Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly.
Lodges in Aspen and Snowmass record 59% occupancy this winter
Paid occupancy in Aspen reached 35.5% in April, down from 40.2% last year. Snowmass recorded 42.6% paid occupancy, up from 2023’s 33.3%, according to the April 2024 occupancy report for Aspen and Snowmass lodges, compiled by local tourism officials and reservations tracking firm Destimetrics. April occupancy reached 38.3% for the two towns combined this year, up from 36.7% last year.
The report explained that the occupancy increase in Snowmass was largely due to Nastar Nationals and a significant increase in Latin American visitation associated with Semana Pascua, the second week of the Easter holiday.
It’s worth nothing that only commercial occupancy is counted in the report. It doesn’t reflect the occupancy of short-term rentals.
May paid occupancy as of April 30 was at 13.6% for Aspen and Snowmass, down from 14.8% last year.
Overall winter occupancy is down from last year with 59% of rooms booked for November through April for Aspen and Snowmass combined, down from 2022-23’s 61.6%, 2021-22’s 61.3% and from 2018-19’s 62.8% before COVID hit. While this winter’s occupancy rate was down, the number of room nights sold increased by 3.3% due to increased inventory.
“Latin American visitation hit a record high, while Australia, a staple for January visits, suffered due to exorbitant air fare costs and Japan being fully open for the first time since Covid, pulling many of our regular visitors elsewhere,” the report summary noted.
Flows run below average
At Stillwater, located upstream of Aspen, the Roaring Fork River ran at 138 cfs on May 27, or 48.6% of average, down from last week when the river ran at 165 cfs and from 75.7% of average.
Water through the tunnel that sends Roaring Fork flows east of the Continental Divide ran at 155 cfs on May 27, up from 108 cfs on May 19.
The USGS sensor below Maroon Creek recorded the Fork running at 410 cfs on May 27, or 93.2% of average, down from 453 cfs and from 92.3 of average, on May 19.
At Emma, below the confluence with the dam-controlled Fryingpan, the May 27 streamflow of 790 cfs represented about 64.8% of average. That’s down from 820 cfs on May 19 and from 82.5% of average.
Meanwhile, the Crystal River above Avalanche Creek, which is not impacted by dams or transbasin diversions, flowed at 456 cfs or 43.4% of average. Last week, the river ran at 743 cfs, or 87% of average.
The Colorado River ran at 6,620 cfs at Glenwood Springs, or 72.9% of average, on May 27, down from 8,080 cfs last week, while the Colorado flowed at 14,600 cfs near the Colorado-Utah stateline, or 85.4% of average.
Snowpack at McClure Pass and North Lost Trail already melted
Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin is dropping as temperatures are going up. Snowpack went from 7.9 inches of snow-water equivalent per site on May 19 to 6.2 inches on May 27, or 207% of median, according to NRCS.
SNOTEL sites that monitor snowfall throughout the winter measured the snowpack at Independence Pass at 3,350% of median on May 27 with a “snow water equivalent” (SWE) of 6.7 inches, down from 11.9 inches and from 175% of normal on May 19. Last year, snowpack at this station was already gone.
The monitoring station at McClure Pass, located at elevation 8,770 feet, recorded a 0-inch SWE on May 27.
On the northeast side of the Roaring Fork Basin, snowpack at Ivanhoe, which sits at an elevation of 10,400 feet, reached 15.2 inches of SWE on May 27, or 506.7% of median.
Snowpack at North Lost Trail, which sits at an elevation of 9,219 feet, has reached zero inches of SWE on May 27.
Snowpack at Schofield Pass reached 20 inches on May 27, which represents 114% of median. That’s down from 22.5 inches on May 19. Schofield Pass sits at an elevation of 10,700 feet between Marble and Crested Butte.
Snow water equivalent — the metric used to track snowpack — is the amount of water contained within the snowpack, which will become our future water supply running in local rivers and streams.
Lake Powell’s elevation has gained four feet of water since last week
Lake Powell‘s water levels are up. On May 27, the reservoir was 35.44% full (based on updated 2017-18 sedimentation data). That’s up from May 19 when the nation’s second-largest reservoir was at 34.24%.
On July 1, 2022, the Bureau of Reclamation revised its data on the amount of water stored in Lake Powell, with a new, lower tally taking into account a 4% drop in the reservoir’s total available capacity between 1986 and 2018 due to sedimentation. Aspen Journalism in July 2022 published a story explaining the that drop in storage due to sedimentation. We will be now using the 2017-18 sedimentation data only.
On May 27, 2023, the reservoir was 32.24% full.
On May 27, Lake Powell’s elevation reached 3,566.6 feet, or 133.4 feet from full pool, which is up from 3,562.7 feet on May 19. Last year, on May 27 the reservoir reached 3,556.14 feet in elevation, or 143.86 feet from full pool.
The “minimum power pool” for turbines generating hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam is 3,490 feet, and 3,525 feet has been set as a buffer to ensure that the reservoir and the turbines can continue to function properly.
Swinging air temperatures
High air temperatures at the Aspen airport went from 67°F on May 16 to 48°F on May 21 before going back up to 63°F on May 23, or five degrees below normal. Meanwhile, low temperatures ranged from 23°F on May 22 to 42°F on May 20.