{"id":2145,"date":"2022-12-15T07:08:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T07:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/?p=2145"},"modified":"2023-01-13T17:17:15","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T17:17:15","slug":"sunday-manifest-vail-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/sunday-manifest-vail-colorado\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Manifest: Vail, Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Aerial
Photo credit: Kevin Ruck\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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It\u2019s no surprise that Vail is consistently ranked one of the top ski towns in the US or that Forbes<\/em> magazine calls it the King of American Ski Resorts. The town was made for skiing. Literally. Built around the renowned Vail Ski Resort<\/a><\/strong> in 1962 and officially incorporated four years later, today it has grown to become one of the top winter sports destinations in the country\u2014with breathtaking vistas, gorgeous mountain terrain, quaint Alpine-inspired villages, and miles of trails and back bowls waiting to be explored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to spend a full day on the mountain here, skiing or snowboarding across 5,300 acres of snow-covered terrain or enjoying the jumps, ramps, and rails of the freestyle areas. Visitors who are new to skiing and snowboarding can check out the lessons at Vail Mountain\u2019s Ski & Snowboard School<\/a><\/strong> to get up and moving. Or, if you\u2019ve skied before but are feeling a little rusty, you can book one of the resort\u2019s ski guides to accompany you down some of the more challenging trails. Between runs, catch your breath and take the heated Gondola One up the mountain for panoramic views of Gore Range or grab a quick bite at The Coop<\/a><\/strong> or Mid Vail<\/a><\/strong> to refuel and warm up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Skiers
Photo credit: Steve Boice\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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If you prefer exploring the mountain in a different way, consider heading out on an adrenaline-pumping fat tire bike ride<\/a><\/strong> or take a guided, half-day snowshoe hike<\/a><\/strong>. Personalized to match your interests and abilities, these 3.5-hour tours will take you along mountain creeks, through quiet, wooded forests, and into parts of the backcountry as you learn more about the nature and wildlife of the area\u2014and get some amazing photos along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, as beautiful as Vail is during its coldest months, winter is not the only time it shines. Summers here mean sunny days and clear blue skies, perfect for hiking, biking, and horseback riding along flower-covered meadows, rafting and kayaking on nearby rivers, or teeing off at the 18-hole Vail Golf Club<\/a><\/strong>. In fall, the valley is painted yellow, green, and gold, with mild temperatures that call you outdoors for a continuation of summer\u2019s fun activities, as well as the opportunity to go fly-fishing<\/a><\/strong> for trout on the Gold Medal<\/a><\/strong> section of Gore Creek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Tree-covered
Photo credit: Craig Zerbe\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The ski resort offers fun year-round activities<\/a><\/strong> both on and around the mountain (including rides and games at the Epic Discovery<\/a><\/strong> adventure park), while the town also hosts a variety of art, music, food, and family-friendly festivals and special events<\/a><\/strong> throughout the warmer months\u2014so there\u2019s never a bad time to visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any season, make sure you take the time to see more of the town and discover what makes Vail so special. Stroll through the pedestrian-friendly streets of Vail Village<\/a><\/strong> and the adjoining Lionshead Village<\/a><\/strong> to soak in the charming European-inspired architecture; enjoy apr\u00e8s-ski or summer evening drinks at The Red Lion<\/a><\/strong> or Garfinkel\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> (a local favorite); check out the excellent breweries<\/a><\/strong> and tasting rooms around town; tour the exhibits at the Colorado Snowsports Museum<\/a><\/strong>; visit the stunning Betty Ford Alpine Botanical Gardens<\/a><\/strong> (the highest elevation botanical garden in North America); and wrap up each day with dinner at any of Vail\u2019s fabulous restaurants (the elegant Slope Room<\/a><\/strong> restaurant, Sweet Basil<\/a><\/strong>, and Matsuhisa<\/a><\/strong> are three of our favorites).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside of the two main villages, Vail\u2019s other neighborhoods are also worth a look and are easily accessible with the town\u2019s free bus service<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Narrow
Photo credit: Ricardo Reitmeyer\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In West Vail<\/a><\/strong>, you\u2019ll find grocery stores, fast-casual restaurant options, and some of the area\u2019s most popular White River National Forest<\/a> <\/strong>hiking trails. The more secluded East Vail<\/a><\/strong> neighborhood, beneath the towering East Vail Chutes, is home to the Vail Racquet Club<\/a><\/strong> and the Vail Nordic Center<\/a><\/strong>, as well as quiet trails along Gore Creek and Deluge Lake. And the small, but high-end Cascade Village<\/a><\/strong>, just west of Lionshead, offers upscale day spas, fine dining<\/a><\/strong> at the Grand Hyatt resort, and the less-busy Cascade chairlift 20 that gets you quickly and easily to the top of the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We have a Classic Vail Ski Vacation <\/a><\/strong>ready to book on our Experiences<\/a><\/strong> page. But if a warm-weather trip to this Colorado mountain town is more to your liking, or you have another destination in mind, let us know. We\u2019re happy to curate a custom trip for you whenever\u2014or wherever\u2014 you\u2019d like to go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s no surprise that Vail is consistently ranked one of the top ski towns in the US or that Forbes magazine calls it the King of American Ski Resorts. The town was made for skiing. Literally. Built around the renowned Vail Ski Resort in 1962 and officially incorporated four years later, today it has grown…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":2155,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,85,106,54,117,107,46,116],"tags":[140,154,38,155,153,130,55,27,13,118,15,36,12],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/VailAerialSnow-Kevin-Ruckshutterstock.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2145"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2145"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2584,"href":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2145\/revisions\/2584"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manifestescapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}