Chris & Amanda W.
Google
We’ve been coming to the Aspen Rec Center for over 12 years and have always enjoyed it as a family-friendly highlight of our trips. That changed this year. We paid $125 for a full day of fun, but what we got instead was a frustrating and frankly infuriating experience marred by inconsistent rule enforcement, poor communication, and lifeguards who seemed more interested in policing us than ensuring a safe and enjoyable environment for all guests.
The core issue? An obscure policy requiring all children under 8 to pass a 50-meter swim test or remain within arm’s reach of a parent in the water, even in shallow or low-risk areas. That rule has never once been enforced in any of our previous visits, and we were blindsided by its sudden and aggressive application. Our six-year-old son, who is over 4 feet tall and a fairly capable swimmer, attempted the test but understandably struggled with the excessive distance—50 meters is no small feat for a child his age.
So we complied with the rule… and were punished for it.
Despite following instructions, we were relentlessly harassed by lifeguards whenever either of us was more than a few feet from our son—even when he was safely in a lifejacket, in 1–2 feet of water, and within easy view. At one point, he wasn’t even allowed to remain in the shallow kiddie pool unless one of us was physically in the water with him. This level of rigidity borders on absurd.
Meanwhile, multiple other children—clearly under 8, some even under 5—were freely swimming in the lazy river and using other attractions without a parent anywhere nearby. One group, watched over by a non-swimming sitter who didn’t even have a suit on, was left alone entirely. When we asked why they weren’t subject to the same scrutiny, a lifeguard claimed the kids were “8,” then admitted they don’t check IDs. The double standard couldn’t have been clearer. Those who lied or simply ignored the rules were left alone. We, who followed the rules, were targeted.
To make matters worse, the guidance from lifeguards was inconsistent. Our son met the height requirement for the waterslide and was initially told he could ride, but later denied access because one of us wasn’t at the bottom to catch him—even though another guard had said it was fine. No one seemed to be on the same page, leaving us confused and increasingly frustrated.
Even worse, none of these rules were communicated to us at check-in. Had we known that a parent was expected to be in swimwear and in the water at all times with a child under 8, we could have made a more informed decision—or chosen not to spend $125 on what turned out to be a stressful and disappointing day.
If you’re going to enforce rules this strictly, communicate them clearly before payment is taken. And if you’re having issues with locals lying about their kids’ ages, there are better solutions than punishing honest families. For example, offer discounted or free entry for parents of younger children, or raise the rate for older ones. But don’t create a system where lying gets rewarded and rule-following parents get penalized.
We’ve loved the Aspen Rec Center for years. But after this experience, we’re not sure we’ll return. This wasn’t about safety—it was about poor leadership, inconsistent enforcement, and a failure to treat families fairly and respectfully.
