caught many rainbows, green cutbows, and brook trout. Along the way up the road there is a small ghost town called Ashcroft. It seemed more like a historical/educational area. A 4-wheel drive road, Pearl Pass Road, is at the end of the paved road and dispersed camping is allowed in the area, however, I could not find any information on it. There are some hiking trails at the end of the Pearl Pass Road. The view from the end of Castle Creek Road is gorgeous, and well worth the 11 mile drive. Don’t forget your bug spray!

There are plenty of hiking opportunities in the Aspen-Snowmass area. Check out the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District page. They have a lot of info on trails.

Due to the constant rain showers we took off in the Jeep to explore the area. North of Redstone we found Avalanched Creek Road. At the end of the road you will find Avalanche Campground and Avalanche Creek Trail, which is part of the Maroon Bells Wilderness Area. The trail follows Avalanche Creek, and it is a perfect creek to hop in for some small mountain stream fishing. We caught a lot of rainbow and brook trout in the crystal clear, ice cold, water. After 10 minutes in the water your feet become numb! We could have spent the entire day there had it not been rainy. Avalanche Campground is a small campground, and has an area to tie up your horses. However, horses are not allowed in the campground. There is no water or trash service, so you must haul everything in and out. There are bathrooms and a camp host with a lot of bear aware information. Each campsite has a bear box.

We went peach crazy over the Palisade Peaches! You can find them at the farmers markets and roadside stands throughout all the communities. Pick some up, you won’t be disappointed!

We love when there is a bear box in our campsite. If you do not have food to put in the box, store your camping gear in it! That means less clutter in your Airstream or your truck. 🙂

We found Penny Hot Springs just by chance. We kept seeing all types of people climbing the hill to the Crystal dressed in swimming clothes. I thought we need to see what they are doing! Bring some soaking gear, and enjoy the scenery around you 🙂

We love traveling through Glenwood Canyon, the scenery is outstanding!