The 11,212-foot (3,417 m) peak is located in White River National Forest, 1.4 miles (2.2 km) south-southeast (bearing 162°) of downtown Aspen in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States.

Aspen Mountain is not particularly high, relative to other mountains in Colorado, but nonetheless looms over the town of Aspen because of the proximity of the town, which was founded as a silver mining camp in 1879 during the Colorado Silver Boom.

In the middle 20th century it became the site of recreational downhill skiing.

In 1946, the newly formed Aspen Skiing Company, founded by Walter Paepcke, built the first chairlift to the top of the mountain and opened the ski area that bears the name of the mountain.

Aspen Mountain is alternatively called Ajax by the locals.