Vail

A Bavarian-style Rocky Mountain ski town whose Back Bowls are famous across North America, close to Beaver Creek, with hiking and mountain biking in summer.

Vail sits in the Gore Creek valley along Interstate 70 in Colorado's central Rockies, at an elevation of about 2,500 m and roughly 160 km west of Denver. The town was founded in 1962 alongside the opening of Vail Ski Resort and was laid out in the style of Bavarian and Tyrolean mountain villages: chalets, a clock tower and cobblestone pedestrian streets make up its two hubs, Vail Village and Lionshead Village. President Ford vacationed here, helping make it one of North America's best-known upscale ski resorts. Winter (roughly mid-November to April) is peak season: the groomed runs on Vail Mountain's front side suit every level, while the seven Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin are renowned for wide-open powder. About 16 km west, Beaver Creek is known for its high-end service and the Birds of Prey downhill course. In summer (June–September) the lifts keep running for hiking, mountain biking and the mountain coaster; in town, the Ford Amphitheater hosts music and dance festivals, and there are the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, with classic hikes nearby to Booth Falls, Pitkin Lake and Mount of the Holy Cross. Getting there: the closest airport, Eagle County Regional Airport, is about 55 km west and has several nonstop flights in winter; from Denver International Airport it's about a 2–2.5-hour drive, but I-70 often closes during heavy snowstorms in winter, so allow extra time and use snow tires. A free bus runs between Vail Village and Lionshead Village. Plan on 4–6 days for skiing or 2–3 days in summer. Mind the high altitude: drink plenty of water and take it easy when you first arrive. Lodging and lift tickets are very expensive during ski season, so buy an Epic Pass in advance or book online.

Top sights

• Vail Mountain – One of the largest ski resorts in North America, with about 2,100 hectares of terrain. Its front side, back bowls, and Blue Sky Basin each…
• Vail Back Bowls – Seven vast, connected bowls on the back side of Vail Mountain. Their wide, treeless slopes turn into powder after snowfall, making them fam…
• Vail Village – A pedestrian village styled after a Bavarian mountain town. Its clock tower, timber chalets, covered bridge, and the Gore Creek are Vail's…
• Blue Sky Basin – A tree-lined ski area south of Back Bowls, with glades, cliffs and natural terrain that give it a wild, backcountry feel.
• Lionshead Village – The second base village, west of Vail Village, and the starting point of the Eagle Bahn Gondola. More relaxed and family-friendly than Vail…
• Eagle's Nest & Eagle Bahn Gondola – A gondola ride from Lionshead Village up to Eagle's Nest at about 3,100 metres, offering summer viewpoints, hiking, a mountain coaster and…
• Beaver Creek Resort – A premium ski resort about 16 kilometres west of Vail, with a refined base village reached by outdoor escalators, the Birds of Prey World C…
• Betty Ford Alpine Gardens – Said to be North America's highest botanical garden at about 2,500 metres, free to visit, with alpine flowers and a picturesque stream path…
• Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater – A mountain amphitheatre in Ford Park that hosts the Vail Dance Festival, the Bravo! Vail music festival and free concerts in summer.
• Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame – A free museum at the entrance to Vail Village that tells the story of Colorado skiing and the 10th Mountain Division of World War II.
• Booth Falls – The most popular hike east of Vail, climbing 3.2 km one way to an 18-metre waterfall, with wildflowers and aspen groves along the way.
• Piney Lake – An alpine lake at the end of a dirt road north of Vail, reflecting the Gore Range, with boating, horseback riding, hiking and a ranch resta…
• Mount of the Holy Cross – A 4,270-metre 'fourteener' whose northeast face has snow gullies forming a huge cross, one of the Rockies' most famous peaks.
• Camp Hale–Continental Divide National Monument – The former high-altitude training camp of the US Army's 10th Mountain Division in World War II, designated a national monument in 2022, wit…
• Minturn – A historic railroad town about 10 km south of Vail, with a century-old saloon and a summer market, more down-to-earth than Vail.

Where to eat

• Sweet Basil – Long-established Vail restaurant opened in 1977, known for creative American cooking infused with world flavors and a s…
• Mountain Standard – Wood-fired kitchen from the Sweet Basil team on Gore Creek, with pork chops and roast chicken earning the best reviews.
• Swiss Chalet – Swiss-style restaurant inside the Sonnenalp hotel, where cheese fondue, raclette and chocolate fondue are Vail’s classi…

Itineraries

• Colorado Mountain Towns & Hot Springs – Depart from Denver to explore Estes Park, Steamboat Springs, Aspen, Vail, and Breckenridge.