
Every year, the mountain town of Snowmass sees hundreds of stunning, colorful balloons fill the sky, and this year, you can witness the city’s 47th annual Snowmass Balloon Festival in all of its glory.
The bohemian city of Snowmass, around 3 hours outside of Denver, is home to an eclectic group of people, artists, adventurers, and athletes that have all decided to make the small, but cultured city their home. The city is known for some of the country’s greatest skiing and snowboarding as well as amazing summer events like western-style rodeos and of course, the Snowmass Balloon Festival.
From September 16th-18th, visitors can drive, hike, or bike in to witness the hot air balloons right from where they launch. Park alongside Brush Creek Road (and don’t forget to tune into the FM for all the details) or hop out and continue on foot or with your bike. A food truck will be on site and best of all, the event is free and doesn’t require a reservation.
photo credit to Craig Turpin/Rising Sun Photag
There are two separate times to view the hot air balloons, morning or evening.
In the morning, head to the area before 7am (the balloons will be taking off from 7 to 9am) and catch the balloons rise along with the sun. Later, you can grab breakfast at any nearby restaurant, like Fuel, First Chair, or Limelight Lounge, enjoy the Elkcamp Gondola, or check out the free Snowmass Art Walk.
The night viewing, Night Glow, will be an all together different experience as the balloons glow bright against the black sky from 7:45-8:45pm. Park at the Town Park Lot and the Rodeo Lot and be transfixed by a forest of stunning, glowing hot air balloons dancing in the sky. Between 7pm and 9pm, there’s also festivities, food trucks, and music