Although the Aspen area is best known for our spectacular slopes, there’s still plenty to do besides ski and snowboard. Whether you’re looking for outdoor recreation or the area’s finest flavors, here are a few ideas to get you started.

Outdoor Fun Near Basalt

With rivers great and small as well as a handful of lakes in and around town, you’ll have plenty of fund on the water in Basalt. Locals and tourists alike enjoy rafting, kayaking and swimming in our waters. Fishing is another popular area activity, with anglers wading the rivers or casting a line into the deep blue waters of the Ruedi Reservoir.

Campers, backpackers and day hikers have an array of options as well. From the serene beauty of forest streams to rugged hikes with panoramic mountain views, you’re sure to find a favorite local trail within an easy jaunt from Basalt.

Those who don’t enjoy a strenuous hike can enjoy our area’s mountain views from the gondola of a hot air balloon. Above it All Balloon Company offers three-hour flights year-round, weather permitting.

Other Things to Do in Basalt

If relaxing with delicious food, beer or wine is more your speed, you’ll find a delectable array of options in Basalt. It won’t be long before you’ve found your favorite watering hole or restaurant. Craft beer enthusiasts, in particular, will find plenty of area brews to sample.

Are You Moving to Basalt?

Call us at 970-429-8275 or get in touch with us online to tell us what you want from your next home. We’ll begin searching right away.

While you’re here, you can also browse our:

• Basalt real estate listings
• Carbondale real estate listings
• Snowmass real estate listings
• Woody Creek real estate listings

$29,000,000

• 6 Bedrooms
• 10 Bathrooms
• 9,737 Sq Ft
• 0.970 Acres

979 Red Mountain Road Aspen, Colorado

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$2,399,000

• 3 Bedrooms
• 3 Bathrooms
• 1,082 Sq Ft
• 0 Acres

747 S Galena Street 280 Aspen, Colorado

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$1,330,000

• 2 Bedrooms
• 2 Bathrooms
• 1,014 Sq Ft
• 0 Acres

700 Monarch Street 104 Aspen, Colorado

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$975,000

• 5 Bedrooms
• 3 Bathrooms
• 2,936 Sq Ft
• 0.140 Acres

519 Lake Court Basalt, Colorado

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$759,000

• 4 Bedrooms
• 3 Bathrooms
• 2,592 Sq Ft
• 0.410 Acres

160 Crossland Drive Basalt, Colorado

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$675,000

• 3 Bedrooms
• 3 Bathrooms
• 3,169 Sq Ft
• 1 Acres

4110 Sky Ranch Drive Glenwood Springs, Colorado

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$524,000

• 2 Bedrooms
• 2 Bathrooms
• 927 Sq Ft
• 0 Acres

855 Gold Rivers Court 21D Basalt, Colorado

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$10,000

• 2 Bedrooms
• 2 Bathrooms
• 1,019 Sq Ft
• 0 Acres

110 Carriage Way 3408 Snowmass Village, Colorado

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$2,000

• 3 Bedrooms
• 4 Bathrooms
• 4,020 Sq Ft
• 0.140 Acres

307 W Francis Street Aspen, Colorado

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Basalt’s early roots as a Colorado railroad town have had a lot of impact on the community today. First known as Fryingpan Town and located on the south side of the river, the community moved across to the north side (where the railroad established a new town site in 1887) and became known as Aspen Junction until 1895. In 1901, the town was renamed Basalt for the dark colored, fine grained igneous rock on the mountain just north of town – and that’s when it was officially incorporated, as well.

What Are the Basalt Kilns?

In the early 1880s, this area was growing exponentially. Smelters in Aspen needed charcoal badly to support the growing city, and Basalt residents met the demand. They constructed seven kilns in 1882, which are still located at the confluence of the Roaring Fork and Fryingpan Rivers. Residents used pinion trees for fuel for the kilns, and dozens of horses and mules hauled charcoal between Basalt and Aspen.

The kilns are still standing, and each spans about 25 feet tall and 25 feet across. The only other remnants from that time. Still standing as a halfway house made for the stagecoach.

Why Did Everyone Move?

As the Colorado Midland Railroad Company continued to develop, most of the residents of Fryingpan Town moved to Basalt for convenience. The original town gradually disappeared, leaving the kilns empty. Local ranchers have used the kilns to store machinery, shelter livestock and perform a number of other functions, but now the Fryingpan Kilns at Arbaney Park are considered a local historic landmark.

Are You Moving to Basalt?

If you’re thinking about moving to Basalt, we’d love to help you find the perfect home.

Call us at 970-429-8275 or contact us online to tell us what you want from your next home. We’ll begin a custom search just for you.

$29,000,000 Active

979 Red Mountain Road Aspen, Colorado

6 Beds 10 Baths 9,737 SqFt 0.970 Acres

$2,399,000 Active

747 Galena Street S 280 Aspen, Colorado

3 Beds 3 Baths 1,082 SqFt

$1,330,000 Active

700 Monarch Street 104 Aspen, Colorado

2 Beds 2 Baths 1,014 SqFt

$975,000 Active

519 Lake Court Basalt, Colorado

5 Beds 3 Baths 2,936 SqFt 0.140 Acres

$759,000 Active

160 Crossland Drive Basalt, Colorado

4 Beds 3 Baths 2,592 SqFt 0.410 Acres

$675,000 Pending

4110 Sky Ranch Drive Glenwood Springs, Colorado

3 Beds 3 Baths 3,169 SqFt 1 Acres

Basalt, Colorado is an excellent place to call “home” – especially if you’re an avid biker. With miles of superior trails and bike-friendly roads, you’ll never have a dull moment as you pedal through Basalt’s breathtaking terrain.

Basalt Bike Routes: Something for Everyone

What was once a sleepy railroad town in the Roaring Fork Valley is now a bicycling mecca. Whether you head to El Jebel and bike around town (that’s a great idea if you’re a fairly inexperienced cyclist who’s new to this elevation) or you’re motivated and experienced enough to try Frying Pan Road, which is a nearly 15-mile uphill ride, there’s no shortage of great cycling trails in this picturesque town.

While you can ride anywhere in this pretty town—the roadways are very biker-friendly—locals have an affinity for a handful of special routes.

A slow, easy ride on the Rio Grande Bike Trail might be a great way to spend an afternoon. The speed limit on the trial is 20 miles per hour, and there are plenty of scenic spaces to stop and catch your breath while you admire Basalt’s natural beauty.

Cycling up Frying Pan Road, which you can reach from Basalt, is always a pleasant trip – as long as you’re ready for the Fryingpan Valley headwinds. They’ll get you in both directions. However, the rise is slow and the grades are gradual. You can continue your ride uninterrupted for 32 miles until you reach Fryingpan Lakes Road, with steeper climbs near the lake and at the dam.

If you’re in the mood for a brisk, uphill ride, you’ll love the pathway that begins on Capital Creek and ends at St. Benedict’s Monastery. It’s a 10.6-mile-ride one way, and the views are unbelievable. If you’d prefer a shorter ride, you can ride to the Aspen Camp of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; you’ll shave two miles off your ride without giving up the spectacular scenery.

Thinking About Living in Basalt?

If you lived in Basalt, you’d have easy access to some of the nation’s finest bicycling routes every day. We also have some of Colorado’s most beautiful homes. Please feel free to explore our Basalt real estate listings and learn more about what makes this community so special. Call us at 970-429-8275 or get in touch with us online so we can create a custom search just for you.