The best star host camping near Aspen

Aspen is Colorado’s year-round mountain playground. Sure, it’s best known as a star-studded ski town—but when the snow melts, the fun’s just getting started. Pitch your tent by an alpine lake, and hike and bike on hundreds of miles of trails. With its family activities, extreme sports, and wild outdoors, Aspen welcomes everyone.

As you drive up Independence Pass, you’ll find several White River National Forest campsites. Just a few miles from downtown, sleep among the Aspen at Difficult Campground. Tiny Weller has 11 sites with picnic tables and vault toilets, while Lost Man Campground is quiet. These high-elevation areas are open only in the summer.

For fee-free camping, head up Highway 82 to Lincoln Creek Road. Here, you’ll find 22 dispersed campsites scattered through the trees. Want to fish or paddle the Roaring Fork River? It’s a short walk from the sites at the Upper Grottos Campground.

When it comes to scenery, it’s hard to beat the breathtaking Maroon Bells. Three campgrounds—Silver Bar, Silver Bell, and Silver Queen—offer 23 total sites. The local road closes in the winter, but autumn, with its brilliant Golden aspens, is downright dreamy. Cars are banned on summer days, but the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority runs a shuttle.

If you’re in an RV, your best best is to stay in the valley. The closest RV parks to Aspen are near Carbondale.