Ute Trail

Not a scenic trail. Too much dust during these days and boring up and down.

TL;DR: THIS IS NOT A HIKE. This is a fairly short but difficult exercise event. Ute trail is just walking up a steep ski slope. You can take the gondola down. I would rate it harder than 14ers we’ve done simply because of the grade. It’s short and steep. Highly recommend for those looking for strenuous exercise. Not recommend for anyone looking for a traditional back country remote hike. If you’ve hiked across most of the Rockies mountain towns, Ute Trail may not be what you think of as a hike, such as a gorgeous back country trail with scenery, varying terrain and landscapes, alpine lakes, creeks, and waterfalls - items that make arduous trails worthwhile. Expect no scenery other than views of Aspen valley. In reality you are probably not going to enjoy any views because your looking either straight up due to the steepness of the trail, or straight down due to the instability of the terrain (rainfall would help, it was very dry when we hiked). Also you might be suffering from the steepness, and in no mood to take in anything. There is also little to no shade or natural places to break and/or rest.

Difficult is an understatement! (However we are from Pennsylvania and have not yet acclimated to the altitude) but it was rewarding! The first mile up to the lookout was tough, but shaded. The last 1.3 miles has no shade and skirts the ski lift. Bring extra water and sunscreen! This was harder for me than the half marathon I recently ran, so prepare yourself! Bring $ and grab and snack and water at the top. And the FREE gondola ride back down from the top is amazing,

Amazing Hike. Challenging but so worth it!

Super hard trail, challenging but so worth it. The views are stunning, especially in September when aspen trees and plants start turning yellow. If you plan to take Gondola down, check the schedule first. In our case we reached the top too late, the last gondola left an hour and half before.

Super hard. Steep and straight up for 3 miles. The reward is at the top with great views, restaurant and a gondola to bring you down.

QUADS! QUADS! QUADS! Beautiful & Scenic Hike it took us 1h:45 minutes to make it to the top and got a nice ride down the gondola back to Aspen town. The hike is strenuous but completely worth the work. Instant self gratification once you make it to the top. Hiking boots are a must! And stay hydrated!

First part beautiful and steep. Second part steep but just up roads on ski runs

This is absolutely the hardest challenge I’ve ever done in life. Believe it or not, going up the mountain is the easy part (I’m not saying it was easy though because it’s very hard). Going down is an different ballgame. Once you arrive at the top of the mountain, some beautiful views.

Unrelenting gradient the whole way. Bottom third comprises vertigo inducing switchbacks. Top third is ski slope and a bit dull. Definitely a good workout.

So very hard but definitely worth it. The Ute lookout is amazing. The hike up Aspen mountain is extremely difficult and vertical, but the view is stunning and you feel very accomplished at the top. I would recommend hiking to the top and gondola ride down the mountain

don’t leave Aspen w/out doing this trail

Difficult quad burner but worthwhile; shade to 1.5 miles 10K altitude then in sun do early and bring lots of water; lot of flowers after Ute Rock to first ski company hut; fantastic views of mountains at top; take gondola down

Great trail, great work out.

Tough trail , heavy altitude, all around great workout. Make sure you don’t make the same mistake as we did and do this hike in the middle of a scorching hot summer day.

Good workout, pretty busy in the afternoon.

I am surprised by all the five-star ratings for this trail. It's a great workout but compared to other hikes in the area that are truly world-class hikes, I cannot give this trail more than 3 stars. I hiked this as a kicker trail after a couple of easier trails earlier in the day. Great lung and quad burner, decent view of Aspen, very busy.

Certainly deserves its hard rating. On 6/1, I couldn’t make it too far past the switchbacks and overlook as the trail is poorly marked and I lost it in the snow.

I loved it. A panting, sweaty, water guzzling man advised I’d be better off doing an easier run at the one mile marker (swing). As he was about to turn back down looking exhausted, I kindly said thanks for the tip and kept going up. My two cents for whatever it’s worth, the top is beautiful and running back down felt amazing.

I did this hike about 3 weeks ago with my friend. Lots of up. Has a very cool look-out rock over Aspen. The trail goes all the way up to the ski lodge. Just our luck the lodge was open, but the bar was closed.

Beautiful hike until you get to the top and everyone and their mom rode the gondola up.

Great hike...tough and really steep most of the way up. Beautiful views. Glad I did it.

It tricked my watch! Shorter than the app posted!

Tourist trap. Comparable to Boulder’s Sanitas but with a looser and more narrow trail, heavier crowds, less shade, essentially nothing worth hiking to/seeing unless you just want a killer calf workout. Easily the worst hike I’ve done in Colorado.

Great hike. I found it tough but glad I did it.

A great hike, incredible views and very strenuous. I thought I was doing well till a dog with 3 legs passed me up.....made it to the top & took gondola down.... best option.