Vail in Fall

As a native Floridian, Fall is not a season that is particularly experienced, so when I moved to Colorado, I knew that I wanted to try to take in all that the season has to offer! Charles, my husband, and I decided to take the 2ish hour drive over to see fall in Vail for the weekend.

Vail

The fall weather was perfect for our weekend in Vail. It was in the high 60s in the daytime, but it did hit the 30s as the lows. It was so bizarre getting out my winter gear in September! The drive to Vail brought the spectacular colors of fall, although I think we missed peak by about a week. Even from Saturday to Sunday, the leaves had started to become more vibrant and orangy-red.

Vail has 2 Villages — Lionshead and Vail Village. We booked the gondola for the day we arrived. The gondola leaves from both Villages and the rides are unlimited. We started off at Lionshead Village and took the gondola to the top. The ride takes about 10 minutes and takes you to the top of the mountain. You can also take your bike on the gonolda and take the mountain trails down (sounds like the perfect way to ride to me!). Lionshead Village has a couple of restaurants (casual, but $$$) as well as amazing views and the alpine coaster. There’s about a mile trail connecting Lionshead to Vail Village, which also has a restaurant. If you only have time for one side, do Lionshead, without a doubt!

One of the activities Charles and I were most excited about was the alpine coaster! It definitely wasn’t cheap, but it was really fun. I challeneged myself not to touch the brake on the second round. I thought I was going to fly off the mountain, but it was so much fun!

After the gondola ride up, 2 rides on the alpine coaster, a nice hike across to the Vail Village gondola and the ride back down (where we spotted a beaver!), we decided to walk around the Villages. The Villages are cute — plenty of restaurants and shops as well as rental stores. There’s a nice path that takes you from Village to Village, which is about a mile, but there’s also a free shuttle. We had an hour or so to spare before our dinner reservations so we decided to get drinks at The 4 Seasons. I got the “Famous Haut Chocolate” and whoa was it decadent! Highly recommend for chocolate fans! After dinner we headed to our AirBNB in Edwards, about 25 minutes away.

Breckenridge

The next day, we decided to take the [very] scenic ride home. We drove over to Breckenridge where we stumbled upon Oktoberfest, where we had beer, cider, and spicy sausage while taking in the concert. We then headed over to Boreas pass, which is located on the Continental Divide. The leaves were absolutely gorgeous this time of year. Boreas pass is a gravel/dirt road so it’s closed in the winter. I’m so happy we were able to fit it in.

Our quick getaway was full but so much fun. Feel free to contact me with any questions! I highly encourage Vail in the fall! There’s so much we didn’t get to do, including Booth Falls, but we hope to go back and experience some winter activites and visit again next fall!