Aspen, Snowmass reach ‘Accessibility Verified’ status

Aspen and Snowmass Village are taking strides toward more accessible tourism, announcing “Accessibility Verified” status last week from the accessibility-focused travel platform Wheel the World. 

The certification comes just after Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 21. This step toward improved accessibility aligns with the Aspen Chamber Resort Association’s goal of creating a more welcoming Aspen experience for visitors. 

“Welcoming anyone who wants to live, work, or play here is foundational to what makes Aspen a world-class destination,” ACRA Senior Vice President Destination Marketing Eliza Voss said in the release. “Achieving ‘Accessibility Verified’ status with Wheel the World reinforces our commitment to destination stewardship, where accessibility and inclusivity are essential to the long-term health of our community and visitor experience.”

Snowmass Village has a similar objective to welcome more people to town’s inclusive spaces.

“One of the great things about this program is giving visitors with disabilities the information they would need to plan a trip with confidence,” Snowmass Tourism Director Julia Theisen said. “For Aspen-Snowmass, it really gives us the opportunity to provide more robust information to our visitors with disabilities on how they can navigate the destination with the amount of measurements and details that were gathered during the process.” 

Theisen added, “Accessibility is essential to creating a welcoming mountain community, and this program reflects Snowmass’ ongoing commitment to a more inclusive mountain experience for all.”

Through the platform, travelers with disabilities can now plan their trips with better knowledge about the various accessibility resources and accommodations that Aspen and Snowmass have to offer, according to the release. 

The certification was made possible in collaboration with the Colorado Tourism Office’s Accessible Travel program, which helped each destination verify accessibility standards for 25 local businesses and attractions. The process involved detailed mapping through photographs and measurements, as well as an expansion of inclusive, informed marketing in local tourism, according to the release.

In 2025, Snowmass Tourism also expanded their accessibility efforts by debuting the Inclusivity Coalition, which works to improve Snowmass’s accessibility for the disabled community in addition to the LGBTQ+ and Spanish-speaking communities.

Learn more about Aspen and Snowmass’ accessibility efforts at aspenchamber.org/accessibility/aspen-accessibility and gosnowmass.com/about-us/accessibility.