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Vail sells one of the priciest lift tickets in America, and the best afternoon I had there cost me nothing. In summer you can hike up Vail Mountain to Eagle’s Nest and ride the gondola back down for free, with Mount of the Holy Cross across the valley the whole way.
This guide covers 19 things to do in Vail, Colorado, and it’s built for both seasons, because Vail is two different towns depending on the month you land in. For winter, I get into the Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin, why regulars almost never pay the ticket window price, and when to stay away (spring break and holiday weekends). You’ll also see the Fang, a 165-foot column of ice in East Vail, snowmobiling at Camp Hale where the 10th Mountain Division trained, the Nordic Center on the golf course, and Beaver Creek on the free bus, cookies at three included.
For summer, it’s Booth Falls on the free East Vail bus (don’t try to park at the trailhead), the free Tuesday concerts at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, the coast down from the top of Vail Pass by bike, the Forest Flyer coaster, a llama lunch hike, and Piney Lake under the Gore Range.
In the village there’s the free Colorado Snowsports Museum hiding in a parking garage, the picture riddles set into Wall Street, the Sunday farmers market, and a whiskey tasting room over Gore Creek, which also happens to be Gold Medal trout water. Then the drives out: Minturn and the Shrine Pass loop, and a full day in Glenwood Springs with Hanging Lake and the hot springs.
My honest take is that Vail rewards people who plan. Buy your ski days early, lean on the free buses, and if you don’t ski, the second half of September might be the best version of the place. If you’ve got a Vail spot I missed, put it in the comments.
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