Aspen Colorado, A complete guide to hiking Highlands Bowl

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Skiing and snowboarding can be dangerous activities, please ride within your ability levels and respect others around you

The infamous Highlands bowl, located in Aspen Colorado is one of those resort hikes where the juice is definitely worth the squeeze. A friend once quoted that it’s probably the best inbounds terrain you’ll be able to ride in Colorado and the closest you’ll get to riding back country with out having to go into the back country. It seems that when the resort reports a few inches theres always 6-8 more up top in the bowl, turning a light dusting into a blower powder day.

Highlands is one out of four resorts in Aspen, and on any given day there’s also almost no people at this resort, which makes lift lines none existent and laps endless. In this post I’ll be going over how to get to Highlands, parking, where to stay, what to expect, and details on the hike. Alright lets do this!

Where is Aspen Highlands

Aspen Highlands will be in between downtown Aspen and Snowmass with Buttermilk being right up the street. Aspen itself is about 4 hours west of Denver. Below I listed times and distances from Denver International Airport and other major areas. You’ll be able to see the peak of Highlands when driving into downtown Aspen if the skies are clear and it is quiet the view. If you fly into Aspen International Airport, you will be right out the street from everything.

Denver International Airport- 4 hours/219 miles/352 km

Vail- 2 hours/102 miles/164 km

Summit County- 2 hours 45 minutes/130 miles/209 km

Where to stay

There’s going to be lodging right at the base of Highlands, however if you like riding all four mountains I would also consider staying in downtown Aspen or Snowmass. VRBO or Hotels.com is where I book most of my stays for snowboard trips. I like staying in Snowmass because the lodging is a little less expensive yet your still close to everything.

Is Aspen Ikon or Epic and how much are lift tickets

Aspen is on the Ikon, however you only get 7 days total combined, at all 4 mountains (Snowmass, Ajax, Highlands, Buttermilk). With the Ikon Base Plus, you’ll get 5 days, but with Blackout dates. There are different Aspen pass options that vary in price, with the unlimited no Blackout dates pass costing over $3,000. Expensive, but the plus side is the mountains don’t get crowded, especially on the weekdays. Lift tickets will be just over $200 for the day. If you plan on riding more then three days, only in Aspen, I would look into the Valley Pass. This is a 7 day pass with no blackout dates.

Where to park

You can park at the base of Highlands or in a few of the free lots they have nearby. Parking is $25/day at the base of the resort. However! the three free lots are Brush Creek, Rodeo, and Buttermilk. Busses run often and are free within the Aspen area, just hop on the bus that goes to downtown Aspen. The route has a drop off at the round-about on Maroon Creek Road, where you need to get on another bus that takes you right to Highlands Village (it’s not as complicated as it sounds). The Rodeo Lot is the free lot near Snowmass. Check the RFTA site for schedules.

What to expect

Highlands will be much smaller then Snowmass, however it doesn’t usually get crowded and the bowl is what makes this resort so special and unique. Most of the mountain will be for the more advanced skier or snowboarder, however there are still some easy runs that are great on the frontside for a beginner to intermediate rider. If you have the ability to hike and ride the bowl, I highly recommend trying it. The experience isn’t something you can experience at most ski resorts, continue reading for more info!

When hiking the bowl expect there to be steep parts and heavy winds throughout your hike. On deep powder days it’s also fun to ride Olympic bowl and Steeplechase. I noticed that when the snow gets tracked out these areas of the mountain can get bumpy, so not as fun to ride through.

Mountain Stats

Months of operation in the winter: Mid December to Mid April

Bowl operating hours: Usually 10ish-2:30pm

Vertical Feet- 3,365 (1026 Meters)

Skiable acres- 1,040

Highlands Bowl Peak- 12,392 feet (3,777 meters)

Does Aspen Get a lot of snow

Part of the Elk Mountain Range, Aspen can get some awesome storms. If you love powder, January and February can bring some deep days at Highlands, especially in the bowl! The snow seems to just stack up in Highlands Bowl. Aspen itself can see more then 250 inches of snow/year, but on average they receive 200-300 inches/year (508 cm-the 762 cm).

How to Get to Highlands Bowl

Pretty simple, to get to the bowl, you’ll hop on the lift right at the base of the mountain, Exhibition. When you get off the lift ride down just a little bit past the Highlands Bowl Information center, and hang a right to the Loge Lift.

The Loge lift not only is the way to Highlands bowl, but also is a way to access pretty much the entire mountain if you don’t feel like hiking the bowl. Once you get off the lift head straight and you will see signs that point to the start of the hike! The views from Loge are also amazing, especially on a sunny bluebird day.

There is a cat that runs at the base of the hike, that will shave off some time and energy if it is operating that day. It’s free and doesn’t cost anything.

Is the hike challenging and how long does it take

The hike is a bit of a challenge, especially if you are coming from a lower elevation. Slow and steady is the name of the game for this hike. There’s a portion of the hike that locals dubbed, heart attack ridge, which will be the most challenging part. Depending on your speed the hike takes about 45 min to an hour on average I would say.

What are the best spots to take photos

This all depends on visibility! Sunny or partly cloudy days will be your best bet for amazing views. Two of my favorite places to grab photos will be close to the top, looking out to the right. They are Hunter Peak shown in the second photo below and Maroon Bells/Pyramid Peak, which can be seen off in the distance from the bootlick.

Where should we drop when we get to the top

One thing to keep in mind is that there will be a couple places to drop early if you don’t feel like hiking all the way to the top, such as Box Car and Whip’s Veneration. A pro tip is to hike the bowl and then if you still have energy hike it a second time, but descend into one of the early drop points. These tend to be more untouched because everyone hikes to the top.

There’s multiple drop areas once you get to the top and if you’ve never ridden the bowl you’re going to be thinking, “where do I go?” The lookers right and the middle tend to be a bit steeper, with lookers left a little more mellow as you descend. Watch out for rocks at the very top and then once you drop in, enjoy the deep turns that Highlands Bowl can be known for!

I like to drop lookers left and ride the trees on that side of the bowl. Either Hines-Site or G-3/G-4. It’s a little more hidden and there never seems to be too many tracks through this area.

How long of a run is the bowl to the bottom

Once you ride the main part of the terrain, it will flatten out significantly in what’s call the North, Middle, and South Fork. This area is wide open with a few trees that you can ride through as well. The run will eventually funnel down spit you back onto a catwalk and you’ll take the Deep Temerity lift to get back to where you originally started at the top of Loge. It takes about 20 minutes I would say from the top of the bowl to the Deep Temerity Lift depending on your speed.

Any unwritten rules

A few things to keep in mind when doing the hike are to follow the boot pack and to let people behind you pass if they are going quicker then you (as long as your in an area that you can get over).

What should we pack

1. Make sure to apply sunscreen beforehand and to have chapstick with you

2. Pack water and snacks, HydraPak is great for this hike. The water bottle can fit into your jacket pocket.

3. Check the weather ahead of time and layer accordingly! I like wearing a shell with good ventilation and if it’s really cold a lightweight puffy such as the Burton Baker down

4. A helmet, not that you shouldn’t try to wear one all the time, but because the terrain is more advanced I would recommend wearing one

Is there anywhere to eat on the Mountain

There is a couple places on the mountain such as Cloud 9 Bistro. They’ll have your standard sandwiches, soups, fries, and salads. In the spring there’s a nice deck to chill on and grab a drink. For breakfast, Cafe Siena will be right at the base. Good spot for a lift snack or coffee.

Can you do Highlands Bowl if you’re a beginner

I wouldn’t recommend it honestly unless you’re more of an advanced rider. The runs are all considered double blacks. However the resort still has some nice cruiser blue runs off of Loge, Exhibition, and Cloud 9 lifts

Any ski or snowboard shops at the mountain

There is a Four Mountain Sports at the base for Ski/Snowboard rentals, outerwear, gloves, goggles, etc. There’s also a Strafe outerwear shop at the base as well, a local Aspen outerwear brand. If you’re looking to buy ski or snowboard equipment I would check out shops in either Downtown Aspen or Snowmass. There’s a Four Mountain Sports in the Snowmass Village mall as well as Radio Boardshop in downtown Aspen (Snowboards only). Ski Shops in Downtown Aspen include Miller Sports and Aspen Sports.

Is there anywhere to Après at

For Après, check out downtown Aspen as there will be a lot more options for restaurants and bars. It’s also cool to check out the town after a day on the mountain.One of the best restaurants for food in general not just Apres, is the White House Tavern. They have a great menu, music, and ambience inside!

That’s a wrap on Aspen Highlands and riding the bowl. Thanks for reading and if you liked this post and want information on outdoor content, subscribe to our email list below. Looking to take a cool ski or snowboard trip? Check out Mt Baker in Washington! See you on the next post.

Portugal, Everything to know when Booking a Surf trip to Ericeira

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Alright, so you’re looking to book a surf trip to Europe, but might be unsure of where to go. Ericeira, a small coastal town west of Lisbon, the Capitol, has pristine coastlines, cool architecture, and of course plenty of waves. The area itself is pretty low key and somewhat small, which is what I liked most about Ericeira. There’s a central area with boutiques, surf shops, restaurants, and bakeries. A car helps, but isn’t necessary as you can still walk or rent a bike to get around.

If you’re new to surfing or have been doing it for a while there are a number of hostel style camps that offer cheap lodging as well as lessons if you need them, which I’ll go into more detail later. With that being said, in this post I’ll be going over how to get to Ericeria, where to stay, eat, and surf. Alright lets get into it..

Where is Ericiera

Ericiera is on the west coast of Portugal, pretty much in the middle of the country. A little over a half hour from Lisbon (close to 50 KM/31 miles), getting to the coast is pretty easy and scenic as you drive through towns to get there

What mode of transporation should I use to get there

If you take a shuttle or rent a car, it will be much quicker! I took the bus, which is the cheapest way, but also the longest (about 2.5 hours). If you are doing a surf camp they may offer a shuttle service and can pick you up right at the airport. The shuttle like I mentioned will be much quicker and they can drop you off right at the camp.

If you are looking to save a little bit of money, you can take a bus from the Campo Grande bus station to Ericiera. However, you will then have to walk or a take a taxi to your camp or where you are staying. A full day bus ticket is close to 6.5 Euros and you can buy your ticket and take a shuttle bus from the Lisbon Airport to Campo Grande bus station.

Do you need a car

You don’t need one, however getting to different surf spots will be easier with a car or a bike. Uber is inexpensive and a great way to get around as well.

Where to stay

Depending on how much time you have, I would recommend staying in a VRBO close to the center area (city center) and/or doing a surf camp. There’s a number of inexpensive VRBO’s close to the “city center”, but also walkable to different surf spots, depending on where you stay exactly. The architecture is pretty cool too with cobbled streets, red clay roofs, and the Portuguese tiles on the sides of buildings.

A surf camp is nice because you stay in dorm style housing, meet new people, and learn a lot about surfing. The only downside to some of the camps is depending on the time of year, groups can be large and everyone goes to the same surf spot for a lesson, which means more people and less waves. However, I stayed with Lapoint and the lodging was incredible, equipment included, and free breakfast every morning. They have great instructors for different ability levels from beginner all the way to advanced.

Lapoint also has a skate bowl on site that overlooks the Ericeira country side and ocean! If you only want to do the lodging without lessons, Lapoint offers that as well. Other surf camps include The Salty Pelican and the Ericeira Surf House. Some of the camps also offer yoga too.

Any good restaurants

Although there were a handful of restaurants that I felt were pretty bland, there’s a few that I recommend trying. For coffee, breakfast, or lunch my three favorite places were Dear Rose, Green is Good, and Sunset Bamboo Bar. The pancakes were pretty amazing at Green is Good.

For dinner, I really liked Jangada, about a 15 minute walk from the center area. Friendly staff and cool ambience were what made this my favorite restaurant in Ericiera. The menu was simple, but the food was incredible, including the seafood. Since your right on the coast, there are a lot of seafood restaurants through out the area. Another restaurant I really liked just north of town, outside of Ericiera was the Pizza Mobile. A hidden gem pizza restaurant in Sao Lourenco.

Is there any Night Life

If you stay at a surf camp they will have events through out your stay. Also, every Friday Boardriders, has a party with a DJ and bar on siter. In town the main bar for night life is Tubo.

Where can we rent surfboards and take lessons

If you’re not doing a camp, there’s a number of awesome surf rental shops that offer instruction from beginner to advanced. If you’re traveling solo and don’t know anyone in the area it’s good to go out with people who know the area and different breaks, where to paddle, what to avoid, and the best time to surf different spots. Shops such as Ericiera Surf School, Tiago Pires Surf School, and Surf Riders all offer lessons with rentals. My favorite place to take a surf lesson was the Surf Center in between Quiksilver and 58 surf. The instructors were incredible and the owner was really nice.

They offered private lessons as well as group lessons. There was also a place to keep your things when you were out surfing so you don’t have to leave them on the beach. If you rent, but don’t take a lesson, the owner still allowed me to store my things there when I was surfing. It’s the little things that make a difference when traveling.

If you’re looking to rent, but not take a lesson, the best place for that is Portugal Surf Rentals. They have a number of great performance, higher-end boards for an incredible price compared to a lot of shops in town. Book your reservation online and they deliver the board to your place, throw in a bar of wax, and give you a surf bag for the rental. You then drop the board off at Quiksilver or 58 when your done.

Are there any good surf shops

58 Surf on the north end of Ericeira has just about everything you need from wetsuits, to fins, shortboards, longboards, and hybrid shapes. There’s also Magic Quiver. It’s more of a boutique style shop, with locally shaped boards. Really cool spot that will premiere surf films sometimes.

Is the water cold

Yep, cold water in Portugal. You’ll want to wear a 3/2 wetsuit and then as you reach mid to late October a 5/4 wetsuit. These numbers are the thickness of the wetsuit. I would also recommend a hood and booties in the colder months too. Some of the breaks will be rocky as well so having booties to protect your feet from getting cut up, will be very helpful!

When is the best time of the year to surf in Portugal

Late September through April are when the waves will be the largest, but also most powerful. I went in October and there were some smaller days in the two weeks that I was there, but also some really heavy days, so keep that in mind when booking a trip. One of my instructors said that If you are looking for smaller waves, August will be the best month. Summers are nice as well because it doesn’t rain very much, but as you get into late fall, you will have more rainy days throughout the winter months.

Where can I check the Surf Forecast

The best website for checking the surf forecast in Portugal is MEO. A was recommended to use this site by a handful of locals and found that it provided the most accurate information!

What are the best places to surf

There’s a number of great surf breaks in Ericeira and below are the top five. The best time of day to surf Ericeira is MID TIDE, either when the tide is going from Low ->High or High->Low. If you surf during low tide the waves will close out early and if you surf during high tide the waves will be Flat. However, sometimes you can still surf these spots during low and high tide!

1. Foz Do LIzandro- This spot is on the south end of Ericeira and can be a little more low key. When the waves are good there will be people in the water, especially in the morning! There are mostly rights here with some lefts mixed in as well. Be careful surfing this spot during low tide as it does get shallow and rocky in some areas. Also because it is near surf schools, in the morning the water can get pretty crowded.

   There is a free parking lot at this beach as well as a boardwalk with restaurants and a surf rental shop. You can either surf in the middle of this break or farther down towards lookers right, depending on where it’s breaking that day!

2. Praia Do Matadouro- Lots of fun breaks here. It’s best to surf this beach with someone who knows exactly where to go. I would also recommend wearing surf booties to protect your feet as there is a rocky bottom. Mid Tide will be the best time to surf this spot and if you’re able to time that for an evening surf session it is pretty magical. There’s different peaks through out the break, lefts and rights.

There’s a parking lot across the street near Quiksilver if you are driving or if you want to walk and are staying near the city center its about a 20 minute walk.

3. Ribeira D’llhas- Located on the north end of Ericiera this break is one of the stops for the World Surf Tour and when it’s pumping, you will see a lot of people in the water. This will be a right hand point break, with different peaks through out. You can also surf this spot during high tide and the waves are a little smaller and more fun if you are an intermediate surfer. There is also some fun waves outside the main peak if you want to avoid a crowded lineup and increase your wave count.

There is a parking lot as well as a restaurant and public restrooms. This is also a rockier break so where booties if you don’t want to cut up your feet! This spot also has a nice beach to relax if you take breaks while surfing.

4. Praia do Sul- Probably my least favorite spot to surf, this break is only good to surf during mid tide with a farther paddle out to get to the peak. When it’s pumping this break can get pretty heavy and there will be some localism in the water as well. Just remember to be respectful in the water, even if someone gives you a hard time! There will be lefts and rights at this break, giving you more options and also sometimes there’s good waves on the shoulder of the main peak.

Be careful paddling back in as the shore break area can be pretty heavy too! This spot is right in town and there will be parking down towards the beach on the side of the road.

5. Praia de São Julião- My favorite spot in all of Ericiera, this mellow beach break doesn’t draw the crowds like the other breaks I surfed. Less crowds means more waves for you. I only surfed here once, but had wished I had rented a car for a few days to drive to this spot. If you can’t rent a car, take a lesson and discuss with your instructor about surfing this spot. The break has lefts and rights and the paddle out isn’t too bad either. Parking will be a big dirt lot right at the beach.

The other nice thing about this break is it is a sandy bottom, no rocks.

Last minute things to know when booking a surf trip to Portugal

• Make sure to bring warm clothing as it does get cold at night and even during the day sometimes.

• It can rain during your trip so make sure to pack a rain jacket! Burton makes my favorite rain jackets, especially anything with Gore-tex

• The sun is less intense, however, still pack zinc sunscreen

• You’ll need a passport to get into the country

• Make sure to bring an outlet adapter, a type C and F adapter work great

• If you bring a film camera, customs is strict and won’t do a hand check on your film. Buy a pouch that protects your film from X-Rays. They sell them on Amazon.

• You can rent wetsuits and booties, but having your own will be a plus. You can purchase these on Hansens and save 10% on your order. Size down a whole size for your surf booties.

• Know surf etiquette and be respectful in the water.

• Summer is a busier time so book your lodging ahead of time!

• There is a skatepark in Ericeira, it’s great for working on your surfing or if you just like to skate.

That’s it for a surf trip to Ericeira, if you have any questions or anything to add please leave a comment below! Also subscribe to our email list below for information on the latest travel and outdoor content. Thanks for reading the blog and I’ll see you on the next post.

Looking to spend some time in Lisbon? Check out top 7 things to do in Lisbon in 48 hours.