I arrived in Aspen expecting to see the future. In a lot of ways, I did. In my opinion Aspen is doing a lot of things right. They invested decades ago in properties for people that work there; there are around 3,500 housing units in a lottery that people can apply for. Those homes offer a reasonable rate to keep teachers, restaurant staff, mechanics and lift operators living in a place where a family home can easily cost eight figures. I was told the average home in Aspen costs $13 million. That’s USD.
It’s a town that invests heavily in sustainability. During a recent visit, Aspen One Senior Vice President of Sustainability Chris Miller told our group May marked the first month the entire Roaring Fork Valley ran on clean electricity through Holy Cross Eneergy.
Aspen One (the parent company of Aspen Snowmass resorts) is experimenting with saving snow from one season to the next by covering stockpiles with insulating blankets. It’s replacing diesel-powered chairlift backup systems with battery technology. It talks about sustainability the way most ski towns talk about lift upgrades. So naturally I assumed e-bikes would be everywhere.
They aren’t. In fact, most of Aspen’s mountain bike trails remain off limits to them.
A surprise on the trail
I discovered that pretty quickly. I planned to rent an e-bike, and rip as many trails as I could over my three day visit. But I soon learned that it’s difficult to even rent a decent full-suspesion mountain bike in Aspen. That’s when I learned e-bikes aren’t allowed on most local singletrack. The restriction surprised me. After all, places like Bentonville have embraced e-bikes. Across much of Europe they’re commonplace. Nearby Moab has recently opened significant trail networks to Class 1 e-bikes.
But not Aspen. I couldn’t get a straight answer as to why this was they case, so I called Mike Pritchard, executive director of the Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association.
Conservation comes first
According to Pritchard, the issue isn’t really about e-bikes. It’s about history.
“A culture of conservation and wildlife preservation,” he says.
Aspen and Pitkin County have spent decades working with landowners and acquiring land for open space conservation. They’ve preserved ranches, wildlife corridors and recreation areas. Many of the trails that have been built over the decades were approved for non-motorized use. For landowners and conservation organizations, bikes are non-motororized. But e-bikes, no matter how low powered they are, still have motors.
“Even a class one bike has a motor,” says Pritchard. “It’s a new user group.”
That distinction matters. Many local trails cross private land under agreements that explicitly prohibit motorized use. Others sit on public land managed by agencies that haven’t completed environmental reviews necessary to change access rules.
Politics, not technology
Pritchard doesn’t think the future is a blanket ban forever. Nor does he think every trail will eventually open. Instead, he sees a slow political process unfolding trail by trail and land manager by land manager. Some areas near Aspen are already testing limited e-bike access. Federal land managers are evaluating opening additional routes. Elsewhere, restrictions will likely remain.
“The public generally wants it,” says Pritchard. “But I don’t think we’ll land in a place where traditional bikes are the same as class one bikes.”
His organization’s membership remains divided. Some older riders want access so they can continue riding as they age. Others worry about increased trail traffic, uphill passing and changing trail culture.
The irony of Aspen
The funny thing is Aspen feels perfectly built for e-bikes. The riding is incredible. I spent three rides exploring the valley. I rode from downtown Aspen to Sky Mountain Park, climbed Airline and connected Skyline Ridge, Viewline, Highline and Lowline before dropping back down. Skyline Ridge was the standout. The trail traverses high above treeline through what feels like genuine wilderness before descending toward Snowmass with snow-capped 14ers filling the horizon.
I also climbed Butterknife and sampled sections of the classic Government Trail.
The town itself feels equally polished. Walkable streets. Extensive bike paths. Full roads partially closed for bicycle traffic. Public transit with bike racks. Local housing initiatives. Clean energy investments.
To call Aspen behing the times would, in my mind, be categorically wrong. The reluctance to allow e-bikes on the mountain bike trails isn’t evidence it’s behind the times. It’s proof the community takes conservation seriously. And they take their agreements with landowners and land managers seriously.
For now, if you’re hoping to visit Aspen and ride as much of the singletrack as you can, you’ll need way more than three days. There’s lots of pedalling to do. And all of that pedalling will be human powered.