It’s déjà vu as I round another serpentine switchback and roll into a wide break in the trees. The feeling is inescapable that I’ve been here before — but in another time, another place. The setting is familiar, yet different. Now it’s a flowing singletrack mountain bike trail lined by a colorful palette of wildflowers and alpine greenery. My inner GPS pinpoints it as the powdery glades where I have ridden through countless times on my snowboard. It’s the same spot, different season. This beauty has been here all along. I just needed to see it in a different light.
I know I’m not alone in being much more familiar with the Vail of winter. Vail is world-famous for it’s sweeping back bowls and epic powder days. It has become eponymous with its Vail Ski Resort and global parent company, but there is much more to the town than skiing. As magical as that season can be in the Bavarian-inspired village, it’s easy to argue that Vail is even better in the non-snowy summer and fall.
If that sounds like skier blasphemy, just consider how many more activities are available that don’t rely on snow. Need some proof? We recently tested this theory with a summer weekend in Vail. Here are our takeaways and recommendations to fuel your own fresh discoveries.
Ride the Scenic Gondola
Looking for low intensity activity with high scenic payoff? You can’t beat the gondola. Just step inside, take a seat and enjoy the 360-degree bird’s-eye views as you rise above the valley floor and upward for more than a mile and a half. Both the Eagle Bahn Gondola out of Lionshead and Gondola One at Vail Village run all summer and fall. The views at the top of Vail Mountain are stunning whether you choose to do some high elevation hiking or simply eat lunch and head back down. Seeing Mount of the Holy Cross from the top of Eagle Bahn is especially dramatic. And in fall? Stunning. Tickets are required.
Follow the Gore Valley Trail
The heart of Vail is its two Bavarian-style hubs, Vail Village and Lionshead. As the base areas for the ski resort, they are home to the largest collections of Vail’s restaurants, bars, shops and galleries. They’re only about a mile apart, and the mixed-use, paved Gore Valley Trail connects them as it runs 12 miles through the heart of Vail and along the rushing Gore Creek. The trail makes the Vail villages highly walkable. It both connects you to the buzz of activities and provides an accessible nature escape. Benches, forests and riverside meadows alternate with hotels, condos, houses and bridges. The trail is as flat as it gets in the valley, and you’re as likely to see dog-walkers, hikers, runners and bikers as couples and families walking to dinner.
Go Hiking in Vail
Of course there is no shortage of hiking trails in and around Vail. There’s a whole network on Vail Mountain. Some trails follow dirt service roads and others offer singletrack pathways across the snowless ski runs. Several intermediate trails, such as BerryPicker climb bottom to top on Vail Mountain, with some easy trails like the Meadows Loop at the top.
Beyond central Vail, you can find other beautiful hikes all around the valley, such as the Upper Piney River Waterfall and the gentle Lost Lake Trail. You can find an interactive trail map here. And you can even take a guided hike with llamas to carry your lunch.
Go Fly Fishing
You don’t have to leave town to find excellent fishing. Gore Creek boasts Gold Medal Water designation, and it is easily accessible in many spots along the Gore Creek Trail.
But if you’re inexperienced like my family, go with one of the professional outfitters in the Vail Valley. We met up with Vail Valley Anglers at their base in Edwards for a half-day of walk-and-wade fly fishing. After getting fitted with boots and waders, we head down valley to a private access point on the Eagle River near Wolcott. Our guide, Kyle, gives us some instructions, sets up our rigs and points us toward some good holes. We wade into the water and spread out near the wild bank. We are the only people in sight in the scenic stretch of water.
As we cast and repeat, finding our own flow among the currents, Kyle moves between us, fine-tuning our rods, retying flies, offering tips and encouragement. Fortunately each of us catch at least one fish, including a beautiful Colorado River Cutthroat Trout. “That’s the first of the season!” Kyle exclaims. “Only three were caught on the Eagle last year.”
As I watch the rare fish flips its tail and disappear into the current, I know it’s a Vail moment I’ll carry with me for a while.
Go Whitewater Rafting
For a different kind of watery fun, Vail offers whitewater rafting on several nearby rivers, and the options vary with the river flows. In the early season runoff, you can actually raft Gore Creek through town. The Eagle River provides fun rapids through early summer. And on the Western end of the Vail Valley, the Colorado River offers a fun run through the grandeur of Glenwood Canyon.
When it comes to outdoor fun, Sage Outdoor Adventures knows the Vail Valley, offering year-round guided trips that range from winter snowmobiling to summer ATV tours, fly fishing and whitewater rafting. Our guide, Wes, picks us up in town, and we shuttle about 20 minutes to their riverside put-in. Wes is high energy, injecting extra fun to match the punchy Class III rapids we encounter. He also knows this river and its ecosystem well, pointing out blue heron and bald eagle nests high overhead as we float past. We can barely see the downy fuzz of eaglet heads in one enormous structure.
There are no dams on the Eagle River, so its waters flow naturally. It’s a fun stretch of whitewater with enough rollick to soak us all. The gradual gradient makes it a continuous wave train that is perfect for families who want some adventure without getting too extreme. And it offers a perfect grand finale with a continuous mile of rapids that end with the sculpted Class III-IV hits in the Eagle Whitewater Park.
It’s there we exit river-right and change into dry clothes in the river park. Driving back through the valley, we can trace the path we just followed with glimpses of the river and occasional rafts — small snapshots to reinforce the memories we just made.
Go Biking
Bikes are big in Vail — bikes of all types: road, mountain, cruiser, electric. They provide an easy way to get around town, especially along the Gore Creek Trail. And they offer a variety of adventures for all intensity and experience levels.
For an easy, scenic ride, you can ride down the scenic Vail Pass Trail — and we mean down. Bike outfitters like Venture Sports will shuttle you to the top of Vail Pass, and you get to roll 15 miles along the paved recreational path back to Vail Village, descending 1,800 feet as you go. You can choose guided tours or ride on your own. If you want a challenge, ride up the pass before you cruise down.
You can also find plenty of guided bike tours. Paragon Guides offers half- and full-day mountain bike tours that include historic sites such as Camp Hale, where the legendary 10th Mountain Division trained during World War II.
Our choice is to explore the downhill thrills on Vail Mountain with a bike-haul gondola ticket. It’s the easy way up for sure, and many riders do choose to pedal up the specific uphill trails and service roads. There’s a variety of green, blue and black trails (easy, intermediate, advanced). They are all long trails, providing 5-plus-mile grin-inducing descents. The greens are definitely most gradual. The blues are steep and serpentine with bountiful berms, and the blacks are filled with technical drops and high-angle, rugged features. Our full-suspension Trek Slash bike rentals from Vail Sports are an excellent long-travel enduro option for eating up the bumps and drops.
Catch a Concert
Vail has a strong culture of blending the arts with its outdoor beauty, and music is central to that ethos. You’ll find free live music throughout the villages, but the epicenter is the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. The Amp is a gorgeous open-air amphitheater with both covered, assigned seating and an open grassy lawn. The surrounding mountains add a high note of beauty (again, stunning in fall). With seating for about 2,600, it provides an intimate feel. And plan some time to wander through the beautiful and adjacent Betty Ford Alpine Gardens.
We are able to catch the Chamber Orchestra of Europe as part of the Bravo! Vail Music Festival. Soloists Alisa Weilerstein, cello, and Blake Pouliot, violin, headline a moving and emotive Brahms Double Concerto. It’s a perfect match with the idyllic summer evening.
Since 1987, the nonprofit Bravo! Vail has led educational and community programs to make classical music accessible all year round. And it has grown into a premier international festival bringing world-class musicians to the Rockies each summer. COS trivia note: The Colorado Springs Philharmonic was one of the first two orchestras added to the music series in the late ’80s. Many more, including the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra Vienna–Berlin, have followed.
For a different style, The Amp also hosts an excellent lineup of summer and fall concerts. Still to come this year are The String Cheese Incident, Wilco, Jon Batiste, The Black Crowes, Big Wild and more.
Where to Eat in Vail
Vail has grown into a foodie’s paradise, and you could easily plan an entire weekend centered on the culinary delights. We sampled several standouts.
To embrace Vail’s classic Bavarian style, don’t miss Alpenrose. An icon since 1974, Alpenrose changed hands from its German founders to restaurateurs from Germany’s Black Forest. With a full renovation and refreshed menu featuring German, Austrian and Swiss favorites, Alpenrose delivers an authentic experience. Staff come from Germany and Austrian and wear Tyrolean mountaineer attire. Fresh-baked pretzels hang from stag antlers. Beers are German (of course). Reserve a table on the flower lined patio and start with the fondue. And save room for dessert. The pastry case is tantalizing, and the Apfelstrudel with fresh whipped cream is amazing.
You can see the flames dancing in Mountain Standard’s open kitchen, where the majority of the menu is cooked over a live wood fire. It’s a sister restaurant to the Michelin Guide-recommended Sweet Basil. Located along Gore Creek, Mountain Standard is an elevated tavern buzzing with energy, so make sure to get your reservations in early. Start with the Ahi Tuna Tataki. For entrees, our favorites are the Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip with a Japanese flair and the Grilled Cobia, which features a Korean zing of pineapple coconut curry.
For a refined dining experience, Tavernetta Vail is one of Vail’s newer standouts, which opened last winter in The Four Seasons Resort. It’s the sister restaurant to Denver’s Tavernetta, a Michelin Bib Gourmand. It’s also part of the Frasca Hospitality Group, which just won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant in the U.S. for its Boulder concept Frasca Food and Wine (also a Michelin Star recipient).
So it’s no surprise that the menu is superb and the service is impeccable at Vail Tavernetta. This concept leans into its mountain setting with an alpine Italian experience. Its impressive wine list is entirely Italian — except for the Champagnes. The menu is arranged by traditional Italian courses as if an invitation to linger and savor the culinary experience. In everything we eat, the flavors are bold yet balanced, from the creamy Burrata to the Linguini with Maine Lobster. Even the meatless Toc’ In Braide proves to be satisfyingly savory with its pairing of Old World-style polenta and summer truffle. Insider tip: Embrace the Italian experience with an amaro from the lengthy list of digestifs.
Finally, we’re fans of Blue Moose Pizza for a casual bite. Grab a table on the patio beside the Lionshead ice skating rink and enjoy the New York-style pizza. The toppings are fresh. The crust is chewy. And the relaxed setting is a great spot for gathering.
Where to Stay in Vail
Vail has no shortage of lodging options, from luxury hotels like the Four Seasons Resort and Residences and Sonnenalp Vail to the budget-friendly Highline Vail – a DoubleTree by Hilton and Residence Inn Vail.
We find the perfect base for our family with a condo at The Antlers Vail. From its location just outside the heart of Lionshead, we mostly leave the car behind and walk to Lionshead and Vail Village — or catch the free shuttle busses to go a bit farther. The Antlers Vail has 87 units ranging from studios to four bedrooms. Ours has been recently updated with designer finishes. It’s not cold enough to use the large stone fireplace, but we spend plenty of time recharging on the wide balcony while the surrounding aspen trees rustle in the breeze. The rock-lined pool and hot tubs are also a favorite spot overlooking Gore Creek and its trail, making it hard to leave this haven to go back home.
Don’t-Miss Events in Vail
There is always something going in Vail during the summer and fall, whether its signature events like the GoPro Mountain Games, Bravo! Vail Music Festival and Taste of Vail or regular gatherings like Mountain Top Yoga. Here are a few upcoming highlights on the events calendar.
Vail Farmers’ Market & Art Show — Saturdays through Oct. 5
Vail Wine Classic — Aug. 7-10
The Vail Jazz Festival — Aug. 29-31
Vail Oktoberfest, Lionshead — Sept. 5-7
Vail Oktoberfest, Vail Village — Sept. 12-14
