15 Best Things to Do in Vail: How to Plan a 3-Day Vail Itinerary
Is Vail on the short list for your next vacation? If so, you are in for a treat. Sitting in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, a trip to Vail gives you incredible access to great hikes, beautiful landscapes, a fun village life, and more.
One of the pros of this area is that there are so many things to do in Vail. Even if you don’t want to hike, you can still find plenty of activities to enjoy throughout your Vail itinerary and make your three or four-day adventure a blast!
Inside, we dive into what I consider the best things to do in Vail, how to structure a three-day Vail itinerary, and more!
Why Vail is Worth Visiting
For me, Vail’s main draw is the Gore Range. One of Colorado’s most picturesque mountain ranges, it reminds me of the Washington Cascades. It’s jagged, the views require you to earn them, and you can find solitude.
Plus, you’re in a pretty kick-ass location, which means you don’t have to drive too far to reach trailheads, making life so much easier than for those heading up the 70 during rush hour.
Now, if you’re not coming to Vail to hike (or ski/snowboard), I don’t have much to sell you on. I guess enjoy the village?
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When Should You Visit Vail, Colorado?
IF you’re coming for winter sports, December through March works well, with January and February being the sweet spot. For hiking season, late May/early June through October is pretty good, too.
Keep in mind, though, that the fall colors will likely be gone once the calendar flips to October. Still, you should be able to find better lodging prices during this in-between time.
I was here in April (during our bad snow year), so there was a tiny bit of snow, but it was mostly just mud season, which isn’t fun at all. I don’t think I’d recommend Vail in April unless there were spring skiing going on.
How to Plan a 3-Day Vail Itinerary
This is a mix of how my three-day trip to Vail went and how I’d structure it better (we went in April, and some hikes weren’t available yet).
Day 1 – Arrive in Vail
From Denver, it’s a little under a two-hour drive. And it’s super straightforward. Just stay on I-70 until you reach your Vail hotel. We checked into the Vail Grant Hyatt a bit after 4pm, and quickly headed out onto the Gore Creek Trail to walk over to Lionshead Village.
It’s a beautiful, flat walk, and with a little bit of snow still on the ground, it felt pretty magical.
Because it was April and there were no winter sports, the village was a ghost town. Only a few places were open. Jaimie and I popped into Bart & Yetis. HIGHLY recommend a visit. The owner is a local and a big hiker/mountain person who can offer lots of tips on where to go.
After a drink and more strolling around the empty village, we headed back to the Hyatt for dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. (We had Amex hotel credits to use.) That evening, we did a nightcap in the hot tub.
Other ideas for a summer Vail Itinerary: If you have mostly a full day, I suggest going hiking around Vail Pass. An easier hike is Shrine Ridge Trail, while a harder one would be Uneva Peak. Otherwise, take the drive up to Piney Lake and spend half the day in the mountains.
Non-hiking things to do in Vail: If you get up in the mid-afternoon, a Jeep Tour could be awesome. Or book an afternoon tee time and take advantage of the long summer days.
Day 2 – Explore the Gore Range and Vail Village
On the second day of our Vail itinerary (my birthday!), we hiked out to Booth Falls. After my brother arrived, we hopped on the Hyatt shuttle to the bus stop. From there, we took the free Vail bus to the trailhead.
Booth Falls is a great half-day option for those who want to get into the mountains without working too hard. Now, this isn’t an easy hike, however. It’s still 1,300 feet of gain over two miles (and then two miles back).
Even though it was mud season, we still had a nice time, and the waterfall was roaring! One thing to know: the main waterfall is hidden from view, and even getting an okay glimpse requires walking out onto a rock with steep drop-offs. So be careful.
After the hike, we headed back to explore Vail Village and do a food tour. Our first stop was Vail Brewing Company. Then we grabbed dinner at the George Restaurant and Pub, before a final whiskey tasting at 10th Mountain Whiskey.
Other ideas for a summer Vail Itinerary: We were very limited in what we could do. If this had been summer, I’d have chosen a longer hike. Or maybe just have gone all the way up to Booth Lake. I’d recommend Missouri Lakes, head up the Gore Lake Trail (long day hike, but the creek part is a nice roller coaster walk), or do the Berrypicker Trail.
Non-hiking things to do: Go rafting, check out a museum, or try the ziplines.
Day 3 – Explore Vail + More Hiking
My brother, Jaimie, and I got breakfast at the Hyatt and parted ways around noon. He went west, and we went east back to Denver. We stopped at Vail Pass because we wanted to do one more hike. It turned into the muddiest adventure I’ve ever done. And no, it was not that fun!
We hoped to get near the Shrine Ridge Hut, but the mud slowed us down so much that we stopped once it turned to snow and enjoyed the views before heading back. Thankfully, the snowy views were really pretty, so it wasn’t too bad.
Other ideas for a summer Vail Itinerary: If you’re heading back to Denver, you can hit any of the hikes in Frisco/Silverthorne or Copper Mountain. Mayflower Gulch is a fun hike, so are Willow Creek Falls and Ten Mile Trail.
If you want a hike closer to Vail, Bighorn Creek Trail looks really nice, as does Pitkin Lake.
15 Best Things to Do in Vail
1. Get outside and hike
When in Vail, you hike! The Vail area has so many awesome hiking trails, and you won’t finish them all in just one vacation. Thanks to the Gore Range’s stupendous beauty, you’re in for a treat.
The link above has all my top hikes, but here are a few favorites.
- Gore Lake
- Booth Falls
- Shrine Ridge Trail
- Missouri Lakes
Keep in mind that if you’re hiking in Vail Valley, you can take a free shuttle to most of the hikes. This keeps things pretty easy. All you need to do is get to Vail Village Parking and Transportation Center, and you’re good to go!
2. Rafting on the Upper Colorado River
Looking for a fun day on the water for the entire family? A nice float on the Upper Colorado River is a great experience. I did a float/raft with my parents some 20 years ago and had a great time. Check the water flow before booking.
Thanks to climate change and Colorado’s drought, water levels haven’t been great recently.
3. Take the Scenic Gondola Up
There’s an easy way and a hard way to get to the top of the mountain. For the easy way, take the Vail Scenic Gondola up! Once you’re up, you can explore the mountaintops and soak up the beauty of summer in the Rocky Mountains.
Two scenic gondolas run during the summer, depending on where you are staying.
2026 OPERATING HOURS
- Gondola One (#1) is operating from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM daily from June 12th through September 7th, 2026
- Eagle Bahn Gondola (#19) is operating from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM daily from June 19th through September 7th, 2026
- Gondola One (#1) and Eagle Bahn Gondola (#19) are operating from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from September 11th through September 27th, 2026.
Tickets cost $67 for adults and $46 for kids. Seniors are $56.
The gondola is free if you want to take it down after hiking up.
4. Window shop around town
Not exactly my cup of tea, but plenty of people want to walk around the shops at Vail Village or Vail Square to find souvenirs or other goodies.
5. Take a Jeep Tour
If you want to sit back and enjoy a trip high into the Rocky Mountains, what better way to experience that than in a big ol Jeep that can get pretty much anywhere? This lets you see views you probably wouldn’t otherwise get, making a trip to Vail even more memorable.
Highly recommend and definitely one of the things to do in Vail on your next trip!
6. Go Mountain Biking
There’s so much biking to be done in Vail. First, you can enjoy mountain biking on the ski slopes. Next, you can bike throughout Vail Valley. Lastly, you can book a tour that drives you up to Vail Pass and lets you bike down to Frisco or Vail, depending on the route you want to take!
However you want to explore Vail on a bike, you can!
7. Hit the links and golf
Vail Golf Club sits at 8,200 feet and stays open to public play on a course Ben Krueger built in 1962, its 6,739 yards tracing Gore Creek beneath the Gore Range. Thin air adds distance to every drive, so club selection shifts from what works at sea level.
The Sonnenalp course offers a second option nearby. Afternoon showers roll in fast at this elevation, so pack a layer regardless of the forecast.
As someone who plays golf in Denver at 5,200 feet, I can only imagine the balls are FLYING off the tee at 8,000 feet. I felt this was a good use of AI, so here are its recommendations for choosing clubs at this altitude.
The common rule is that a golf ball carries about 2% farther for every 1,000 feet of elevation, because thinner air creates less drag. Launch monitor studies put the real number anywhere from roughly 1.5% to 2%, depending on the club and ball speed, but 2% is a good working figure.
Using a 150-yard sea-level shot as the baseline:
Elevation Carry gain 150-yard shot flies 1,000 ft ~2% ~153 yds 5,000 ft ~10% ~165 yds 8,000 ft ~16% ~174 yds
With irons typically spaced 10 to 12 yards apart, that works out like this:
8,000 ft vs 1,000 ft: about a 14% difference, so plan on clubbing down roughly 1.5 to 2 clubs. A shot that needed a 7-iron at 1,000 feet is usually an 8- or 9-iron at 8,000.
8,000 ft vs 5,000 ft: about a 6% difference, which is closer to a half club to a full club. On shorter approaches you may just swing a little easier with the same club; on longer shots (170+ yards) the extra yardage adds up to a full club more consistently.
A few factors shift these numbers. Longer clubs gain more absolute yardage because the ball spends more time in the air, so a driver might pick up 25 to 30 yards at 8,000 feet while a wedge gains only a handful. Thinner air also reduces lift and spin effects, so shots tend to fly a bit lower and curve less, and high-spin players often notice the gain more than low-spin players.
8. Visit the Betty Ford Alpine Botanical Gardens
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens claims the title of North America’s highest-elevation botanical garden, spread across Ford Park at 8,200 feet. More than 3,000 species from Rocky Mountain and alpine regions worldwide fill four distinct sections, including a rock garden and a meditation garden.
Admission runs on a $20 suggested donation rather than a fixed ticket price. Docent-led tours and family programs run through summer, and the grounds stay open daily from dawn to dusk.
9. Visit the Walking Mountains Science Museum
Walking Mountains Science Center runs its main campus in Avon, with a satellite Nature Discovery Center accessible by gondola on Vail Mountain. Naturalist-led hikes wind through aspen groves and riparian corridors at no charge, and the schedule adds workshops, lectures, and backcountry programs for adults alongside camps for kids.
The organization’s mission centers on environmental education, so exhibits lean toward hands-on demonstrations over static displays. Hours run Monday through Saturday during summer.
My parents spent a morning here and loved it. I popped in to check it out after driving up from Denver and found they had a nice center to explore.
10. Fly Fishing
Gore Creek runs straight through Vail Village, giving fly anglers stream access without a long drive, while the Eagle River widens the options with runs suited to both wading and float trips.
Local outfitters like Gore Creek Fly Fisherman and Vail Valley Anglers guide half- and full-day trips and supply rods and flies matched to current hatches. Brown and rainbow trout hold in the deeper pools. Private stretches through some resort properties reduce crowds.
11. Visit the Museum at Dinosaur Junction
The Museum at Dinosaur Junction sits in Edwards, a short drive from Vail off Interstate 70’s exit 163. Billy Doran founded the nonprofit after years of fossil hunting across Eagle County, and the collection focuses on local finds.
It’s open Wednesday through Sunday, with adult admission at $12 and discounts for youth and seniors. Kids under four get in free. Annual memberships include gift shop discounts and unlimited return visits.
12. Visit Piney River Ranch
Piney River Ranch sits on the shore of Piney Lake, twelve miles north of Vail Village along a Forest Service dirt road that takes about 45 minutes to drive. The 40-acre property backs into White River National Forest wilderness, with canoeing, paddleboarding, and hiking trails departing from the shoreline.
An on-site restaurant serves smoked barbecue. Cell service and GPS both fail on the approach, so download directions before leaving Vail.
One thing to note: 2026 appears to be the final year of operation. The trails should stay open.
13. Visit the historic town of Minturn
Minturn traces back to the 1880s as a Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad stop, and it remains the only true mountain town in the Vail Valley, without the polish of its resort neighbors. The Holy Cross Wilderness borders it on three sides, feeding trailheads for mountain biking, hiking, and fishing on the Upper Eagle River.
A rusted blue Chevy Impala named Geronimo sits parked downtown. Restaurants range from Thai to Mexican, plus a whiskey tasting room.
If you head up this way, here are a handful of good hikes to check out.
- Moderate Hikes: Grouse Creek Loop, Martin Creek Trail, Tuhare Lakes, Missouri Lakes, and Surprise Lake
- Hard Hikes: Mount of the Holy Cross (14er), Missouri Lakes and Fancy Lake Loop
14. Go Ziplining
Zip Adventures runs six lines through Alkali Creek Canyon outside Wolcott, about 25 minutes from Vail, capped by a 1,000-foot descent called What Was I Thinking.
Pinzgauer troop carriers haul riders to each launch platform, and the course grades up from a beginner-friendly Bunny Hill to faster runs with waterfall views. The tour runs roughly two and a half hours with light hiking between platforms.
I haven’t been to this one, but I’ve been to Rwanda and Costa Rica, and it is always a fun experience!
15. All Winter Sports
The last is the most obvious. Winter sports are king in Vail, with top-tier snowboarding and skiing. We’re hopefully bouncing back from a terrible 2025 year, and all Coloradoans are crossing their fingers for a big ol dumping of snow for winter ’25/’26.
It’s on the Epic Pass, which is pretty much the only way this place is affordable, as some single-day tickets can reach $300 per person – yikes!
Where to Stay Around Vail, Colorado
A couple of things you should know about staying in Vail. First, parking is very expensive – somewhere around $30- 50 per day – and there’s not much of a good way to avoid it. Second, the resort fees will get ya!
Next, which shouldn’t be a surprise, but Vail is expensive. If you want cheaper lodging, Avon or Eagle will be more budget-friendly.
Vail Suggestions:
Avon Suggestions:
- Comfort Inn
- The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch
- Springhill Suites By Marriott
- Sheraton Mountain Vista Villas
Fall hikes in Vail to key in
If you’re looking for fall hiking ideas, I wanted to share some of the best ones to help you plan a trip!
Booth Falls (4 miles round trip, 1,400 feet): Switchbacks open into an aspen colonnade about half a mile up, then follow Booth Creek to a 60-foot cascade. The trailhead lot and surrounding neighborhood stay closed to parking through fall, so take the free East Vail bus from the Transportation Center.
Berrypicker Trail (3.7 miles one way, 2,200 feet): Climbs from Lionshead to Eagle’s Nest through aspen stands wedged between ski runs. Hike up and ride the gondola down while it still runs Friday through Sunday into late September.
Upper Piney River (6 miles round trip, 600 feet): Eleven washboarded miles of dirt above West Vail end at Piney Lake with the Gore Range mirrored in it. Nearly flat walking past beaver ponds to a waterfall, and the drive itself passes through the densest aspen on this list.
North Trail, Buffehr Creek section (5 miles round trip, 900 feet): A sunny traverse above the frontage road where scrub oak turns russet beneath the gold. Holds dry footing after early storms have iced the higher routes.
Shrine Ridge (4.4 miles round trip, 800 feet): From Shrine Pass Road at I-70 exit 190. Willow and tundra go copper by late September, with Mount of the Holy Cross across the drainage.
FAQ for your Vail itinerary
Not if you’re staying in Vail Village or Lionshead. The town runs a free in-town bus system between the villages plus free Eagle County Core Transit routes through the valley. A car earns its keep only for day trips beyond the valley.
You can take a shuttle from Denver if you want to.
Go straight west on I-70; it’s about 100 miles and two hours in clean conditions. Eastbound Sunday afternoons bottleneck badly at the Eisenhower Tunnel, so leave before noon or after 7 p.m. Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) sits 35 minutes west and cuts the drive to almost nothing, though fares run higher than DEN.
No. The trailhead lot closes to parking from May 31 through fall, and there’s no parking in the surrounding neighborhood, park, or school lot. Violators get towed. Take the East Vail bus or the Hiker Express shuttle from the Vail Transportation Center; combined frequency runs about every 15 minutes. Drop-off at the trailhead is allowed.
– First hour free
– $2 per hour, max $10 per day
– Free entry after 3 p.m. until 4 a.m.
– Transaction ends upon exit; must exit for 30 minutes before reentering.
– Overnight charge is $60. Overnight parking is available in the Vail Village and Lionshead parking structures for up to 14 days
Vail Village sits at 8,150 feet, and the gondola tops out above 10,000. Most people feel the thinner air as a headache and poor sleep on the first night. Spend a night in Denver first if you’re flying in from sea level, drink more water than feels reasonable, and go easy on alcohol the first evening.
Sleep downvalley. Avon, Edwards, Eagle, and Minturn cut lodging by half or more, and the county bus connects them. Eat lunch on the mountain and dinner in Minturn. Hike instead of buying attraction passes; the trails cost nothing once you’ve parked.
Most years, the third week of September through the first few days of October. Shrine Pass Road, the Piney Lake road above West Vail, and the lower Berrypicker Trail hold the densest stands. Storms strip the leaves fast, so the window is often under two weeks for peak fall colors.
In 2026, they are turning around a week earlier than usual.
Final Thoughts on the Best things to do in Vail
Vail is a wonderful place to stay and puts you in the center of all the mountain action in Colorado. If you have a longer Vail itinerary, you can explore Leadville, Aspen, Grand Junction, Breckenridge, and more!
But if you are just here to see Vail, you’re in for a treat and will have a fantastic time, guaranteed!
Until next time, adventurers, stay safe.
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