In the winter, the so called "Vail Valley" offers some of the best skiing in the world at some of the highest prices in the world. The Vail area is also a mecca for all sorts of outdoor activities year round. It's a great place to live and a great place to vacation. If Vail weren't so wonderful, as any student of the market could tell you, it wouldn't be so expensive. Very rich visitors from all over the world choose Vail to spend their vacations and dollars. Even the valley's full-time residents, like me, compete for housing with the ultra-rich, as employee housing is bought up and converted to high-cost luxury accommodations.
Saving you money is what we are all about. The most exclusive
and expensive businesses in the Colorado High Country spend lots
of money on advertising. Their message reaches out on the television,
in magazines, and over the Web. On this site the small business
of the Vail Valley get their chance to reach out with their message:
" There is an affordable side to vacationing in the Colorado
Rockies."
The focus of this website is to provide the
reader with the non-standard, insider information, the type of
information that is excluded from the official information outlets.
If you're looking for the standard information, and statistics
Vail Associates website is at vail.com and, the so called,
"Official website for the Vail Valley" is at vail.net,
but if you're looking for the deals and, non-commercial information
as opposed to high priced advertising why not bookmark this
site.
Table of Contents
Affordable Vail Transportation
Ride a bus from the Eagle Airport to Vail or Beaver Creek for only $ 3.00. The pros and cons of taxis, renting a car and shuttles. A private taxi may be cheaper and more convenient than a seat on a shuttle van.
Everyone wants to tell you about the Gourmet Dining in Vail. I want to tell you about the great restaurants that even I can afford. I personally recommend any of these restaurants.
Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding on Vail, Beaver Creek and Cooper Hill
Economical Ski Rentals for Vail and Beaver Creek
Discount coupons for the American Ski Exchange and Venture Sports. Free overnight storage.
Vail has a lot more to offer than just skiing on Vail Mountain. Find out about Skating,, Snowshoeing Horseback riding, The Avon Aquatic Center, The Colorado Ski Museum and Ski Hall of Fame, and Vail's Youth Center.
Cross Country Skiing in the Vail Area is information on Track Skiing, and Backcountry Skiing in the National Forrest, as well as Hut to Hut Skiing.
There is more to do in Vail in the Summertime than in the winter. We who live here stay because of the Summers, biking hiking, horseback riding, white water rafting and kayaking, fishing, hunting, climbing and more.
Mountain Bike Trails in the Vail Area.
Complete descriptions of 12 of Vail's best mountain bike rides.
This Summer Vail Mountain Bike Camps is offering a variety of mountain bike instruction through several different Camps
Hiking and Backpacking has its own page. Go there to find descriptions of Vail's 20 Best Hiking Trails as well as rental information and other useful information for planing a great outing.
Hunting and Fishing in the Vail Valley
This part of Colorado has huntable numbers of Elk, Mule Deer. Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Big Horn Sheep, and Mountain Goat. Bull Elk, Buck Mule Deer, Black Bear, and Mountain Lion
Abundant opportunities exist for novice and experienced fishermen
in the Vail Valley, Rainbow, Brown, Brook, and Cut-throat Trout
provide exciting action.
Camping in the Vail Area
In the summer the cheapest way to visit Vail is to Camp Out.
There are many camp sites in the Vail area. Find the best ones
are here.
Affordable Glenwood Springs
Glenwood Springs is the Vail local's get-a-way. 60 miles west of Vail and 40 miles from Aspen. The Hot Springs are just what the doctor ordered after a long day of skiing. The restaurants are affordable, the lodging is very affordable, and there are year-round activities for the whole family.
The Lay of the Land is a little
introduction piece about the Colorado Rockies in general. You
can read it while you're on this page.
Vail, Denver, Reno, Nevada, and Atlantic City, New Jersey all
lie at about the same latitude but have vastly different climates.
Their climates are affected by many factors. Vail's weather begins
in the Pacific Northwest and follows the jet stream down and across
the continent. Air laden with water from the Pacific Ocean, passes
over deserts to drop its moisture as the air is forced up the
western slope of the Rocky Mountains. As the air rises, it expands
and cools, and, bingo snow! This is why all of Colorado's major
ski areas are on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. Colorado's
climate changes rapidly from the western slope the the eastern
slope as the elevation changes.
So what does all this mean? When you fly into Denver," The
Mile High City" at 5280 ft. and head west into the mountains,
things change rapidly. Denver's weather might be balmy and clear,
but as you gain elevation, things begin to cool off. By the time
you reach 11,600 ft. at the Continental Divide, there may be a
raging blizzard. .
As you continue west, the climate continues to change as you drop
down the western slope. Things begin to warm up, the snow gets
lighter, and by the time you reach the Eagle County Regional Airport,
35 miles west of Vail, at 6,500 ft. things may have cleared up.
The main road east and west from Denver, past the resorts of Keystone,
Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and through the Vail Valley to
Glenwood Springs is Interstate 70. The exits along the interstate
are given the same number as the mile number at that location.
The mile markers begin at the Utah boarder and ascend as you travel
east to the Kansas border. This makes calculating distances simple
math. The ten mile road leading from Denver International Airport
joins the interstate at mile marker #284.To get to Breckenridge
get off at exit #203. Copper Mountain is within view of exit #
195. Vail's Main exit is #176. Avon is exit #167. The exit for
The Eagle County Regional Airport is #147. The road to Aspen and
Snowmass, Rt. 82 begins in Glenwood Springs at exit #116.
