The town fills on Thanksgiving week for the first time since summer. The lifts turn, the hotels are full, and the restaurants that closed in October come back in a rush between November 20 and the holiday itself. Several of the best rooms are still dark, though, and do not reopen until December. Plan the dinner first; the skiing will take care of itself.
Thanksgiving dinner
Confirmed for Thanksgiving 2026 at the Aspen Meadows, with mountain views and a long afternoon service. Last year it was $85 for adults and $55 for children 12 and under. The best value of the hotel dinners.
Book: OpenTable, or 970-544-7824A full feast with carving stations and seafood, children $65 last year. Prospect and the J-Bar stay open all through the off-season, so the Jerome is the most reliable Thanksgiving room in town.
Book: 970-429-7610A three-course Thanksgiving prix fixe, children $65 and a wine pairing at $125 last year. The room reopens on November 20, a week before.
Book: Resy, or 970-920-6330A turkey plate alongside the regular menu, at the foot of the gondola on opening day. It has sold out with a waitlist days before Thanksgiving in past years.
Book: 970-920-6334A three-course Latin-inspired Thanksgiving: the page lists $95 for adults, $45 for children 5 to 10 and a wine pairing at $85, without a year, so treat it as a strong guide. Last year it was $85.
Book: OpenTable, or 970-923-8000Turkey at $80 or ham at $60, with live music. Note that Heather's moves to the Stonebridge Inn and reopens there on December 10, so check that the Thanksgiving dinner runs this year.
Book: Heather'sHickory House on West Main has served a free community Thanksgiving feast for more than thirty years: noon to 4pm, no reservations, turkey for close to a thousand people, and a suggested donation that goes to a local nonprofit. Volunteers simply turn up. The 2026 details are not announced yet, but the restaurant is open straight through the autumn.
Turkey to go
A fully cooked dinner to pick up on Thanksgiving morning, 9am to noon. Last year orders closed at noon two days before, and they were non-refundable.
Book: Through The Little NellSmoked turkey or ham, with 72 hours' notice.
Book: 833-444-7427Opening day, the same morning
Last year the Silver Queen Gondola and Ajax Express ran 9am to 4pm on opening day, with only a couple of runs open and everyone downloading on the gondola. Dozens of people were in line before nine. Snowmass opened the Elk Camp Gondola and the beginner meadows.
The early-season lift ticket for 2026 is $103 for adults and $85 for children, teens and seniors, valid November 26 to December 20, when you book at least two nights of lodging through Stay Aspen Snowmass seven or more days ahead.
Both on-mountain restaurants opened with the lifts last year, 9:15am to 3:30pm. Ajax Tavern at the base served from 11:30. Opening-weekend parties with a DJ followed on the Friday and Saturday afternoons.
Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk open December 12, and the 80th-anniversary weekend runs December 11 to 14, with $3.75 lift tickets on December 14.
What is open that week
Open: Prospect and J-Bar at Hotel Jerome, West End Social, Steakhouse No. 316, White House Tavern, Casa Tua, Catch Steak, Clark's Oyster Bar, Petit Trois, Jimoto, Hickory House and Woody Creek Tavern. Element 47, Ajax Tavern and The Wine Bar return on November 20, Jing the same day, and French Alpine Bistro on November 25. Betula, The Wild Fig, The Monarch and Bad Harriet come back for the season on November 26 itself; call to confirm they serve that night.
Closed on Thanksgiving Day: Matsuhisa and Yuki. Still closed until December: Bosq and Pine Creek Cookhouse (December 10), Cache Cache (December 11), PARC, Meat & Cheese, Mawa's Kitchen and Mawita. The full list, with every date, is on our reopening calendar.
Turkey trots start at 9:30am on Thanksgiving morning in Carbondale (5K or one mile from the Rec Center) and in Basalt (51 School Street), both family events with small entry fees last year. Carbondale also has a free Thanksgiving meal at Faith Lutheran Church, 11am to 1pm, and Snowmass a free community potluck at the Viewline the Sunday before. Dates above are from 2025; the 2026 dates are announced in November.
The practical part
Book three to four weeks ahead. With opening day on the holiday, every hotel room in town is taken, and the hotel restaurants fill with their own guests first. A 3pm or 4pm seating is far easier than seven.
Shopping. City Market is a Kroger store; last year the chain opened on Thanksgiving and closed at 4pm. Clark's Market normally runs 7am to 9pm. Neither has published its 2026 holiday hours, so shop on Wednesday.
Getting around. RFTA's winter bus schedule starts the week of Thanksgiving, and last year fares were free until the end of November. Independence Pass is closed for the winter, so the only road in is Highway 82 through Glenwood Springs.
Run a restaurant here? Your Thanksgiving menu belongs on a website guests can read on a phone. Aleksandar Studio builds them for Aspen restaurants and hotels. And to be listed or featured in this guide, see our partner options →