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The Roaring Fork Valley is delineated by the Roaring Fork River, which runs about 40 miles from Aspen to Glenwood Springs.

L-R: SAM FERGUSON/ASPEN SNOWMASS; ROBERT FULLERTON/MOMENT OPEN/GETTY

—THE ROARING FORK VALLEY —

A River Runs Through It

Newcomers to Aspen are often puzzled when locals mention “the valley.” Here’s everything you need to know.

The valley refers to the Roaring Fork Valley, a geographical feature that runs from Aspen to Glenwood Springs. It’s quite literally a valley, carved into the mountains by the waters of the Roaring Fork River, which also runs from Aspen to Glenwood Springs. These gold medal waters (a designation for the quality of trout fishing) empty into the confluence of the mighty Colorado River and the I-70 corridor, the highway that bisects the state and provides access from Denver to many of the ski areas on the western slope, including Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper, Vail, and Aspen.

The headwaters of the Roaring Fork River begin in Aspen just east of the Continental Divide at the base of Independence Pass, where snowmelt creates the ice-cold

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Fireworks on Aspen Mountain, where the Roaring Fork Valley begins