On the Snowmass Mall, the closed signs in the windows have dates on them. The Stew Pot and New Belgium Ranger Station have been dark since Sept. 27. Venga Venga closed Oct. 3. Four Mountain Sports locked its Mall Shop and Pavilion on Oct. 11, and Snowmass Trading Company followed on Oct. 13. In Base Village, Aurum Food & Wine and Kenichi Snowmass have closed too, and Slope & Hatch at The Collective closed in late September with no reopening date posted.
Most of the reopening dates in Snowmass Tourism's Fall 2026 closures list fall between Nov. 20 and Nov. 27, and the town has timed its biggest road project of the year to finish just before that. Until then, Snowmass Village runs on a short list of businesses that never closed, plus a few town projects racing their own November deadlines.
The Short List That Stays Open
Snowmass Tourism's roster lists only a handful of places that stay open all fall. These are the ones the village relies on until Thanksgiving week.
- On the Mall: The Tavern and Zane's Tavern are listed as open through the fall season. Daly Bottle & Grain Fine Food, Guapodog and Challenge Aspen are open all season, and Christy Sports is open on reduced hours.
- Elsewhere in the village: The Daly Diner and Taster's are open all season. Taster's closes on Thanksgiving Day.
- At Snowmass Center: Clark's Groceries, Ajax Supply, Sundance Liquor & Gifts and The Snowmass Dispensary stay open all season.
- In Base Village: TAC Fitness at One Snowmass East is open all season, and Eye Pieces of Snowmass stays open with possible reduced hours.
That list is already getting shorter. Gorsuch Ski Cafe closes Oct. 24, and Après Deck, the former Stark's Alpine Grill, closes Oct. 25. On Nov. 1 the Viceroy closes all three of its restaurants: Cafe V, Lift Line and Toro. The tourism office says off-season closures on Mondays and Tuesdays are common and recommends calling ahead before you go, so the days of the week matter as much as the dates.
For getting to Aspen, RFTA's Snowmass Aspen route is free. Its fall timetable covers Sept. 21 through Nov. 22 and notes limited weekend hours. Check the current schedule on RFTA's Snowmass Village page before planning a late return.
The Town Is Working to the Same Deadline
The quiet weeks are when the Town of Snowmass Village gets its work done, and this fall most of that work is due before the lifts start.
The biggest job is the $8.5 million roundabout at Brush Creek Road and Owl Creek Road. Construction started in mid-March. In May, The Aspen Times reported that the first phase had slipped because of material and subcontractor availability. Town Engineer Mike Horvath told the paper the town was "reorganizing tasks within the existing schedule" and still expected to finish on Nov. 15.
The fourth phase began Sept. 16. It closed Owl Creek Road to through traffic between Brush Creek Road and Chapel Curve through approximately Oct. 19, with Highline Road as the detour, and shifted both lanes of Brush Creek Road west on either side of the work zone. In its Sept. 15 notice, the town said the roundabout remained on schedule to finish Nov. 15. A 25 mph speed limit has also been in effect around the worksite. The Oct. 19 reopening and the Nov. 15 finish are scheduled targets, so check the town's roundabout project page for the current lane setup before driving the Owl Creek connection.
If that date holds, the roundabout finishes 11 days before Snowmass Mountain opens. That leaves the busiest week of the fall to run on a finished intersection.
One project is already done. The Melton Ranch Trail fully reopened Oct. 12 after a utility relocation project. It's a paved, 0.8-mile trail that connects Martingale Lane and Sinclair Road to the Village Center and links to the Brush Creek Trail via the Wood Bridge. Work began in April and included new retaining walls, asphalt and striping. Crews will be on site for the next few weeks finishing punch-list items. Before the snow, it's the easiest new way to walk into the Village Center.
The town also has two civic deadlines that matter to residents this fall:
- Nov. 9: Applications are due for the town's boards and commissions. The openings include the Part-time Residents Advisory Board, Planning Commission, Parks, Open Space, Trails & Recreation Board, Workforce Housing Advisory Board and Snowmass Arts Advisory Board. Some boards have qualifications such as residency or technical expertise. The town council makes the appointments.
- The Draw Site design: The proposed workforce housing design went to the town council on Oct. 5 and to a town hall at Town Hall on Oct. 6, and the town offered a feedback form for anyone who couldn't attend either meeting. In November 2024, voters authorized a development of up to about $86 million and 79 units. The town's Draw Site project page has the current design.
Eight Days in November
The village fills back in starting Nov. 20. These are the reopening dates Snowmass Tourism has published, in order.
| Date | Restaurants | Shops |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 20 | Kenichi Snowmass, Grub Thai, Smash & Dash Burger | |
| Nov. 21 | Gorsuch Ski Cafe | |
| Nov. 23 | Après Deck, Cafe V, Lift Line, Toro | One Vibe, Snowmass Trading Company, Snowmass T-Shirt Co |
| Nov. 25 | The Lounge at Limelight | Four Mountain Sports Mall Shop and Pavilion |
| Nov. 26 | Aurum Food & Wine, The Stew Pot, New Belgium Ranger Station, Base Camp Bar and Grille, Crepe Therapy Cafe | Four Mountain Kids, Four Mountain Sports rental and retail, Snowmass Sports, Incline Sports |
| Nov. 27 | Venga Venga | Sunglass Panache |
That's 15 restaurants returning in eight days. For most of October and November, the dining list is the four that stay open: The Tavern, Zane's Tavern, The Daly Diner and Taster's. By Thanksgiving weekend, nearly all of the Mall and Base Village is serving again.
Three more places are listed for a mid-November return without an exact day: Rock Island Oyster Bar & Grill, JUS Snowmass and the Gorsuch shop. In Base Village, Alux Spalon takes only a short break, closing Nov. 2 and reopening Nov. 9.
Ullrhof Comes Back Up the Hill
The mountain follows the same schedule. Aspen Snowmass has set Nov. 26 as opening day for both Snowmass Mountain and Aspen Mountain. Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk follow on Dec. 12, and Snowmass is scheduled to run through April 11, 2027, conditions permitting.
The new building on the mountain this year is Ullrhof, at the base of the Big Burn lift. The resort lists it as under construction and reopening in November 2026. The menu stays the diner-style lunch it's known for: burgers, fries and shakes, served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the Ullrhof Signature All-In Burger built on locally grown, grass-fed beef. The Elk Camp six-pack and the Cirque T-bar arrived last season, so Ullrhof is the main new thing on Snowmass this winter.
December Stragglers
A few places come back after the lifts are already running. The Edge at the Timberline reopens Dec. 1, Ro + Fern in Base Village on Dec. 7, and Pinecreek Cookhouse on Dec. 10. Several closures have no reopening date posted yet, including Fuel Cafe on the Mall, Montevino, Sundae Ice Cream, Slope & Hatch and GG's Market.
So until Nov. 20, about four weeks after this post goes up, Snowmass Village has a newly reopened trail to the Village Center, an intersection a few weeks from finished, and a dining list short enough to remember. By Nov. 27, the Mall and Base Village will be close to their full winter lineup.
At Saslove and Warwick, we follow Snowmass Village's calendar closely, from the town's November deadlines to opening day. If you're timing a closing, a move-in or a winter lease around the reopening week, contact us and we'll share what we're seeing in the village.
