If snow is optional, hit the Rockies now

GET an autumn high -- and save money at the same time -- by vacationing at a usually high-priced American ski resort when there’s no snow for skiing. It’s one of fall’s top bargains.

All over the U.S. and Canadian Rockies, autumn hotel rates are much lower than they are in winter or summer.

If you’ve ever wanted to enjoy Aspen or Vail in Colorado, Whistler in British Columbia or any other renowned ski resort, October and November are the cheapest months to go.

Not everyone is drawn to these glittering places for the skiing. Part of their appeal is that they are in attractive places. People can hike the trails (a no-cost sport), go mountain-biking, fly-fishing, rock climbing, horseback riding, rafting and kayaking.

Each of these activities, for which vacationers pay a hefty price in July and August (the second season at ski resorts), is available and sometimes cheaper in the fall. Plus, the air is crisp and leaves are colorful.

Take Aspen, for example. It’s set deep in the heart of the Colorado Rockies and may be the nation’s ritziest ski resort.

In winter, a deluxe room with two queen beds at the 72-unit Limelite Lodge, (800) 433-0832, www.limelite-lodge.com, in the center of historic Aspen, can cost as much as $300 a night. In summer, the same room rents for $139 to $179 a night (depending on the date), including continental breakfast. Throughout October, the same room can be had for just $89 a night. The Limelite, family-owned for four generations, operates two pools and two Jacuzzis year-round.

To balance the picture, it should be noted that in autumn, Aspen is quiet: The streets often are empty, absent the summer throngs. In a community with about 90 restaurants, more than half close for the fall season. And yes, at Aspen’s elevation of 7,908 feet, an occasional dusting of early snow is always a possibility.

The same dramatic price reductions occur at Whistler Blackcomb, about 75 miles north of Vancouver, British Columbia. It’s Canada’s best-known resort and is one of the largest in North America. The village sits in a slender valley ringed by soaring mountains that remain snow-topped through the summer.

At the Sundial Boutique Hotel, (800) 661-2321, www.sundialhotel.com, an upscale 49-suite hotel that stands at the base of the Whistler Village Gondola, a one-bedroom suite (bedroom, sitting room and kitchen) rents in winter for about $368 to $491 a night, with a three-night minimum stay. But in September and October, the rate for the same suite is about $163, and you can book single-night stays.

So what can you do in Whistler in the fall? You can hike or bicycle the 19-mile Valley Trail, which meanders through meadows and woodlands, linking five sparkling-blue lakes.

If you’re fearless, you can tackle the Mountain Bike Park, a steep ski slope for skilled downhill bikers, which is served by chair lifts. Or take your bike into the woods over less precipitous dirt paths.

And at the Sundial, you can soak in a rooftop hot tub, enjoying a 360-degree mountain view. It’s an autumn spectacular.