Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
Vail Ski Resort, Vail, CO

Photo: Dbenbenn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorIconicOutdoor Adventure

Vail Ski Resort

Gondola One, Vail Village, off I-70 · Vail, CO

Why you should go…

Vail is the largest ski resort in Colorado, with 5,317 skiable acres, 278 trails and 32 lifts rising from an 8,120-foot base to an 11,570-foot summit. Beyond the front side you drop into nearly 3,000 acres of bowl skiing in the Back Bowls. The longest run, Riva Ridge, goes on for 4 miles. The resort opened in December 1962 and sits about 100 miles west of Denver on Interstate 70.

  • #ski resort
  • #skiing
  • #snowboarding
  • #back bowls
  • #mountain resort

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Vail Ski Resort, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Breckenridge Ski Resort

    $50+

    Ski five peaks above the town of Breckenridge, including a chairlift that tops out at 12,840 feet.

    20 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Performance Tours Rafting

    $50+

    Family-owned whitewater rafting outfitter running guided trips on the Arkansas and Blue Rivers.

    21 mi awayMore like this

  • Tours
    Family Favorite

    Georgetown Loop Railroad

    $25–$50

    A narrow-gauge train that loops through the Colorado Rockies past a historic Silver Rush mining town.

    36 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Colorado Adventure Center

    $50+

    Zipline, ropes course and whitewater rafting basecamp in Idaho Springs, 35 miles west of Denver.

    45 mi awayMore like this

  • Attractions
    Outdoor Adventure

    Mighty Argo Cable Car

    $25–$50

    Year-round gondola from downtown Idaho Springs to a mountain summit with hiking, biking, and views of the historic Argo Mill.

    47 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave

    Under $25

    See William F. Cody's hilltop grave, then tour museum exhibits on his life and his Wild West show.

    61 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums