Having lived in Vail Colorado for over 20 years, off and on, I can honestly say that I never tired of the amazing views in the valley. It’s truly a magical place. Like many people I know, I moved there for the winters but stayed because of the summers. I still ski, snowshoe, and cross country, but I now seem to enjoy the summer months more.

A few years ago I was faced with the challenge of what to do for 4 days with a friend who wanted to see Vail in the winter, but didn’t ski. As I quickly found out, there are plenty of things to do and we didn’t even get to all of them – but here’s what we did do…

1 – Sage Outdoor Adventures, Wolcott, CO

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We took a 2 hour guided snowmobile tour with Sage Adventures. They are located about 25 minutes west of Beaver Creek resort (35 from Vail). You can either drive there yourself and meet at their base camp, or you can be picked up at your lodging in their company van with other guests. The current pricing for the 2 hour guided tour for 2 people is $240 – which includes pick up and drop off. They offer complimentary snowsuits, winter boots, and helmets if you don’t have them.

Sage has over 100 miles of custom designed trails and views of the valley that will leave you speechless. Whether you’ve been snowmobiling before or never at all – go – it’s a great experience!!

https://sageoutdooradventures.com

2 – Iron Mountain Hot Springs, Glenwood Springs, CO

There are 2 hot springs to visit in Glenwood Springs – this is the newer of the two, having opened in 2015. The main hot springs are located right off highway 70 with a large pool, slides, and sulfur caves – this is great for families and kids especially. Iron Mountain is 16 individual small hot spring pools beautifully terraced by the Colorado River that range from 98 to 108 degrees and is better suited for adults. The majority of the minerals that are found in the water are known for their relaxing qualities.

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Besides the individual pools, there is a larger freshwater pool which is a bit cooler and it’s located by the snack bar that offers a variety of food and beverage menu items. There are very large locker rooms and showers, that have hair dryers, shampoo and even bathing suit dryers. If you are coming from a hotel and don’t have access to a pool towel, you can rent one for the day. Your entrance fee is for the day and allows you to come and go. We arrived right before sunset and watched the sun melting behind the mountains. We then headed off to a local restaurant for dinner and then returned for more soaking before they closed for the evening. This is a great spot to visit after skiing – or instead of skiing.

www.ironmountainhotsprings.com

3 – Allie’s Cabin wine dinner, Beaver Creek mountain

Allie’s Cabin is a private, members-only club that is located on Beaver Creek mountain. It is only open to the public on Thursday evenings for their weekly 5 course wine dinners. Guests are met at the base of Beaver Creek and then ride up to the cabin in an open-air sleigh that is pulled by a snowcat. It can get cold and it might be snowing, but that’s part of the charm, so there are hooded blankets for the quick trip if needed.

In addition to the 5-course meal that is perfectly paired with the winery of the evening, you can watch the fireworks display with a glass of wine in hand to start the night off right. At the entrance of the restaurant, you can store your coats, mittens, hats and boots and exchange your boots for a pair of warm slippers during your stay, if so desired.

Each week, a different winery is featured and it was Pine Ridge Winery in Napa during the evening that we were there. I must say that the food and wine pairings were perfect, the cabin is cozy and the food was amazing – not to mention the view. This is a unique experience that is only offered once a week and should not be missed.

www.beavercreek.com

4 – Snowshoe on Beaver Creek Mountain

Snowshoeing on the mountain is the next best thing to downhill, because of the views. You can rent snowshoes or cross country skis at the Nordic Center, located at the base of Beaver Creek Mountain, by chair 12. McCoy Park is at the top of chair 12 and offers over 20 miles of groomed terrain with fabulous sweeping views of the valley. The trails are mapped out like downhill, with a green circle noting a beginner trail, the blue square being intermediate, and a black diamond for experts. At the top of the chairlift, you’ll find the “Candy Cabin” for snacks – it’s just what it sounds like a cabin filled with candy and it’s “the sweetest place at 9,840 feet”. After getting your snacks, choose your path, and enjoy.

www.beavercreek.com

5 – An evening on Vail Mountain

We rode the Eagle Bahn gondola from Lionshead, to the top of the mountain. The gondola is free to foot traffic after 3:30 so people can access Adventure Ridge. We ate at Bistro 14 while we watched the sunset over the mountains. After dinner, we walked a few yards out the back door to the office to sign in for our ski-biking adventure. This is only available to intermediate and expert skiers. It’s an odd piece of equipment that is part bike, part ski and it took me awhile to get used to it, but once I did, I had a blast. We were a small group of 5 with a guide and our first run down the mountain was great because it was still partially light out. The second run down was dark, so we needed to use the headlamps and went a bit slower. You dress just like you would if skiing during the day and enjoying the mountain at night with very few people around is wonderful. I went on this adventure thinking that I wouldn’t like it, but ended up loving it – just something different to do while in Vail.

www.vail.com

These are just some of the options for people who don’t ski or just want to take a day off from skiing, while in the Vail Valley. You can also go dog sledding, cross country skiing, rent a snowcat or go zip-lining, to name a few other things. Enjoy Colorado, it’s an amazing place to be – summer or winter.

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