A recently installed automated bike counter recorded nearly 42,000 trips to and from the Maroon Bells Scenic Area this summer season — so much traffic that Pitkin County is currently studying the feasibility of adding a bike lane on Maroon Creek Road to improve safety.
Author Archives: Laurine Lassalle
Laurine Lassalle is Aspen Journalism’s data desk editor, where she works to catalogue and analyze local public data. She also heads our our “Tracking the Curve” project, documenting COVID-19 in Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties. She has a master’s degree in data and investigative journalism from UC Berkeley with an emphasis on environmental reporting.
Data dashboard: Basin snowpack is 106% of average as temperatures chill
• Snowpack at Indy Pass reached nearly 77% of average on Nov. 27, while McClure Pass was at 140% of average.
• The Fork ran at 103% of average below Maroon Creek and at 51% of average at Stillwater on Nov. 27.
• High air temperatures reached 46°F on Nov. 22, while low temperatures got as low as 3°F on Nov. 19.
Data dashboard: Summer occupancy was down from last year
• Summer occupancy reached 53.3% for Aspen and Snowmass, down from 2021’s 60.6%, but over 89,000 rooms were booked in Snowmass this summer compared to about 69,800 last year.
• Roaring Fork Basin snowpack was at 116% of average on Nov. 20.
• Minimum air temperatures dropped as low as 3°F on Nov. 16.
Data dashboard: Early snowpack remains above average
• Snowpack at McClure Pass was double the average with 3.3 inches on Nov. 13.
• The Fork ran at 95% of average below Maroon Creek and 48% of average at Stillwater on Nov. 13.
• Swinging air temperatures dropped to 30°F for high temperatures on Nov. 4.
Data dashboard: Snowpack is back and above average in the Roaring Fork basin
• Lake Powell’s storage dropped from 23.98% on Oct. 30 to 23.93% on Nov. 6.
• The Fork is running at 97.5% of average below Maroon Creek and 55.3% at Stillwater on Nov. 6.
• The Crystal is flowing at 107.8% of average on Nov. 6, up from 101.4% last week.
Data dashboard: September occupancy in Aspen and Snowmass hotels is down from 2021
• Paid occupancy in Aspen and Snowmass combined reached 60.2% in September, down from 63.6% last year.
• The Fork flowed at 51% of average at Stillwater on Oct. 30, down from 94% of average last week. That’s due to the Independence Pass transbasin diversion resuming sending water to Front Range cities.
• High air temperature at ASE dropped from 62°F to 32°F in two days.
Out-of-district fundraising a key source for Boebert, as Frisch gains ground in third quarter
Boebert, among Congress’ top fundraisers, has seen 77% of her itemized contributions come from outside the district. For Frisch, who has raised almost $350,000 from Pitkin County, out-of-district donors made up 60% of itemized contributions.
Data dashboard: Construction skews car count data, but July numbers were down
• Construction at the entrance of Aspen plummeted car count readings.
• The Fork ran at 103% of average below Maroon Creek and 49% of average at Stillwater on Oct. 23.
• Air temperature reached up to 67°F in mid-October in Aspen.
Data dashboard: Aspen’s September precipitation was below average
• A total of 1.3 inches of rain fell at ASE in September, down from a historical average of 1.43 inches.
• ASE recorded above-normal air temperatures so far this month.
• The Fork ran at 108% of average below Maroon Creek and at 94% of average at Stillwater on Oct. 16.
Data dashboard: Lake Powell’s elevation has gained one foot
• Lake Powell’s elevation reached 3,530.4 ft on Oct. 9, up from 3,539.5 last week.
• The Fork ran at 97% of average below Maroon Creek and 93% of average at Emma on Oct. 9.
• Maximum air temperature went back to below average as it dropped to 58°F on Oct. 1.