Long-time Vail residents fondly say, “Winter is great, but summer is why we live here,” despite the global popularity of its ski slopes.
While the winter experience at the sprawling slopes of the Bavarian-style resort is spectacular, Vail’s summer adventures are next level.
Offering an abundance of treasures one typically seeks in Colorado’s High Country for a summer getaway — great hiking, biking, golf, and sunny patios — Vail also throws in extras like llama picnics, a world-class farmers market, and one-of-a-kind festivals.
Hiking
Berry Picker is a challenging trail with multiple access points from Vail’s base area. It weaves across streams, over thick roots, and around clusters of Columbines, wild roses, and berry bushes.
The trail, measuring more than 3 miles with more than 2,200 feet of elevation gain, opens to colorful meadows with impressive views of the valley below.
If your knees aren’t up for the descent, you can also download for free on the Eagle Bahn Gondola.
The big hub for hikers, however, is East Vail.
While parking is no longer allowed at the trailhead for the incredibly popular Booth Creek waterfall hike, the free Town of Vail bus makes it easy to get there.
A bit farther into East Vail, you’ll find trailheads for a series of less-used but equally rewarding routes.
Pitkin Creek Trail also leads to views of a glistening waterfall after about 3 miles of reasonably strenuous initial climbing through aspen glades, lodgepole pine, and wildflower meadow. A couple more miles of less steep terrain will take you to the serene Pitkin Lake.
Arguably, Deluge Lake is even more picturesque but requires more than 3,000 feet of climbing to reach through similarly scenic, aspen and fir tree-lined terrain.
Although it has no sparkling lake at its endpoint, Big Horn takes you to an old mining cabin via ethereal aspen tunnels, boulder fields, and pine canopies.
Biking
Although a popular shuttle route, the paved recreation path from the top of Vail Pass down to Vail is dangerously steep, narrow, and unpleasant in places.
The far more appealing section of the path stretches along Gore Creek from West Vail to East Vail, with stunning views of the snowcapped Gore Mountains ahead of you and plenty of picnic areas and rest stops along the way.
For mountain biking, the trails on Vail Mountain range from delightfully flowy (Radio Flyer) to super steep and technical (Old Nine Line).
Drive about 25 miles west of Vail and discover a new landscape (swap out the alpine terrain and pine trees for high desert and sage bushes) through the expansive network of singletrack surrounding the town of Eagle.
Golf
As far as views go, you’ll be hard-pressed to stay focused on your shot when swinging toward the distractingly beautiful postcard view of the Gore Range from Vail Golf Club, which recently completed a massive renovation of its greens.
Its Grill on the Gore restaurant serves fantastic sandwiches.
For those looking for a multi-sport day, you can rent a golf bike rather than a cart to navigate the 18-hole course.
Sunny patios
Celebrating a whopping 50 years in Vail, The Alpenrose is not only a festive and iconic haunt where you can nosh on your favorite German-Austrian comfort fare (schnitzel, pretzels, strudel, etc.), but it boasts one of the best patios in town, teeming with flower boxes and great people-watching potential.
For decades, Pepi’s Gasthof Grammshammer has been a classic patio that reflects the spirit of Vail. It’s the perfect place to enjoy an oversized pint of pilsner or a fresh fish dinner.
As in winter, you’ll often soak up the rays to live après tunes on the weekends.
Yet another long-time mainstay with arguably the best prime rib in the state is Lancelot’s small patio on Gore Creek.
Vail Brewing’s village taproom patio, with a fire pit, provides a bird’s-eye view of the Solaris courtyard bustle.
In Lionshead, there’s no better place to keep an eye on summertime slope action than from the elevated vantage point of Garfinkel’s deck.
Festivals
Set aside a few hours for the Vail Farmers’ Market and Art Show, which transforms Vail Village into an extravaganza of color, energy, creativity, and enticing aromas every Sunday from mid-June through early October.
Although it takes place in April, the Taste of Vail is one of the nation’s hidden gem wine and culinary events. It is the ultimate way to sample bites from all of Vail’s top fine-dining haunts and sips from more than 100 wineries around the world. Marking the transition from winter to summer, and with many seminars and events selling out in advance, it’s one to mark on your calendar for next year.
Vail’s unequivocable summer kickoff event, not to mention one of the most thrilling, multi-sensory experiences of your life, the GoPro Mountain Games, unfold June 6-9.
Along with a nightly lineup of live music featuring Xavier Rudd, Lotus, and Dispatch and free daytime concerts, the Mountain Games cover a gamut of high-altitude activities — trail running, biking, climbing, kayaking, flyfishing, paddleboarding, and dog-diving competitions — as well as yoga, art, free seminars, and heaps of swag.
Anyone who appreciates dance and has yet to see the Vail Dance Festival has been missing out on one of the world’s most impressive displays of the art form.
Celebrating its 36th season with 13 of the country’s most talented ballet and dance companies, catch Vail Dance from July 26 to Aug. 5.
Animal add-ons
We can all agree that hiking is better with a friend, but nothing beats a fuzzy four-legged friend with an underbite, especially one carrying a gourmet picnic.
Paragon Guides has a team of llamas, each boasting their adorable personality, for their Take a Llama to Lunch excursion.
Situated unassumingly across the highway from Vail, Vail Stables is the ultimate hub for exploring the lush green landscapes as the pioneers did — on horseback.
It’s also a surprising spot to enjoy hooved creatures of a different variety.
The Stables delivers a daily happy hour beer garden featuring roaming ponies and baby goats.
Lastly, for the ninth year running, the Stables offers a fun — and funny — goat yoga class. The Town of Vail free bus provides a new stop at the Stables, so you don’t have to drive.
Originally Published: July 3, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.
